Category Archives: General

“You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away.’” (Matthew 28:13)

On Monday we took a look at the “embarrassing” evidence given by the testimony of the women regarding the Resurrection. Today and Friday we will look at the “enemy” evidence — that is, confirmation of the truth of the Resurrection that comes from the enemies of Christ and the Gospel.

The Religious Leaders

Everyone on both sides of the debate over the historical truth of the Resurrection agrees that enemy attestation is a powerful proposition regarding the proof of the Resurrection. The enemies of Jesus hated Him and schemed to have Him put to death. The Jewish religious leaders and the Roman government had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose in making any statement would help to prove the truth of the Resurrection. And yet we see that they did indeed make such statements.

Now, in order to have a resurrection, you first need an empty tomb. Do you know who was the first group to testify to the tomb of Jesus being empty? You might think that the witness of the women that we looked at on Monday would be the first testimony to the Resurrection, but you would be wrong. Look at the following passage:

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ”You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:11-15 emphasis added)

While the women were still hurrying to share the glorious good news of the Resurrection, the guards were already reporting that it had occurred. Some skeptics argue that those who testified to the empty tomb did so because they had gone to the wrong tomb. The facts decimate this argument. First, the location of the tomb was known. This is called “the Jerusalem Factor” — Jesus was publicly executed and put into a known tomb, which belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. Two men, who were themselves Pharisees, buried Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. All this points to the fact that there could have been no confusing the precise location of Jesus’ burial site.

Even if it was possible that some people had gone to the wrong tomb, and if the guards had inexplicably become confused about which tomb they were supposed to be guarding, if the real tomb was not empty, the religious leaders would simply have gone to the correct tomb — again, the location of that tomb was widely known — and produced the dead, decaying corpse of Jesus Christ and paraded it around Jerusalem for all the world to see. The reason they could not do so was because Jesus was no longer in the tomb. He had risen bodily from the grave.  

Remember, if someone has any kind of bias against someone else, what reason would the first person have for saying anything positive or helpful about the other person? There would be no reason, except for the fact that it must be true! The only story the enemies of Jesus could come up with for the tomb being empty was that the disciples had stolen the body.

In order to even consider that theory, one must believe that someone came to Jesus’ tomb and broke the Roman seal that stood for the authority and power of the Roman Empire. To do such a thing was punishable by death. And remember that if these audacious grave robbers were Jesus’ disciples, that notion doesn’t square with what Scripture frankly reports—that the terrified disciples had scattered and hid for fear they would meet with the same agonizing death as Jesus.

Next, these daring individuals rolled away a two-ton stone without being detected by the guards . . . or, even more unbelievably, they overpowered the guards and subdued them. The Bible doesn’t specifically identify who had been stationed to secure the tomb—either Roman soldiers or Temple guards—but both groups were trained killers who would have been held harshly accountable for such an incredible blunder. Are we really to believe that Jesus’ ragtag group of disciples, untrained civilians who had two swords between them (Luke 22:38), somehow rediscovered their courage and carried out a daring, commando-style raid to steal the body of Jesus? The very idea, even upon first blush, is preposterous.

As with the witness of the women, the enemy attestation to the Resurrection is there to encourage you and strengthen your faith. As Peter wrote, we are not following “cleverly invented stories” about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. No, we are trusting in the true, eyewitness accounts of those who were there, accounts from those who loved Him and those who hated and feared Him.

On Friday, we will look at the most powerful “enemy” testimony of all, that of the Pharisee Saul.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8)

We have arrived at Holy Week, and I would like to share with you three minimal facts that confirm the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Minimal facts are regarded as historically accurate, having passed the standard historical criteria, and agreed upon by a broad spectrum of scholars—including skeptics—who have written on the Resurrection from 1975 to the present. Dr. Gary Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor of Apologetics and Philosophy at Liberty University, has stated that most of these minimal facts are confirmed by ten or more historical considerations each. 

Today we will focus on what is called “embarrassing” evidence for the Resurrection — evidence that, on first blush, would seem to diminish the force of the story and undermine its credibility, thus embarrassing those who argue for the truth of the Resurrection.

The Witness of the Women

To understand the power of this embarrassing piece of evidence, we must journey back in time to the first century. Women who lived in the first century were looked down upon by men as second-class citizens, and their testimony was considered untrustworthy. In our contemporary culture, what I am saying here doesn’t compute; but in the ancient world, it was an unfortunate fact of life. Women were not allowed to give testimony as public witnesses or public spokesmen, but they could testify in domestic and family matters. Also women were never counted among the men. You may remember that in the gospel accounts of Jesus feeding the 5,000, the story only records the 5,000 men, without giving any account of the women or children who surely were there (see, for example, Matthew 14:21).

I say all that to say this: If the gospel writers had been fabricating the story of the Resurrection, it is extremely unlikely that they would have used women as witnesses to the resurrection of the Christ; they would have picked a respected group of men, not women, to attest the the truth of the risen Savior.  

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.'” . . . So the woman hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them, “Greetings,” he said. (Matthew 28:1-8)

Why do we read of these “second-class citizens,” who were not allowed to give testimony in a court of law, as the first ones to see the risen Jesus? Because it is true! No one would make up a story that would be both embarrassing and counter-productive. In fact, it must have been hard for the gospel writers to write it this way. After hearing the report from the women, here is what they had to say: “Their words seemed . . . like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Surely, the gospel writers would much have rather said it was Peter, James, and John who first saw the empty tomb and the risen Lord. This would have been a far more credible account for the first-century audience to accept. But it would not have been the truth. So we read exactly what God had planned in providing a powerful proof for the resurrection in the witness of the women.

A second-century critic of Christianity, Greek Philosopher Celsus, mocked and ridiculed the witness of the women, saying Mary Magdalene was a “hysterical female . . . deluded by sorcery.” If you were going to make up the story of the resurrection to get anyone to believe it, you would never use the witness of the women. But God did use it to encourage you and strengthen your faith.

E. M. Blaiklock, Professor of Classics at Auckland University, wrote this:

I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history.

On Wednesday and Friday, we will look at enemy attestation as our second powerful proof of the resurrection.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46)

Nathaniel was a skeptic. Philip went looking for Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Nazareth!” Nathaniel scoffed. “Can anything good come from there?” The Jewish people despised Nazareth because a Roman army garrison was stationed there, making the entire location unclean in their minds.

Philip’s reply is instructive for all of us when we encounter a skeptic. He simply told Nathaniel, “Come and see!” We were all like Nathaniel before Jesus showed up. We were skeptics until someone invited us to “Come and see” the One the prophets wrote about.

It is greatly encouraging to see that Jesus did not rebuke Nathaniel for his unbelief.  

When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” (John 1:47)

Jesus knew Nathaniel was a skeptic, but He refused to see Nathaniel as he currently was. Rather, Jesus saw him for what He had determined to make him. This is the way Jesus sees all of us who were once blind but now see the Truth. Jesus always sees us for what we will become as believers in Him. This is how He sees the skeptic. The key for us to understand in our encounters with skeptics is that Jesus is seeking them — He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) — and it is our job to invite the skeptic to come with us and see Jesus. We bring skeptics to Jesus with our words and with our works . . . in our declaration and our demonstration of the truths of the Gospel.

Think about it this way: How much do you know about the disciple Philip? Not much. Scripture does not tell us a great deal about him. But he is known for being the one who brought Nathaniel to Jesus. A few years later, God used Philip to open the Scriptures for the Ethiopian eunuch, who went on his way rejoicing after seeing Christ in the inspired writings of Isaiah (Acts 8:26-39).

If we are going to be known for anything, let it be for bringing others to Jesus. Because skeptics are sought by our Savior, we also must seek them out and invite them to meet Jesus. It is true that the deepest need of every human heart is forgiveness, but the deepest desire is to experience a love that will last. Make it your passion to show the lost the Savior’s love in word and deed, and God will supply the increase.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

We shall all be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51)

Perhaps you have heard it said that “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” To be sure, change is not easy, and often it is not pleasant, but it certainly is needed!

For the Christ-follower, change began the day Jesus showed up. First, He changed the beating of our hearts. Our hearts had only beat for the self; now they began beating for the Savior. Next, Jesus changed the old nature we had been born with, giving us a new nature by new birth. What we must remember, however, is that the process which began with that new birth will not be completed until we breathe our last. To be sure, in the eyes of God, who only sees us in Christ, we are already perfected. But in our own eyes and the eyes of everyone around us, as the poet said, we have miles to go before we sleep. Many miles!

Because life is both a gift and a trust, we must trust the Almighty Agent of Change to bring to completion what He started in us. And the good news is that He has promised to do exactly that (Philippians 1:6). This process, of course, can be incredibly painful at times. God is at work getting rid of the self and replacing it with our Savior, so He cuts and chisels away at our old nature in the lifelong process of conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ.

The devil will try to convince you that very little will actually change in your life. The enemy will try to get you to focus on your failures and moments of unfaithfulness. Don’t you let him do that! God is not finished with you yet, Christian. Imagine that a sign reading “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” is posted over your head. God is taking every mess you make and turning it into a masterpiece.

Remember, we cannot enter the sinless, spotless Kingdom of God with our present bodies and our present behavior, so God is changing our present state to ready us for His future kingdom, which will be initiated when Jesus returns and we are given new, imperishable bodies. Let that promise empower you to press on throughout God’s lifelong process of perfecting you, one painful step at a time, all the way into glory.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Who am I?” We all ask ourselves this question at one time or another. Such thinking marks the crossroads between childhood and adulthood. As adults, the world tells us that we are to create our own identity, basing it on our job, our address, our car, our clothes, our friends, our gifts, talents, and abilities, and on and on. But experience has taught us that doesn’t work very well, because as those things change, so too does our identity.

Let’s take a look at the Word of God to help us overcome the identify crises we all face from time to time. The Bible tells us that the Christian is to find his or her identity only in Christ. In reading through the biblical story line, we are to understand how our story intersects with God’s story: Who He is and what He came to do. It is only when we see ourselves in God’s unfolding story of redemption, which finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, that we will ever begin to plumb the depths of our true identity.

The simplest way to understand God’s story line in the Bible is to understand what I call The Four C’s. These are:

Creation: We are created beings made in the image of God. We are not self-sufficient and eternally self-existent like God, so we are completely dependent on God for our very existence. “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Corruption: Adam was our representative, our “federal head.” When he rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, his act of rebellion was counted against us as well. Because the wages earned by sin is death, making us all dead in trespasses and sins, we are all in need of a Savior. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Christ: Jesus is that Savior who came into this world, took on flesh, went to a cross, died in our place, and paid the penalty for our sins. We know God approved of His sacrificial atonement, because on the third day Jesus rose from the dead and walked out of the grave. Sin, Satan and death were conquered by Christ. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Consummation: We have been promised a new heaven and a new earth because all things are being made new – and that includes you. We are not what we were before we were in Christ, but we are not what we will one day be when we get to the other side of the grave. The best is yet to come! “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

The identify crisis is solved for the Christian, because we realize that our identity is not to be found in what we do (the world), but rather, who we are (the Word) — or, more accurately, Whose we are. When Jesus hung on the cross and said, “It is finished,” He meant what He said. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are free to do what He has called us to do: To follow Him and proclaim His truth. Our identity is found only in following Jesus wherever He leads, regardless of cost or circumstance.

So how would you answer the question, “Who am I?” A one-word answer will suffice: HIS! Let that truth set you free to be all you can be for God’s glory and the good of others.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. (Psalm 2:9)

There cannot be many people around the world who are not at least aware of the dramatic success of Marvel Comics The Avengers move series. The first film in that series was Iron Man, which grossed more than half a billion dollars internationally. Played by Robert Downey Jr., the Iron Man character can fly, fire off all kinds of fantastic weaponry, and is impervious to bullets. That first movie closed with Downey/Iron Man looking into the camera and saying, “The truth is, I am Iron Man.” I’d like to use today’s verse from the Psalms to introduce you to the real Iron Man — a proven, historical figure who actually lived and performed infinitely greater feats of wonder and power and grace than any fictional movie character.

A number of psalms can be categorized under the heading of “Messianic” because of their prophetic portrayal of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. These sacred songs give us great insight into the meaning and message of His ministry through His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and His ultimate return to earth and eternal reign. When Psalm 2:9 refers to a “rod of iron,” it is speaking of a coming judgment and pointing to the second coming of the real Iron Man, Jesus Christ, who will rule the nations “with an iron rod” (Revelation 19:15) and put all things right forever.

In His first advent as a baby in Bethlehem, Jesus came as our suffering Servant, who died to pay the penalty for our sins. He came meek and lowly, riding on a donkey, to deliver us from the wrath and judgment of Almighty God. But when Jesus comes the second time, He will return as the real Iron Man, riding a white war horse, and He will not only rule and reign, but He will unleash the wrath and judgment of Almighty God, crushing all of His enemies and putting them under His feet.

Now, before any of you send angry messages, I am well aware that Iron Man’s alter ego, Tony Stark, indulged in alcohol and immorality, but despite being a rich, arrogant sinner, Iron Man did display a few qualities of a Christ-figure: he demonstrated self-giving love and he ultimately died so that others might live.

The real Iron Man, whose sacrificial love for us took Him to a cruel cross and into the grave, walked out of that tomb alive and well on the third day. The eternally important question is this: Has He walked into your heart? If He has, then you have the only true Hero the world has ever known as your protector and provider. As your protector, Jesus will fight your battles for you and He will triumph in every one of them. As your provider, Jesus will meet you in your deepest place of need always, but not always in your place of want. But you can always be confident that He is working all things — even the really bad, hurtful things — together for your ultimate good.

So regardless of where this message finds you today, look to the real Iron Man, the One who is ready, willing, and able to help you conquer every challenge you face. Remember, greater is the power that is at work in you than any power that can come against you. Listen closely, Christian, and you can hear Jesus say, “The truth is, I am your Iron Man.”

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. (Exodus 13:17)

Detours are a significant part of God’s plan for our lives; they always have been and always will be. After our Lord had freed His people Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He took them through one of His divine detours. Instead of leading them on the road through the Philistine country, which was the shorter way toward the Promised Land, God brought them to the Red Sea, where the people appeared to be trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s pursuing chariots. But what looked like a dead end that would end in death became a glorious, divine detour leading to their deliverance.

The biblical principle is clear: the road of life cannot and will not always be straight, smooth, and easy. God is in the business of taking us through divine detours. Think back to some of the times when God showed up big in your life, especially when you felt like you were standing in front of your own Red Sea with no way to cross to the other side. But now, as you look back at that divine detour, you can see how God led you to that place in order to lead you through on dry ground to a better place, just as He did for Israel.

And that’s not all! God not only delivered you, He destroyed whatever was chasing you down. Perhaps it was a health concern or a difficulty at the office or a challenge in school or a season of loneliness and disappointment. Whatever it was, God delivered you. He delivered you then and He is delivering you now.

Are you facing a divine detour today? Maybe you are wondering why God would allow this to happen to you and why He would lead you into this “bad” situation. Worry no more! God has brought you to this place in order to put His power, His glory, and His majesty on display in your life. Remember, God is always working everything together for your good, but that doesn’t mean that everything in your life will “feel” good. He will often lead you to a divine detour where you cannot go forward or backward. And that is actually a great place to be! That’s true because at such times the only way out for you is up. Look up to Jesus today, knowing that He is using every divine detour in your life to ultimately bring you to your Promised Land.

One final point regarding today’s passage: God’s divine detour for the Israelites lasted forty years. Here is another biblical principle that springs forth from their story: It was far easier to take the people out of Egypt than it was to take Egypt out of the people. Just as the people then moaned about how they wished they were back in Egypt, we too look back over our shoulder and think about embracing sin, like Lot’s wife turning to look back at Sodom. Therefore our divine detours may last for some time, because it takes a long time for God to bring us to the end of ourselves..

So the next time you feel you are being diverted into a divine detour, look up! And know that your God is looking down at you with love.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. (Mark 10:51)

Passing through Jericho, the popular resort city which had been rebuilt by Herod the Great, Jesus and His disciples encountered a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. It was not uncommon in the ancient world to encounter beggars; there were a variety of different reasons for begging in that day. Any physical disability would have made it difficult to find work, as much of the work was of physical nature in that culture. Bartimaeus was begging due to his blindness, an affliction which many would have believed was God’s curse on this man because of sin in his life. Jesus’ own disciples asked Him if this was the case with the man who had been born blind whom Jesus healed (John 9:2).

When he was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, Bartimaeus called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” — identifying Jesus as the promised Messiah. This blind man asked in faith and Jesus answered. But notice the Lord’s response in our verse for today: “What do you want me to do for you?” It would seem obvious that the man wanted to be able to see, but Jesus asked a clarifying question. What kind of “mercy” did the man desire? Did he want some money? Food? Was he merely looking for another hand-out? In asking the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus was moving the man beyond his broken condition to his blessed cure.

Bartimaeus answered simply, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

It’s important to understand what happened just before this encounter with the blind man. Jesus had asked the very same question of His disciples James and John: “What do you want me to do for you?” Their response was a request for positions of honor in heaven, to which Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you are asking” (Mark 10:38). You see, James and John were afflicted with a broken condition called “sin,” which was evidenced by their desire to sit next to Jesus in glory. They too needed Jesus to bring them beyond their broken condition, and that is exactly what His clarifying question was designed to do.

Regardless of where this message finds you today, I’d like you to consider how would you answer Jesus when He asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?” Ask and He will answer. “Ask and it will be given to you,” He has assured us; “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). But, as it was with James and John who evidenced that they were “truly blind” by asking for the wrong blessing, Jesus will always answer your request with what you need, not necessarily with what you want, because all too often we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3), just as they did.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path. (Matthew 13:3-4)

The soil of the sanctified life can become a bit hard from time to time. This may happen when we face unexpected challenges. It can happen when we face unmet expectations. It can happen when we encounter unforeseen loss. Life is hard, and there are times when it may harden us. So we must always be on the lookout for any signs of “hard soil” in our hearts and allow God to till it with the truths of the Gospel. Below are two simple steps to take that will help in the process of softening our hearts.

Examination: The first step is to take time for self-reflection. We must sit with the Scriptures and allow the living and active Word of God to search our hearts and uncover any areas that may be growing cold, distant, or unyielding. We must first identify where the hard soil is before we can go to work on softening it.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

When you read that passage in context, you will see that David was asking God to make sure that David’s hatred for his enemies was not man-centered, but God-centered. David was zealous for the justice of God, and he wanted God to point him in the direction of any wrong motives so God could change them.

Excavation: The second step is to let the Lord do His work in softening our hard soil by digging down into the depths of our hearts through the truths of Scripture.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Here David was asking God to excavate his heart, which had been hardened through his grievous sins against Uriah and Bathsheba. David knew it would take a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to till the hard soil of his heart so God could then begin to plant new and better seeds of both thoughts and desires.

Unlike our paved roads today, most of the roads in Jesus’ day were simply hardened, dirt-packed paths. The more they were traveled upon, the harder they became. So when Jesus told the parable about the sower who scattered some seed along the path, the consequences were clear: “The birds came and ate it [that is, the seed of Gospel truth] up” (Matthew 13:5). Perhaps you have been trampled upon by the difficulties of life. Don’t let the birds steal the seed of your faith in the grace of God! Look to Jesus, and He will soften your soil and the Gospel seed will take root and produce new fruit in your life.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Let your light shine before men. (Matthew 5:16)

The moon is a wonderful picture of the Christian. As you know, the moon generates no light of its own, but rather reflects the light of the sun. Christians also have no light of their own; apart from the Spirit of God, there is no good thing within us (Romans 7:18). Therefore Christian believers are to reflect the light of the Son. Read on and be encouraged today!

We live in a very dark world that desperately needs to see light. To be sure, God has provided natural light to all humanity, which is needed to sustain physical life, but there is also the supernatural light that God gives to all His adopted children, which is needed to sustain eternal life. Jesus is the Light of the world; when we are in Christ, we are given the great privilege and the responsiblity to reflect His light for all the world to see.

But we must beware of two cosmic conditions which could block His light from those who need to see it. Both of these conditions cause a condition I call the Believer’s Blackout. The first condition is a solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the earth, blocking the light of the sun. This is the picture of the Christian who gets in the way of God by shouting, “Look at me and all I have done!” This person is building a monument to man’s glory, not God’s glory, and is no longer shining the reflected light of the Son. As the moon is the lesser light, we must remember that we too are the lesser light.

The second condition is the lunar eclipse, which occurs when the world (earth) comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the light of the sun and causing the moon to reflect no light. This is known as worldliness. When the cares of this world capture our hearts and we become bogged down with the things of this world, we no longer reflect the light of the Son.  

If we are going to be “the moon” — the reflectors of light that God intends us to be — and avoid the Believer’s Blackout, we must keep our focus directly on the Son. By fixing our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith, we will keep ourselves in position to reflect His light into a dark world that desperately needs Jesus.

Let me offer you a final word of encouragement. Remember that we are all different; we simply need to be the person God intends us to be and not try to be someone else. In being yourself when reflecting the light of Jesus, if you make some waves along the way, don’t worry about it or let that water down your witness. The moon causes waves all the time! Be the moon and reflect the Son, and remember that what the moon is to the physical world, you are to the spiritual world.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!