u/Particular-Air-6937

John 5:5-6
Now a man was there who had been [afflicted] ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, "Do you want to get well?"

The man at the Pool of Bethesda had been in his condition for 38 years.

When Jesus asks him the piercing question...

"Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6)

...the man doesn’t say "Yes!"

Instead, he immediately launches into a victim narrative.

"I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me" (v. 7).

Nothing he said was untrue. He's right. He's unable to help himself into the pool, or at least not quickly. And the mob of others, just like himself, are all clamoring for positions. He really couldn’t help himself into the pool quickly. And the crowd really was pushing and shoving. He wasn't wrong feeling the way he did.

Imagine 38 years for living like this. Wrapped up in this victimhood mentality. And he's so focused on what he lacked; helpers, timing, opportunities, that he almost missed the Healer standing right in front of him.

That’s classic self-deception wrapped in a victimhood mindset. Jesus didn’t argue with his circumstances or minimize the real hardship. He simply commanded, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."

Where does this victimhood mindset come from?

It begins with self-focus and self-deception. It begins with rationalized excuses. Legitimate obstacles, but 38 years? Now it's become self sabotage. He probably started a few decades ago with a positive outlook. Probably had genuine hope for "his time", his moment was surly right around the corner. But year after year, hope deferred turns into rationalized excuses. The mind stays fixed on the pool, the crowd, and what others aren’t doing, instead of on the One who can make us whole.

The enemy loves this trap. He whispers the same lies generation after generation.

"You’ll never change"
"It’s not fair"
"No one cares"

James 1:22 warns us clearly about this problem we have with perspective, "if we only hear the Word but don’t do it, we deceive ourselves."

"Do you want to get well?"

Do you?

Really?

Then He gives the command of grace, "Get up."

Don’t stay in the victim story. Get up. Take hold of the new life Christ offers; forgiveness, freedom, purpose and hope.

The pool may never be fair, ever!

But Jesus is greater than every limitation, every crowd, and every system that's trying to drag you down.

Only one obstacle is holding you back.

YOU.

This theme today is bringing to my mind "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" by Styx (from the 1977 album The Grand Illusion). The song calls out the "angry young man" who’s stuck in negativity, excuses, and a cynical outlook. Seeing the world as against him while missing the good right in front of him. It’s an exhortation to stop the self-deception, drop the anger/bitterness, and step into what’s possible.

This song had a powerful impact on me. It was first released when I was 16 and both an angry young man and hopeful pilgrim.

The chorus drives it home; "You’re fooling yourself if you don’t believe it…"

I didn’t fully understand then how much I needed the truth it carried. Years later, I see how the Lord used even that song to stir my heart toward the real Healer. I just remember hearing those lyrics, especially "GET UP!"

"You’re fooling yourself if you don’t believe it
You’re killing yourself if you don’t believe it
Get up, (Get up!) get back on your feet
You’re the one they can’t beat and you know it…"

The "Get up!" call in the song echoes Jesus’ command in John 5 almost perfectly. I wish I knew then what I know now. But another song, Bob Seger’s "Against the Wind" (1980) always touched me spoke to that theme.

"Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then…"

For me, it captures both the regret, and the wisdom that comes with time.

When Against The Wind was released I was 18, and really struggling to find my rhythm in life. I knew that line was meaningful but I hadn't yet lived its full meaning.

I see now how God was working everything out even then. And the regret I have now isn't about all that I did or didn't know and do, but instead I regret the grace delayed. The time I wasted in fooling myself. Time I could have spent in the Lord.

I think for me, this reflects a gradual, pragmatic faith rather than a sudden "born-again" moment. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely had my sudden conversion, a moment of pure surrender. But I now see that it's was only the boiling point. God had been applying His heat on me for decades. He was preveniently washing over me.

Here's the final thought.

I believe every born-again believer has a Kairos moment. It's a God ordained time. Specifically set aside for us. It's "our Kairos".

You see, Kairos is a special God ordained time. Not like Chronos time (clock time; sequential, measurable, linear time) which is neutral but relentless. Chronos is the kind of time we live in every day; minutes, hours, days, years, 38 years by the pool. It marches on whether we’re ready or not. And it can feel like a prison when we’re stuck in cycles of pain, excuses, or self-deception.

In the story of John 5, the man had been paralyzed for 38 years of Chronos; a long, grinding stretch of waiting, disappointment, and victimhood. Kairos however is an opportune time, the right or appointed moment, God’s due season. It’s not about how much time has passed, but asks the question, "is this the moment for action?"

In the New Testament, kairos often refers to the decisive, God-ordained time for salvation, repentance, healing, or fulfilling God’s purpose.

Mark 1:15
"The time [kairos] is fulfilled…"

Ephesians 5:16
"making the most of every opportunity [kairos]"

Jesus’ question to the paralyzed man...

"Do you want to get well?"

...was a kairos moment.

Chronos had ground on for 38 years, but suddenly the eternal broke into the temporal.

The Healer was present.

The invitation was given.

A door opened that could not have been manufactured by human effort or perfect timing at the pool. Not in a church program. Not in a religious ceremony. Not because a priest blessed you.

Kairos is God at work in the way he chooses in your particular day. The only work Jesus told the man at the pool that he needed to do was, "Get Up!"

Jesus showed up, and the only "work" required was simple obedience to His word, "Get Up!" Not "get upright". Get up! leave the mat, walk in the new life Jesus gives.

And as the line finishes in the song Fooling Yourself:

"Don't blow it!"

Don’t stay in the victim story. Get up. Take hold of the new life Christ offers; forgiveness, freedom, purpose, and hope.

Amen 🙏🏼

John 8:36
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Scripture speaks powerfully to the idea of true liberty. It’s not mere autonomy or license to do whatever we want, but freedom from bondage to sin, the law’s curse, and ultimately death.

In the context of the founding of our nation and the principles upon which our founders held esteem for the providence of God in that effort, it is clear that the cause of mankind and his liberty were clearly established in religious liberty.

The American founding drew heavily from biblical ideas of human dignity, moral law, limited government, truths that were seen as self-evident, and rights that come from God rather than the state. It wasn’t a theocracy or uniform "Christian nation" in the sense of establishing one Christian denomination, but at its core was the protection of religious liberty. And God's providential power was seen as the ultimate protection against the tyranny they battled against. The founders saw rights as unalienable because they come from the Creator, not the king or the collective.

John Adams - "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."

Our founding people would have found communism to be anathema to the cause of liberty, especially religious liberty. The idea that an atheist worldview would support freedom is absurd.

Why?

Why would a collective unified people, absent God provisions, not discover and establish freedom and enjoy the same rights and liberty as our nation?

Simply put, sin.

In John 8:36 Jesus was speaking to those who thought their Abrahamic heritage or religious observance made them free already, but He pointed to the deeper slavery of sin. True liberty begins there. True liberation begins with the Son, is sustained by the Spirit, and lived out in love.

Without the biblical foundation of a Creator who endows rights, human dignity, and moral law, "liberty" becomes whatever the sinful, fickle, collective (or the Party) decides it is on any given day. History bears this out repeatedly; Godless regimes have produced some of the most brutal tyrannies, suppressing religious liberty first because it challenges the state’s claim to total allegiance.

Sin corrupts the human heart, and apart from the regenerating work of the Son and the indwelling Spirit, that corruption inevitably turns systems of power toward control rather than service. There is no love in communism, because "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick..." (Jeremiah 17:9). Without accountability to a holy God who is both just and merciful, power instead of love, fills the vacuum. Limited government, separation of powers, and religious liberty were practical safeguards born from a realistic view of fallen human nature.

In the Godless nations there is the illusion of external freedom while living the reality of being enslaved to sin internally. Nations (or individuals) that reject the Son’s liberation remain in chains, no matter how loudly they proclaim "freedom" from the cold hand of capitalism and the warm embrace of collectivism.

True liberty begins at the cross.

Liberation by the Son, sustained by the Spirit, and lived out in love (Galatians 5:1, 13). This is the freedom no earthly power can revoke; and the only one that transforms both hearts and societies.

If you can keep it...

God knowingly risked the misuse of freedom because a world without real choice would be a toy world, not a place of genuine relationship. The risk is that without liberty there is no hell. Freedom includes the terrible dignity of rejecting God. This is why godless systems cannot replicate biblical liberty.

May the Lord continue to bless our nation and its people. And indeed bless this land and raise up many who walk humbly, love mercy, and act justly (Micah 6:8).

In the Holy name of Jesus Christ, king of the Universe.

Amen 🙏🏼

James 2:7
"Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?"

James is confronting the sin of partiality (favoritism) in the church assembly. James is not romanticizing material poverty. He is declaring a profound reversal of worldly values. The very people the world (and sometimes the church) looks down on; the shabby, the insignificant, the ones with nothing to offer, are often the ones God has chosen to be rich in faith.

Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy."

Those with little in this world often learn to lean hard on God. Their faith is tested in their struggle just to get by. And their faith is refined by the quality of their faith work.

"Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?" (James 2:5)

This is exactly the refining fire James is developing (faith without works is dead). Real faith is not a sentimental feeling; it is proven in daily dependence, obedience, and merciful action.

Why are the poor so rich in faith?

The poor often have fewer illusions to hide behind. When the comforts and distractions of wealth are stripped away, the necessity of leaning on Christ becomes crystal clear.

When you're not secure in the world you have two options:

1. Despair - you turn inward, you grow bitter, or you collapse under the weight of your insecurity. Often this leads to crimes against God and man. The heart hardens, resentment festers, and some lash out in anger, theft, deceit, or self-destruction; all of which are ultimately sins against the Lord who made us.

2. Dependence - you turn upward, you lean hard into the living God, and you discover that He is enough for today. This path produces rich faith; refined, tested, and proven through obedient, merciful action.

James wants our faith to highlight the second way.

So, the poor so often are strong in faith because they are thrust into these choices. They haven't got the wherewithal to even ignore the challenges, let alone purchase so called "happiness". The comforts and distractions that allow the wealthy to delay or deny their need for God are simply not available. Every day brings a fresh reminder; "I cannot save myself."

Being "rich in faith" is simply a heart yielding to the idea that..."My (God's) grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Why does any of this matter in the context of "The Church?"

When we show partiality to the rich and dishonor the poor, we are not only sinning against our brothers and sisters, we are fighting against God’s own strategy. The "richest" display of God's grace is found in the shabby, insignificant ones; the ones He chose to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

He didn't choose to reveal the magnificence of His mercy by building cathedrals and gathering millions of powerful, erudite followers to Himself. He chose the weak in the world; the foolish things, the lowly and despised, to display His glory precisely because their faith has been tested and refined in the crucible of dependence. Which becomes a powerful testimony to the sufficiency of Christ.

This is why partiality is such a serious sin in James. It blinds us to the very people through whom God most clearly displays His glory. When the church favors the influential and powerful while sidelining the poor, we are effectively saying the world’s values are more important than God’s. We join the very forces that blaspheme the good name by which we are called.

How do they do it?

How do the poor develop such powerful faith?

Simply put, they see God for who He is. And they learn in the struggle to recognize that God upholds and sustains all creation moment by moment.

They may not be able to articulate their thoughts around the ins and outs of the theology of it, but they know God. And they know He works through secondary causes; through human events and history. They know God directs the course of history and individual lives toward His wise and good ends. And so, they can accept their role in His work. For them, there is no such thing as meaningless chance or blind fate in a world governed by the living God. Everything. Big or small. All His work has purpose under His sovereign hand.

They..."know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

This is why they will lean so hard into the priesthood of all believers, because God ordains trials to produce steadfastness and maturity. So, they can count those trials as God's providence, and see that work as the evidence of His love for them. And great love received produces great love given. Mercy received flows into mercy extended. The measure of how you love is measured out to you.

Their lives become living testimonies that God’s providence is not abstract doctrine but personal, intimate reality. In the school of providence, dependence becomes the pathway to rich faith, and trials become the forge for merciful love. This is not theoretical for the believer who walks with Christ, it is their daily bread. It frees them from partiality, fuels gospel ministry, and anchors them in seasons of uncertainty.

You see, providence is not just about God’s control; it's about His transforming love that is shaping us to love as He loves.

Prayer:
Father, thank You that You are not distant but work through the real stuff of life; people, choices, trials, and ordinary days. Teach us to act responsibly while resting in Your sovereignty.

May Your love received flow out as mercy extended through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏼

James 1:16-18
"Do not be [error] deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or [turning] shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures."

We who are born again must not let the lies of the enemy or our own fallen hearts twist the truth. Deception is a real danger for believers. The enemy loves to whisper that God is stingy, harsh, or unreliable; especially when trials come or when we feel the pull of our own desires. He wants you to find excuses for your behavior. To find cheap grace for yourself. His goal being a superfluid wickedness that will destroy your soul

Superfluid wickedness: a slow, unchecked flow of compromise that eventually floods and destroys the soul’s communion with God. It starts with small excuses and ends in shipwrecked faith or hardened hearts. You think that you're in better shape than you are.

That is the insidious brilliance of the deception. It flows like a liquid that finds every crack, every low place, and gradually rises until communion with God is submerged. This is the self-deception James confronts head-on in the very next verses (James 1:22-25):

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was."

The mirror always shows the truth, all the blemishes and wrinkles, but the man walks away and convinces himself he’s fine. That’s the slow flood, the small excuses ("I’m not as bad as those guys," "I’ve served in Kairos," "I study the Word every morning") that create a false sense of spiritual security while compromise quietly erodes the foundation.

Incremental compromise; a lingering bitterness, skipping the hard obedience, a small corner cut in business ethics. Each time the conscience is singed just a bit more, and the soul tells itself, "I’m still basically okay."

False metrics; activity as camouflage rather than a fruitful heart, measuring ourselves against others instead of against Christ. Service and study are not the same as surrender and obedience. The Pharisees were masters of religious activity while their hearts were far from God. They were very religiously busy while forgetting that if we keep the whole command of God but miss the mark in even one thing we are guilty of all.

James 2:10
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."

The problem is, one small compromise doesn’t stay small. It fractures the whole. The soul settles into a comfortable illusion of "I’m basically okay," even as the foundation erodes.

This is why the new birth must produce doers of the word, not just hearers. The word of truth that gave us life is the very thing meant to keep us clean and fruitful. This is why we always "turn" to scripture in all situations. Looking into it and remaining there. Not glancing and forgetting. Not showing some passing interest while becoming fans of the words and deeds of our favorite super-apostles, celebrity pastors, historical giants, and heroes of the faith. Invisible men and women who inspire our hearts and create in us a false sense of belonging to whatever it was they did. Their stories stir our hearts, we share their quotes, we feel a kind of borrowed belonging; "I’m part of this movement, this revival, this legacy." Trading personal obedience for fanhood. It's cult-like.

Yet all the while we may be glancing at the mirror rather than remaining in it. We feel inspired, but we are not actually doing the word in the ordinary, daily places where it costs us something.

Scripture itself gives us examples of faithful men and women (Hebrews 11), and we are told to consider their witness and lay aside every weight (Hebrews 12:1). Knowing about these men and women of faith doesn’t exempt us from having to be doers of the word that they thrived on.

They all have one similarity; they were typically turning to Scripture in all situations; not as a last resort, but as their first and constant habit. Not as a last resort when things got hard.

But they are witnesses, not mediators.

Our gaze must be from the mirror to Christ and back again to the mirror and back yet again to the Lord.

Mirror (the word) → Christ → Mirror → Christ → …

We look into the perfect law of liberty and see our true condition and God’s holy standard.

And hopefully what we see is a soul that is in love with God's heart.

James 2:8
"If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well."

What James has been driving at is that love is not sentimental; it is proven in obedience. You can't feel your way into God's hands.

This isn't a new burden; it flows directly out of love for God. When our gaze keeps cycling between the mirror of Scripture and Christ, the natural outflow is love for neighbor. Not as a separate religious duty, but as the evidence that we belong to the Father of lights.

If we claim to love God but neglect or harm our neighbor, the mirror reveals that contradiction. This is why turning to Scripture as our first and constant habit (not last resort) matters so much. It keeps the love alive and guards against the slow flood of self-deception. The word reveals where our love has grown cold or selective, then drives us back to Christ, who pours His own love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

So many traditions want to downplay this mirror. They emphasize external structures, accumulated traditions, or human mediators so heavily that the priesthood of all believers and the sufficiency of Scripture get pushed to the side. They can't abide by the idea that the Holy Spirit alone is able to convict and convince a faithful doer of the word into obedience. The Holy Spirit is treated as if He needs institutional permission or supplementation. They know their own error and assume everyone is guilty of their negligence. Which is ironic in light of their cult-like fascination with saints of old. Saints who no doubt leaned hard on scriptures.

But the mirror does not lie, and the Holy Spirit does not mince words. The same Spirit who inspired the word then drives us back to Christ even now, who generously pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit didn't show up on Pentecost and bug out leaving behind only a handful of dead people to guide our journey. It's as if some believe He did His dramatic work, and then left us with only the bones of the faithful to guide us.

But the fact of the matter is, The Holy Spirit is actively at work in every believer who humbly receives the implanted word. James will not let us hide behind religious systems or vicarious spirituality. He calls each of us to be quick to hear and doers who fulfill the royal law. This is the freedom and responsibility of the new birth.

And now may the mirror of God's word and the conviction of His Holy Spirit expose every cold or selective place in our hearts. May He pour His love into us afresh through Christ, and make us faithful doers of the royal law. Raise up a generation that honors the witnesses of old without substituting them for the living voice of Your Spirit and Your Scripture. For His glory alone.

Amen. 🙏🏼

James 1:12
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has [passed the test] been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

It's important that faith be tested.

Why?

It's important that faith be tested so that I know where I am, and don't begin thinking more highly of myself than I am. It's important that faith be tested so my religion doesn't become vain and I deceive myself and others. It's important that faith be tested so that I know what God knows about me. So that I don't live in a false sense of security.

The testing isn’t punishment; it’s the refiner’s fire that proves the genuineness of our faith and yields the crown of life.

The crown of life is for "those who love Him." Love for Christ is what sustains perseverance. It’s not mere rule-keeping; it’s affection that keeps us clinging to Jesus when everything in us wants to let go.

1 Peter 1:6-7

Trials are "necessary" for a moment so that your faith (more precious than gold) may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

To expose the true condition of the heart, the Lord tested (tempted) the Israelites in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2). The wilderness stripped away the illusions of Egypt. Hunger, thirst, uncertainty, and delay revealed whether they would trust God’s word and provision (manna, water from the rock) or grumble, rebel, and long to go back to slavery. The test made the hidden reality visible. God already knew their hearts, of course. He is after-all omniscient. But the testing was for their benefit (and ours as we read it). It served several interconnected purposes. Testing kills self-reliance. Adversity reveals character.

Now...here's the ultimate answer to the why we asked earlier. Jesus Himself endured testing in the wilderness. Jesus Himself entered the wilderness and endured the full weight of testing. Where Israel failed, He succeeded. Where we are weak, He is strong. After His baptism, the Spirit led Him into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1-13). He faced hunger, isolation, and the direct assault of Satan; the same basic pressures Israel faced, only intensified and somehow very personal. Satan came to Jesus and basically laid out God's plans for Jesus. He tempted Jesus with options.

Satan - "you're here to redeem humanity and the creation."

"To bring the world back into the dominion of God"

"God is sending you to the cross for these things."

"I have a better way."

"You don't need to take God's restrictive path"

"God's keeping you from something good, He's holding back from you."

"You don't have to take His path. Bow down to me and you won't need to deny yourself."

"I can give you immediate and immense power and strength."

"Forget His path, forget the cross, release the tension, find your peace now, relax."

"Find what you're searching for in me."

"Bypass the suffering. Bow down to me now and I’ll give you immediate power and glory."

Yet Jesus rejected every lie. In the very place of hunger, isolation, and satanic assault, He remained perfectly faithful. Because He endured this ultimate test in our place and for our sake.

Do you understand how beautiful this is?

He didn't do it for himself. He endured all these things for us.

Our High Priest does not stand aloof from our trials. He has been in the furnace with us and for us. This is why we can count trials as joy and persevere with hope. The One who passed the ultimate test now lives in us by His Spirit, empowering us to endure and receive the crown of life. Not because we love perfectly on our own, but because we are loved perfectly by Him.

We don't choose Him, He chooses us. He predestined our born again crown of life.

But wait a minute Mike, what do you mean predestined?

I thought this was about perseverance?

2/2
Predestination and perseverance are not in conflict; they are beautifully connected in Scripture.

We don’t choose Him first; He chooses us (John 15:16). Before the foundation of the world, God predestined us in love to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5). This is foundational and true. He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and will glorify His people (Romans 8:29-30). The crown of life is not uncertain for those who belong to Him.

At the same time, the Bible calls us to persevere. James 1:12 promises the crown to those who love Him and endure. This is not a contradiction. God’s sovereign choice does not cancel our responsibility, it secures and empowers it.

Empowers it?

Wait another minute Mike, isn't that another way to suggest a works based salvation?

No. It can't mean that.

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; from beginning to end (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our perseverance is not the cause of our salvation; it is the evidence and fruit of the salvation God has already given us.

Evidence? Why? Doesn’t God already know (predestination)?

Yes...but remember what we discovered earlier, the evidence was for our own edification which, during trials, produces perseverance and the crown of life.

Do you see now? Predestination and perseverance are inextricably linked. The evidence strengthens our assurance and leads us toward maturity and the crown of life. God’s sovereign grace not only chooses us; it keeps us and empowers us to endure so that what He has begun in us will be brought to completion.

This is the long game that God is willing for us and applying to complete His sovereign grace. Not the short term rewards that Satan offers.

Divine sovereignty is one of the most comforting and awe-inspiring truths in Scripture. At its core, divine sovereignty means God is King. He reigns over all creation with perfect wisdom, power, and goodness. Nothing happens outside His ultimate control or outside His purposeful plan. He is not surprised, not thwarted, and not limited by anything.

This sovereign predestination cannot be denied. It is solidly biblical. He chooses, calls, justifies, and will glorify His people (Romans 8:29-30). He is the One who begins the work and the One who completes it (Philippians 1:6). We don’t choose Him first; He chooses us (John 15:16).

I think the fear that many share and which leads them to seek self-justifying means for grace like sacramentalism and religious works is founded in this sovereign power that God wields.

Because God sovereignly chooses, the enemy tempts some to believe the lie that God can also arbitrarily remove the crown of life if He is disturbed by our lack of works.

But Scripture gives us firm assurance. The Good Shepherd does not lose His sheep (John 10:28-29). He who began the good work will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6). Once we belong to Him, we are kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5).

There really is this balance between faith and trust. And it acknowledges the real fear and the enemy’s tactics. He's trying to weasel through the fear and produce doubt. But there is a beautiful, God-ordained balance between sovereign grace and our daily faith/trust.

What Satan counts on is our impatient fear. Meanwhile God is playing the long game. In the end, our trust rests not in our perfect performance, but in His perfect faithfulness.

James 1:2-4
"Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various [temptations] trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect [work] result, so that you may be [mature] perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

It's not not chronological but really seems natural to step into James after completing the book of Hebrews. Hebrews lifts our eyes to Christ’s supremacy and the call to hold fast, while James rolls up the sleeves and says, "Now live it out practically, with endurance and integrity." Almost certainly James, the half-brother of Jesus, leader in the Jerusalem church after the resurrection, writes with the authority of someone who knew Jesus personally and saw the early church’s struggles. His epistle is believed to have been written prior to Paul's epistemology. Likely mid-40s AD, making it one of the earliest New Testament letters.

James writes with a unique blend of pastoral authority and practical wisdom. Jewish-flavored, Sermon-on-the-Mount-soaked Christianity.

"Consider [count] it all joy"

It's a calculated choice, yet the verb is imperative and active. It’s a command to reframe reality by faith. James isn’t denying the pain, he’s saying the temptation itself can be an occasion for joy because of its purpose. This is the same mindset Paul later expresses in Romans 5:3-5.

James' use of the word "various" reminds us that no trial is outside God’s sovereign curriculum for our maturity. There's nothing that God cannot teach us through. The testing proves and refines our faith like fire purifies gold. The goal is not just survival, but wholeness.

"perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Someone fully qualified, mature, and ready for service.

How are they qualified?

1. Proven Faith - Your faith is proven genuine when it survives the trial. This removes doubt and gives quiet confidence. Authentic testimony carries weight that polished sermons can’t. I've witnessed this faith impacted phenomena in prison ministry. Our Kairos program does limit volunteers to laity only, we welcome clergy among our ranks; but the program is lay lead and the power of God's work is in those lay testimonies. These "talks" (sermons) highlight the power of tested, real-life faith from volunteers and incarcerated residents alike.

2. Steadfast Endurance - not ritualism, Not religious fervor. Not gritting your teeth in bitterness, but remaining under the load with joy and trust. This is the quality that makes a person reliable in ministry, marriage, work, and suffering. Paul connects it directly to character and hope (Romans 5:3-5). James says let this endurance run its full course; don’t abort the process.

3. Maturity & Wholeness - The diverse (various) trials (temptations) expose and heal the fragmented areas of our lives (inconsistent faith, hidden idols, emotional reactivity, spiritual shallowness), aka "cheap grace." The result is a person who is whole; thinking, feeling, willing, and acting in alignment with God’s will. This isn't an easy thing. It's a choice again. God isn't going to simply give you a mind that will change from love of worldly things to love and desire for heavenly things. You've got to see after He heals your blindness. You've got to walk after He cures your lameness. You've got to walk away from the world you were born again from out of when you were born again from above. This isn’t passive. It requires our active response. God heals our spiritual blindness so we can see, but we must choose to look and walk in the new light. This is the call to be doers of the Word, not hearers only (which James will hammer home later).

4. Lacking in Nothing - The beautiful promise at the end of the chain. Through these temptations, God supplies everything essential for godliness and the good works He has prepared for us. Wisdom, patience, courage, discernment, gentleness, boldness.

Whatever is truly needed, becomes ours in Christ as we let the process do its full work. We're not talking about religious patterns. Not keeping up with traditions and fabrications (shadows) that attempt to ease our suffering. And at the same time not that we become self-sufficient, but Christ-sufficient, fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17) and for the specific calling He has placed on our lives. It is God who turns suffering into sanctification and qualification. God is Spirit, and His work is Spirit.

Remember when Jesus answered the disciples question about who sinned, the man born blind or the parents of that man? (John 9:1-3)

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus’ answer cuts through the assumption that suffering is always a direct result of personal or parental sin, an idea born out of the traditions of men.

"It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

The man’s lifelong blindness was not punishment. It was purpose. The trial (in this case, a severe, congenital one) became the stage on which God’s glory and power would be revealed. Trials are not always about what we did wrong; they are often about what God wants to do right, in us and through us.

This frees us from two common traps:

1. Self-condemnation ("I must have sinned to deserve this").

2. Bitter fatalism ("Life is random and meaningless").

Instead, we get gospel hope.

Easy hopeism?

No.

Biblical hope (the kind James and John 9 point to) is not cheap optimism, positive thinking, or "name it and claim it" escapism. It is a hard-won, cross-shaped hope that is forged in the fire of real trials.

The hymn isn't "Don't Worry Be Happy"; it's "Onward Christian Soldiers."

This hope calls us to joyful endurance, not denial. It equips us to march forward under the weight of the cross, trusting that God is using even the hardest trials to display His works, mature His people, and qualify us for service.

Sanctification means "to be set apart" for God. That means God sets it up.

He sets us apart positionally in Christ the moment we are born again. He sovereignly ordains or permits the "various trials" that serve as the classroom for our progressive sanctification. He sets us up with daily disciplines, divine awakenings. And He supplies the grace, the wisdom, and the power of the Holy Spirit for us to respond faithfully.

Yes The Holy Spirit is God. And yes He is the One doing the work from within the believer. The same God who continues to set up the circumstances that produce endurance and maturity.

This protects us from two errors:

1. Self-reliant moralism ("I will sanctify myself by my own effort").

2. Passive Religious fatalism ("I’ll just wait from within "The Church", or its institutions, for God to do everything").

The New Testament calls the local church to play a vital role in sanctification (teaching, accountability, encouragement, exhortation), but never to replace personal responsibility before God. The priesthood of all believers means every follower of Jesus has direct access to the Father through the Son and the indwelling Spirit.

James specifically addresses the letter directly to all believers. James writes to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" (1:1). These are scattered Jewish Christians. And James immediately begins giving them commands and promises that assume they all have direct access to God wherever they are (outside of the Jerusalem church).

James calls every believer to live as a doer of the Word . Every believer is instructed to control the tongue, care for orphans and widows, resist the world, and be pure in heart. James is a "Jewish Christian" leader writing out of a tradition that knew God’s ancient promise to Israel. He would have operated from the idea that they are a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation". This priesthood of all believers idea is rooted in that Old Testament promise.

The priesthood of all believers does not eliminate leadership; it democratizes access to God while still calling gifted leaders to equip the saints. James would absolutely have appreciated and approved of Church Leadership. He of course still values order and the role of teachers/elders. The priesthood of all believers is not a later invention; it is the flowering of the Old Testament hope that James carried in his bones. But we should not assume that the same Holy Spirit isn't at work in our religious institutions. But with institutional authority comes greater responsibility (note his warning about stricter judgment for teachers in 3:1 and the instructions regarding elders in 5:14). Sound structure and order produces sound individual decisions and revival. Likewise, institutional corruption and error can produce individual wickedness and chaos.

At the end of the day we all are priests and we are a congregation of dropouts, losers, sinners, failures, and rebels. But the Spirit who empowered the early church continues His sanctifying work wherever Christ is faithfully proclaimed; even as we test everything against Scripture and maintain direct, personal relationship with the Lord. All any of us can do is endure. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us, setting us apart and making us holy. We're counting it all joy, letting endurance have its full work, and trusting that God will complete what He has begun.

Amen? 🙏🏼

Matthew 18:20
"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

John 20:22-23
"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…"

This is gospel-declaring authority given more broadly. The same group (disciples/apostles collectively) receiving the Spirit’s enabling for gospel proclamation and forgiveness declaration. It’s the fulfillment of what the keys represent; opening the kingdom through the preached Word and the Spirit’s work.

This lines up beautifully with the priesthood of all believers and the Spirit’s illuminating role. Every true believer, indwelt by the Spirit, has access to the Father through the one Mediator, and the church collectively exercises this authority under Scripture and the Spirit’s leading. Not through a separate infallible class of super-apostle interpreters.

1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus"

Contrast that with the Magisterium’s claim to exclusive interpretation and their claim of exclusivity in regard to the "keys."

The church collectively exercises this authority under Scripture and the Spirit’s leading. The ordinary believer, taught by the Spirit, can understand and apply God’s sufficient Word.

But let's say someone wants to argue "Doesn’t adding an infallible human layer between believers and the Word risk the very drifting the book Hebrews and other epistemology
warns us about?"

The simple scripture inspired interpretation and reply should be, the safeguard in Hebrews isn’t a centralized teaching office with guaranteed infallibility. It’s the living, active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), the High Priest Jesus who intercedes, and the Holy Spirit who illumines truth to all God’s people. The scripture warnings never suggest a Magisterium is the solution to human infallibility. The repeated warnings in Hebrews; don’t drift (2:1), don’t harden your hearts (3:7-15), hold fast your confession (4:14, 10:23), don’t neglect meeting together or shrink back (10:25, 39), never point to a Magisterium as the solution to human error or drifting. Instead, they call us back to Christ, His sufficient Word, and the Spirit’s illuminating work in every believer. The ordinary Christian, taught by the Spirit, can understand and apply God’s Word (1 John 2:27; John 16:13). That’s the New Covenant reality.

Scripture’s Own Perspicuity

God presents His Word as understandable and sufficient, especially for what is necessary for salvation and godly living.

Psalm 19:7
"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

John 16:13
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…"

1 John 2:20, 27
"You have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge…the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you."

1 Corinthians 2:10-16
The Spirit "searches everything, even the depths of God…we have received…the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God…The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God...but the spiritual person…has the mind of Christ."

This is the internal testimony and illumination the Reformers (Restoring Church) emphasized.

Luther:
"No man perceives one iota of what is in the Scriptures unless he has the Spirit of God"

The Bereans knew the Spirit, Timothy knew the sacred writings "from childhood." Jesus and the apostles expected ordinary people (including children and the uneducated) to understand and respond to the Word.

"Have you not read…?"

"...those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or another, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them." (The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.7)

The Bible says it.
I believe it.
Enough said.

What perspicuity does NOT mean:

It does not claim every verse is equally simple, that no effort/study/prayer/community/teachers are needed, that believers never misunderstand, or that we understand everything completely. It means the essentials for salvation and life are clear enough for the Spirit-illumined believer using ordinary means. Obviously we need Pastors, Teachers, Prophets, Evangelists, Exhortations, Caregivers, Administrators, and others. And The Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:11-16) gives the church those gifts in measure. He determines and delivers. No University produces that gift. The Holy Spirit distributes these gifts as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11; Romans 12). And those He gifts equip and protect the faithful from deception.

I say "faithful" intentionally, because the reality is that many will corrupt the gospel (the gospel tells us they will). This is echoed in passages like 2 Peter 3:16 (where the unstable and unlearned twist hard things).

Just as the scripture tells us there is Holy Spirit inspiration available for the priesthood of all believers; that same scripture tells us about those who have wicked intentions and motives.

No Protestant believes perspicuity means everyone will rightly understand and obey scripture. Quite the contrary really. The Sola Scriptura doctrine has always been paired with the reality of human sin, hardness of heart, spiritual blindness apart from the Spirit, and the biblical warnings about those who twist the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Perspicuity means the Word is clear enough in its essential teachings that the faithful, with the ordinary means and the Holy Spirit’s help, can understand what is necessary for salvation and life. It does not guarantee universal acceptance or perfect comprehension by all. It's about the humble confidence of a believer resting on the sufficiency of Scripture and the Spirit’s work. The safeguard remains the same one the Reformist has always been highlighting; the living Word (Hebrews 4:12), the illuminating Holy Spirit, and Christ the Head of the church, not a centralized infallible human office is sufficient.

It’s humble, realistic, and thoroughly biblical.

Illumination is the Spirit’s internal work of giving spiritual insight and understanding. It is not new revelation (the canon is closed), nor is it some mystical bypassing of the text. It is the Spirit taking the objective, sufficient Word and making it subjectively clear and transformative to the believer. And frankly, without it, the natural mind finds the things of God foolish or veiled.

He convicts and regenerates. He first opens blind eyes so we can see our need and the beauty of Christ (John 3:3-8; 16:8-11). And He opens up the text. As we read, study, and meditate, He brings understanding, connects truths, and applies them personally. He reminds us of truth at the right moments, but He doesn't just drop a word and walk away. He heals our minds and empowers obedience. He gives us discernment, helping us to distinguish truth from error, especially in a world. Even while we serve in a church filled with twisting and false teaching.

The churches examples of false teachers, outrageous displays of worldly ignorance, compromise and downright rejection of the teachings of Christ is not evidence of a failure of Sola Scriptura; in fact, Scripture itself repeatedly warns that these things would happen.

This is the New Covenant promise. The Spirit writes God’s law on our hearts and teaches us from within (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:10-11; 1 John 2:27).

These problems stem from human unfaithfulness (rejecting the clear Word, quenching the Spirit, loving the world, or following itching ears); not from any deficiency in Scripture’s clarity or sufficiency. If anything, the very fact that Scripture so clearly diagnoses and warns against these things demonstrates its power and relevance.

Sola Scriptura does not promise a perfect, error-free visible church on this side of glory. It affirms that the inspired, sufficient Word...illumined by the Spirit...remains the infallible rule by which we test everything, including teachers and traditions.

The remedy for any drifting churches (even the historical church of old with all its horrors and sins) is always the same; return to the clear Word, rely on the Spirit, and heed the faithful teachers Christ still gives.

Amen and keep pressing on in His illumination.

Read Hebrews 13:7-14

This is a call to radical, costly discipleship for a church under pressure. This closing section of Hebrews pulls everything together with urgent, practical application. The author has spent chapters showing the superiority of Christ over the old covenant system, and now he drives it home.

In summary, remember the faithful, anchor in the unchanging Christ, reject distractions, and willingly identify with Jesus in His reproach; even if it costs you every earthly belonging.

"Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their way of life, imitate their faith."

Consider the result, the end of things, the fruit, the outcome and faithfulness under trial. Imitate their faith, not their exact methods or personality, but finish as they have. With completed devotion to Jesus Christ, the Once for all sacrifice who outside the camp.

In a world that pressures us to stay comfortable, respectable, and "inside the camp" (a metaphor for the temple and all that feels safe and religious) Jesus calls us to follow Him outside, bearing His reproach, anchored in His unchanging sufficiency, strengthened only by grace. This is radical, costly discipleship, but it leads to the only city that lasts.

And a city is made up of a community. So, don’t forget the men and women who faithfully delivered God’s Word to you. Look at how they finished. Not just the beginning or the comfortable middle, but the outcome under pressure. Did they stay faithful? Did they endure? What fruit came from their lives?

That said, should we consider their past failures?

Yes, we should consider their past failures, but with clear biblical balance. The balance is not a call to whitewash their past or pretend they were sinless. It calls us to look at the result (the outcome, the end) of their way of life and imitate their faith. To consider their testimony of faith, and see where Christ found them and how far He has brought them through it.

Abraham lied. Moses murdered. David fell into adultery and murder. Peter denied the Lord. Paul breathed murderous threats against the church. Yet they repented, got back up, and finished with faith in the Once-for-All Sacrifice who went outside the camp for them. Their failures remind us that grace is for real sinners. Their endurance shows us that no failure is final when Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Why is this radical Jesus movement different than what goes on in the temple?

Because it brightly magnifies Christ as the true hero. No false modesty or anything self-righteous. No pretense or pressure to perform. It speaks directly to men and women who feel defined by their worst moments.

The reality is we weak and detestable people are strengthened by grace, not by foods or rituals (v. 9). We have a better altar; Christ Himself, from which those still tied to the old system have no right to eat (v. 10). A better altar and a better sacrifice. A sacrament outside the gate. So that He might sanctify us through His own blood (vv. 11-12).

Bottom line is, you don't have to worry about feeling unworthy. Because you are. And so are every temple worshipping acolyte. So was Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, and Paul. So am I. But Jesus went outside the camp for people exactly like us. He took the reproach, the shame, the curse, so that we could be made holy through His blood.

That is why we can "go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come" (vv. 13-14).

Jesus went outside for you. Will you go outside with Him? Will you remember the faithful, anchor yourself in the unchanging Christ, reject every distraction, and bear His reproach for the joy of the city that is to come? Will you join Him where real life in Christ is found?

The Tension is This:

There is today a modern version of the "temple" even within Christianity. Some groups and leaders still debate and castigate believers they deem unworthy by virtue of their past. They create new rules, new boundaries, and new standards of "respectability" that keep people on the inside and push others outside.

The modern temple says, "Clean yourself up first."

But even if you do, obey the social norms of "The Church", or you'll be fined with a reinstatement of your past. One perceived misstep and your past is reinstated, thrown back in your face like a fine you can never fully pay.

You see, in that old shadow system, your sins were never truly forgotten. They remained. That's why they have to perform the ongoing rituals. Because the stain never fades.

Meanwhile:
Jesus says, "Come as you are. I will make you clean."

Jesus calls us to a different way. He went outside the gate for the very people the religious system rejected. He sanctifies us through His own blood, not through our perfect record. His blood doesn’t cover the stain; it removes it. He sanctifies us completely (vv. 11-12). He told us that He forgets the sin, takes it as far away as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 8:12, 10:17).

Jesus went outside the camp for you. Will you go outside with Him? Will you remember the faithful, anchor in the unchanging Christ, reject every distraction, and bear His reproach for the joy of the city that is to come?

Or are you more interested in being seen by the in-crowd?

You know?

Christian people don't truly understand what it means to be reproached.

"Bearing His Reproach" (Hebrews 13:13)

"Bearing His reproach" is one of the most costly and least-talked-about parts of following Jesus today. In the original context, "reproach" meant shame, disgrace, contempt, and social rejection. Jesus was crucified outside the city walls as a cursed criminal. To identify with Him meant willingly accepting that same shame. In our modern world, bearing Christ’s reproach rarely means literal crucifixion, but it still carries real pain. Today you suffer social and cultural cancellation. You're labeled "narrow-minded," "bigoted," "judgmental," or "intolerant" for holding to biblical truths on sexuality, marriage, human dignity, or the exclusive claims of Christ. In professional circles, and family gatherings, or even some church environments, openly living as a serious follower of Jesus can cost relationships, opportunities, or respect. And then there's the "in-crowd" penalty. One perceived failure, one unpopular conviction, or one bold gospel word, and the reproach returns. Strained relationships, mockery in the break room, eye-rolls when you pray or speak of sin and grace. In short, reproach today is the shame of not belonging; of being treated as an outsider by the very groups that once accepted you.

But where do they get their power?

Typically they lean on the prowess of their institutions. They haven't got the outside the camp Jesus to back them up and keep them upright, so they lean on the in-crowd. And this isn't limited to any one institution. Not even a typical tribe. Black, white, conservative, liberal, Jew, gentile; these identities don't mark the in-crowd. It's their heart that marks them.

Yet Jesus went outside the gate for the very people the religious system rejected. He calls us to a different way…

Where have you felt the reproach lately?

Should reproach be met with reproach?

That is one of the clearest distinctions of the "outside the camp" life. Jesus did not return scorn for scorn. While hanging on the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). The early Christians were taught the same.

Returning reproach for reproach keeps you inside the same system.

No score-keeping.
Respond with truth + grace.
Pray for them.

And endure, showing them a better way, absorb shame without passing it on. Be a living picture of the gospel.

Hebrews 13:1-6
Let love of the brothers andsisters continue. Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you," so that we confidently say,
"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.�What will man do to me?"

For a people so committed to the materialistic world these passages hit hard. We're not taught to entertain angels and remember prisoners when there isn't a transactional relationship between the hospitable host and the stranger. These commands cut sharply against our natural self-centeredness and the materialistic default of our culture.

"Let love of the brothers and sisters continue"

This isn’t starting from scratch; it should be a continuation of the brotherly love already present in the community. It shouldn't have to be said again and again. The desire to be in this "love" should be the default. Not as a duty but because, as the writer says, "as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body", our point-of-view should be an absolute empathy. Just as though we were in their shoes.

The scriptures don't allow for detached pity or occasional charity. It demands embodied empathy; the same visceral identification that Jesus showed when He said, "I was in prison and you visited Me" (Matthew 25:36).

As a people we’re not naturally wired for this. Our flesh, culture, and even much of modern church life default to transactional relationships.

“What’s in it for me?
Will this person benefit me?
Is it safe or convenient?”

But today, the exhortation is to keep it going in the face of pressure, weariness, or drifting. When love becomes optional, conditioned by outcomes or fades into mere politeness, the church starts to look like the world. But when it continues to be costly, empathetic, non-transactional; it becomes a powerful witness that something truly supernatural is at work. Because it's against our very nature.

That "as though" language is profound to me. It’s not "think about prisoners sometimes." It’s "live with their chains on your own wrists in your imagination and actions." Because we ourselves are still "in the body". We're all subject to the same frailties, injustices, and sufferings. And we share the same human needs and desires. The command isn’t theoretical. It’s rooted in our shared humanity.

No one loves isolation, confinement, and dehumanizing abuse. The writer is saying; Remember them in this way because you know what it feels like to be vulnerable, limited, and in need of mercy. That’s the bridge from empathy to action.

We're called to persevere in what the Spirit has begun. In seasons of pressure, weariness, or cultural pull toward self-preservation, love can quietly erode into politeness or performance. The exhortation fights that drift.

My Kairos experience makes this real for me. Walking into Sussex I with the team, sharing agape, meals, and the gospel without expecting worldly a return. That’s costly, non-transactional love in action. It's risky. And there's no guarantee we're going to succeed. It requires only an absolute trust that the Holy Spirit has gone before us.

If there is a sense of duty in my mind and heart that has anything to do with my "religion", it's a response to the Lord’s proclamation, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

You show up with agape, cookies, songs, and the gospel because you’re responding to the One.

When we come in His name, we’re not coming on our own authority or cleverness. We’re extensions of His hospitality, His empathy, His non-transactional love. In this manner there is contentment that frees us from calculating every risk. All of it is possible only because "He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you.’" That promise is what makes the risky obedience sustainable. You step into the prison knowing the same promise that holds you also holds every man inside those walls. You start to see them as yourself.

It's interesting how it changes your perception. The other day, I forget now what I was listening to, but the conversation had to do with incarcerated people. And they were describing them in the same kinds of terms that the world always describes them. And it occurred to me that just the other day while attending one of our prayer and share events at Sussex 1, as we closed out the session, we were blessing each other with embracing and words of love that was so completely natural that it felt like family. But even more natural than that.

And it made me laugh to think how the world would view that.

I'm sharing "brotherly love" like a brother with people the whole world defines as murderous villains, so called "offenders". More real love than my own flesh and blood family.

Why?

Why is it more real?

The answer lies somewhere in the very dynamics we’ve been unpacking in Hebrews 13. The masks of performance, respectability, and self-justification get stripped away by our shared circumstances. When that happens, the gospel lands with unusual power. There’s less pretense, less "I’ve got my life together." It’s not navigating decades of family history, old wounds, expectations, or the slow grind of daily life. It's right here and right now. It's fresh human love. It’s often two (or a room full of) people who know they’re sinners meeting at the foot of the cross. They know where they stand, and that creates a distilled, supernatural authenticity.

The love feels "more real" because it’s less cluttered by the fleshly friction that accumulates in long-term earthly relationships.

Here's the leveling point.

The world calls them "murderous villains" and "offenders." The gospel says we’re all offenders before a holy God (Romans 3:23). In Kairos, that truth is not theoretical; it’s the shared starting point. You’re not coming as the respectable outsider offering pity. You’re a brother saying, "I too was once far off, but I have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13).

That identification ("as though in prison with them") dissolves the us-versus-them barrier. The love becomes mutual, not top-down. It mirrors how Christ loved us; not when we were lovable, but while we were still enemies. When that kind of grace flows between people the world despises, it shines brighter precisely because it contradicts the world’s narrative so completely. No wonder it makes me laugh at how strange it would look from the outside.

Prison ministry brotherly love, in the focused setting of Kairos, is like a concentrated dose of new-covenant reality. Forgiven sinners loving other forgiven sinners with the fresh awareness of grace. It’s not that the prison love is better than family love; but it can feel more pure or undiluted because the context forces everyone into the same posture of need and dependence on the Holy Spirit. There’s less room for self-deception. And because it’s risky and non-transactional, it often carries the tangible sense of God’s pleasure.

"blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" in hostile territory. It’s the joy of standing in the upside-down Kingdom where the last are first and the "villains" become brothers.

Hebrews 12:14-17
"Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears."

Esau’s story is a sobering picture of someone who treated sacred things cheaply, assuming they could never truly be lost. He lived as if the birthright was an entitlement that could be traded away for immediate gratification, only to discover later, (with tears) that the consequences were irreversible.

We've been building up to this message for a while now. To a strong call to pursue peace (with all people) and holiness (without which no one will see the Lord). The imperative. The trueness of a holy man. Holiness, a life of piety, isn’t optional window-dressing for the Christian life; it is the evidence of a heart that has truly laid hold of grace.

In a moment of hunger, Esau traded away his inheritance for a single meal of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Immediate gratification won the day.

Do you think he really cared about his inheritance?

What he truly sought was the blessing without the character.
Later, when the blessing was at stake, he wept bitterly and sought repentance, but found no place for it (Genesis 27:34-38; Hebrews 12:17). No place for repentance. He really disregarded the inheritance but wanted the benefits just the same.

Esau did not truly value the inheritance for what it was. How many people want the liberty and freedom that Christianity delivers, but none of the obedience? The same pattern repeats in every generation. They want the forgiveness without repentance.
They want the peace without the pursuit of holiness.
They want the blessings and the assurance of heaven, but not the daily dying to self, the self-control, or the submission to Christ’s lordship.

In other words, they want the benefits of the birthright while despising the cost of the covenant. Just like Esau.

Contrast this human condition with the message the writer of Hebrews has been driving at. True liberty in Christ is freedom from sin’s slavery so we can become servants of righteousness (Romans 6:18).

This isn't a call to religious fervor. The call to "pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" is not legalism; it is the natural outflow of a heart that has truly received grace. It's a true transformation of the stubborn human spirit. Grace does not lower the standard, it raises the power of God to meet it. The same grace that saves also trains us "to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus 2:11-12).

And so, we see the "therefore".

Therefore, "see to it" that no one comes short of this grace. Guard against every root of bitterness. Flee sexual immorality and godlessness. Do not trade the eternal for the momentary. It's about putting our value in spiritual things. Not leaning hard into a system that props up all our material gods. And when regret comes, let it lead you all the way to genuine repentance and a new life of obedience under Christ.

Do you know why so many really can't operate in God's grace alone, without some sort of religious cloak to enhance and manage it?

It's not what you may think.

It's fear of the true majesty and ultimately terrible POWER of our God.

It's why you see this world trying to soft sell Christ as some sort of socialist guru who is all about love and compassion mainly. They can't deal with the God who said He's going to shake both the earth and the heavens.

It frightens them when His word says these things.

Take a look back to the Old Testament.

Our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). He is not safe, but He is good.

Do we live like He is?

We are told in Isaiah about when the Assyrian army was surrounding the encampment of the Israelites, that while they slept, an angel of the Lord whipped them all out (Isaiah 37:36). The Angel of the Lord went out in the night and struck down 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp. When the people rose early the next morning, they saw the dead bodies everywhere. The sheer scale of divine power left them in awe; the kind of moment that makes a person ask, "How can anyone stand before (or live within) this divine power?"

Just the sheer gravity of the situation. That God can be great and good, and be so powerful and terrifying. Many cannot rest in God’s grace alone because they are secretly terrified of the full reality of who fully He is. So they reach for a "religious cloak"; rules, rituals, or a softened image of God they can manage at a safe distance. They love keeping and venerating the baby Jesus. They love keeping Jesus petrified on the cross. They venerate his mother because she's kinder and gentle, and a woman after-all. They elevate His mother as gentler and more approachable. And in the progressive churches they feminize the Father. Squeeze Him through their pagan infused Mother Earth (Gaia) forms. All attempts at dealing with this powerful, almighty, and terrible God who whips out 185,000 people in one night, like a nightmare.

But here's the irony.

Yes, God is an all consuming fire. But consuming fire is all around us.

Slow, destructive, entropic fire. The corrosive fires of our sin, rebellion, and of a world running down. The slow burning fires of our human nature.

The Good News

Fire can be good as well. The fires of the forge for instance. Shaping and molding a permanent new structure. Burning off the dross. Creating iron and ultimately steel. It's the glory of the gospel which is this same consuming fire which has made a way for us to draw near. Through the blood of Jesus, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). His holiness no longer consumes us in judgment but purifies us as sons. Turns the "consuming fire" from something only terrifying into something powerfully redemptive.

Conclusion

Let holy fear drive you to genuine repentance and joyful obedience. Pursue peace. Pursue holiness. Worship with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

And He is VERY good. 😊

Hebrews 12:7-8
"It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."

Discipline isn’t random punishment or divine anger—it’s familial love in action. God treats us as legitimate sons and daughters. Not as bastards. That’s the dignity and security of our adoption.

But what if you're just getting-by with your sin?

What if you're continuing in your disobedience? You know what it is. You've been hiding it for a long time. And you've been getting-by in it. What if you're continuing in it and not being convicted for it or caught?

Can you say then that you're a true (legitimate) child of God?

Verse 8 lands hard.

"But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."

Keep in mind, "all have become partakers". There's no child of God who has not wrestled with this.

Discipline is the normal experience of every legitimate child. No exceptions. So when someone claims to be a son or daughter yet sails through life with no conviction, no wrestling, no corrective hand from the Father. That ongoing, unrepentant sin without discipline is a serious warning sign that one may not be in the family at all.

True holiness is a thing of the heart. It cannot be manipulated by dressing the part. It cannot be manufactured by busywork. It cannot be produced by others prayers. True holiness is a condition of the heart. External religion can mimic the look of godliness, but it has no power to change the inside (2 Timothy 3:5).

You can wear the right clothes, speak the right language, show up in the right places, even serve in ministry, and still have a heart that loves sin in secret. The Pharisees were experts at this (Matthew 23:25-28). Jesus called them whitewashed tombs; clean on the outside, full of death inside.

It's like that line from the song "Nowadays" in Chicago that truly captures the spirit of the age so well.

"You can like the life you’re living…You can live the life you like…"

It’s the ultimate self-justifying anthem. Dress it up, talk the talk, keep the outward show going, and convince yourself (and others) that it’s all fine. No need for a heart-level change. No wrestling. No discipline. Just "live your truth" and enjoy the razzle-dazzle.

But Hebrews 12:8 exposes the lie. If there is no fatherly discipline, no conviction that disturbs the comfortable life of hidden sin, then the claim to sonship is hollow. You can like the life you’re living and live the life you like, but you may not belong to the Father at all.

The legitimate sons (and daughters) of God receive discipline precisely because the Father knows them and is conforming them to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

So if you've ever heard the gospel reading from Matthew 7:21-23, and wondered who Jesus was talking about when he said:

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven..."

And you thought, "maybe that's me?"

Probably not. Likely not because your heart is convicted.

Your response to that conviction is a different matter.

If you fail to obey the correction perfectly, does that mean you're the one Matthew 7:21-23 is exposing?

The "Lord, Lord" crowd wasn’t just struggling with sin like every honest believer does. And that’s a crucial and freeing distinction. The "Lord, Lord" crowd in Matthew 7 had no real conviction that led to their repentance. Their religion was performative. They were proud and even arrogant. They operated in lawlessness while maintaining a bold profession, with no evidence of the Father’s disciplining hand shaping their hearts. They were comfortable in it. They even went so far as to use their self-righteousness to excuse their actions against those they deemed to be unworthy. They were hypocrites.

They had no brokenness. No ongoing conviction that led to genuine repentance. No sense that they needed the Father’s training hand. They were "getting by" quite nicely in their own eyes.

Meanwhile, The legitimate child feels the discipline and is troubled by it. The legitimate child grieves sin (even repeated failures) and returns to the Father.

But doesn't there seem to be a fine line between feeling grieved about ongoing sin and simply repeating the sin?

It feels razor-thin at times, especially when the same sin keeps surfacing.

So what is the difference between "struggle" and "settlement"?

The key markers are not instant perfection or zero repetition. Is the overall pattern one of resistance, hatred of the sin, and movement (however slow) toward holiness? Or is it a settled, comfortable cycle with little real fight? Is it the sorrow of the flesh ("I feel bad because of consequences or guilt") or godly sorrow that leads to repentance and change?

What Is Godly Sorrow?

Godly sorrow hates the sin itself because it offends the Father and damages the relationship. It's recognizing the disrespect it brings into that relationship. And the habit of returning reveals the disrespect.

From 2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."

Godly sorrow is grief over sin that is God-centered, not self-centered. It sees the sin as an offense against the Father; a betrayal of love, a disrespect to His holiness and the relationship He purchased with the blood of His Son. It recognizes the damage. The distance it creates. And the hindrance to fellowship and true fruitfulness it feeds.

In the true child of God, this kind of sorrow doesn’t lead to despair or hiding. It leads to returning; confession, renewed dependence, and a fresh surrender. It agrees with God about the sin and wants the relationship restored more than it wants the sin excused. It may be painful for a season, but it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Godly sorrow breaks the power of sin patterns over time because the heart is reoriented around the Father’s glory and love.

So what's a body to do?

Simply put:

Confess.
Depend.
Surrender.

Bring the sin fully into the light before the Father. Name it. Agree with Him about it. No excuses, no minimizing. Stop trying to white-knuckle victory in your own strength. Lean hard into the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Yield your will to His. Say again, "Not my way, but Yours. I no longer want to be me in this area."

Lay the sin on the altar and walk away from it in faith, even if the feelings lag behind. This is where the discipline does its deepest work; training us in obedience. Repeat as often as needed. This is the daily rhythm of the legitimate child under the Father’s loving hand.

The Father is patient with His children as they learn this rhythm. Keep practicing it. He is faithful. 🕊️

Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the [leader] originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

"looking only at Jesus"

This particular use of the word "look" is not a glancing look, not to consider, but to stare in awe and wonder. The imagery is vivid; that "great cloud of witnesses" lives testify that the race is winnable by faith. Their stories are this witness to Christ's glory. They witness in awe and wonder about His glory. Not on their performance, not on the obstacles they have overcome, but on the One who has already run the race perfectly.

This is the fuel for endurance, the love that turns duty into delight. The awe we have for the glory of God brings us into submission that doesn't seem like submission at all.

This awe is the bridge. Some would refer to it as "the fear of the Lord". It produces the kind of grateful reverence where obedience becomes joy. In this way the temporary weights, the entangling sins, the shaking things of this world (and there’s plenty shaking in our time) lose their grip.

Hebrews 12:28-29
"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."

And then comes that sobering, holy reminder:

"Our God is a consuming fire."

This is the same God whose glory made Moses hide his face, whose presence caused Isaiah to cry "Woe is me," and whose fire fell on the altar in the days of Elijah. And His holy fire burns away the dross so that what remains can offer "acceptable service." It keeps us from casual, lukewarm religion. It keeps us from performing for the cloud of witnesses or for people, for clout chasing. It anchors us in reverent, grateful worship that spills over into endurance for the race still set before us.

It burns away every pretense, and all attempts at identifying one's values by building meaningful connections, or exploring the meaning of life by focusing on personal strengths.

But what if you're not any of those things?

What if you're not meaningful?

What if you don't explore or build connections?

What if you’re not good at anything?

What if you were told that you would never amount to anything?

What if that was your experience?

The fact of the matter is, Faith in Christ Jesus burns away every external scaffolding we try to lean on. The connections, the strengths, the "meaningful" contributions, the reputation, the resume. All of it. And when the fire has done its purifying work, many of us find ourselves standing there with nothing left but the naked question...

"What if I was told I would never amount to anything…and it felt true?"

The old identity built on performance, approval, or potential. Gone. Now it's real.

In the place of the submission to the world's standards, God gives something far better than "amounting to something". He gives union with Christ.

You don’t have to be meaningful, connected, talented, or promising. In fact, the Kingdom has a long track record of choosing the very people the world (and sometimes we ourselves) write off. The church of the drop outs, and losers.

Moses - "I can’t speak…send someone else."

David - A shepherd boy overlooked even by his own father.

Paul - "chief of sinners."

And the ultimate example is Jesus Himself - "despised and rejected," numbered among transgressors, appearing to amount to nothing as He hung on the cross.

The fire burns away the lie that your worth was ever based on what you could produce, build, or become. Did not that One who sends the fire, go before in search of that one lost sheep who left the ninety nine?

Did you ever notice that the world truly does despise Jesus?

Just say to them that God is love and that the Son, Jesus Christ, is the perfection of that love. Just say that and watch the comments.

Not at first.

First you'll see praises and that "awe" we were discussing earlier. But soon as you scroll down, the world shows up.

Do you want to know why they hate Jesus, (and by extension you)?

Because He didn’t wait for the sheep to become impressive, connected, or "meaningful." He went out into the wilderness, into the danger, because that sheep mattered to Him. That’s the heart behind the consuming fire; not destruction for its own sake, but relentless love that refuses to leave us in our lostness. And they (the world) hates that free love. Free from fear, free from religion, free from hate.

Say "God is love," and many will nod. Speak of love as self-giving, holy, costly, sacrificial; love that calls sin what it is and still offers full forgiveness through the blood of the cross, and the tone shifts quickly.

This is why Hebrews 12:2 says He endured the cross, despising the shame. He knew exactly how the world would treat Him, and He still went.

The world is just confused, loving the idea of love while rejecting the costly sacrifice of the One. It doesn't love Jesus. This same world that praises vague spirituality will reject the exclusive claims of Christ. The same voices that celebrate "love" will hate the love that actually demands surrender. As the Lord’s children stare in awe and wonder, the world lowers its eyes and gnashes its teeth. Murmuring to themselves, "that love is too free, too powerful, and too threatening to the systems we build to justify ourselves."

They hate it because it levels the playing field. No one gets to earn their way in. The respectable religious person and the obvious sinner both stand in need of the same rescuing grace. The high-achiever and the one told they’d never amount to anything both receive the same unrelenting pursuit.

That kind of love exposes every self-salvation project.

John's gospel recorded it plainly:

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

Jesus said: at one time "you belonged to the world".

"but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
(John 15:18-19)

For some, it feels like judgment, to those who want to stay in their lostness. But that’s also why the cloud of witnesses surrounds us. They endured the same hatred. And Jesus endured it supremely. So we fix our eyes on Him and keep offering that same free, fierce, holy love. The world will keep showing up in the comments. But so will the lost sheep. The Light has come, and though many prefer darkness, the Shepherd still seeks the lost.

Praise God!
In the name of the Eternal Father, the Eternal Son, and the Eternal Spirit.

Come what may, we endure, we worship, we testify.

May the Lord strengthen you today for whatever leg of the race is before you. Grace and peace to you. Keep looking only at Jesus.

Hebrews 11:27
"By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen."

The writer is clearly pointing to Moses, and the moment he walks away from the only world he’d ever known as a prince of Egypt. But for me as a Christian it rings true to my soul. It's a testament to what faith does to a man's (and a woman I'm sure) spirit. Faith is attributed to a shield (Ephesians 6:16) and for good reason. It's absolutely a necessary element in the Armor of God set and fitting that it is depicted as a shield. It's used for exactly this purpose. To preserve the faith in times when you are under overwhelming attack from within and even from within.

Especially from attacks within. His own doubts ("Who am I?" at the bush), the people’s grumbling that wore on him, the temptation to go back to the familiar. The shield is forged from the metal of this realization. The strength that sees God when He is unseen. It reorients everything.

Moses faced literal flaming darts; Pharaoh’s wrath, the pressure of leading a complaining nation, his own past failures, and the visible might of Egypt staring him down. The shield of faith didn’t make the darts disappear. It quenched them. How? By lifting his eyes to the Unseen One so that the seen threats lost their power to penetrate and destroy.

By faith he left Egypt (obedience, costly action). Fear extinguished. Endurance over the long haul (40 years as a sheepherder). And at the root, intimate, ongoing communion with God.

That last part is the fuel for all the rest. Faith isn’t blind optimism. It’s spiritual eyesight that makes the Invisible more substantial than the visible.

Faith as a shield isn’t handed to us polished and ready. It’s hammered out on the anvil of real life. Through hardships, suffering, testing. The haze of time and confusion.

Moses’ 40 years in Midian weren’t wasted years; they were forging years. No palace no crowds of fans, no instant miracles; just sheep, silence, dust, regret over his past failure, and the slow, daily choice to keep believing the God who met him at the bush was still the same God. That anvil season produced the man who could later stand before Pharaoh without fear and lead through decades of wilderness faithfulness. The shield gained its strength under his obscurity and pressure.

As James wrote:
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

The testing isn’t punishment; it’s the hammer shaping the shield. Hammering perseverance, character, and hope into it.

Peter puts it so well:
1 Peter 1:6-7
"you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ"

Moses came out of that haze with eyes trained on the Unseen. The same process is at work in us today. All of it is anvil time. The haze of confusion, the internal doubts, the external pressures of work and culture. These are not obstacles to faith; they are the very things the Master Craftsman uses to hammer and shape a stronger shield.

Every time you choose to lift your eyes to the Unseen One instead of bowing to the visible "wrath of the king" (whatever form it takes today), that shield gets tempered a little more. It becomes more reliable in battle; for you, for your family, for the people you minister to in life, and for whoever the Lord still has you reach.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You that You are the blacksmith and we are the metal. Hammer us on the anvil of real life until our faith-shield is strong, flexible, and sure. Let every trial produce steadfastness that honors You and blesses others. In Jesus’ holy name.

Amen 🙏🏼

Revelation 22:1-4
"And he showed me a river of the water of life, [bright] clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."

This is the Bible’s closing crescendo. This is what "it's" all about. Full restoration, the curse reversed, and intimate fellowship with God forever. The New Jerusalem isn’t some ethereal cloud city; it pulses with life drawn straight from the throne like a vine. Flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

The Father and Son are One source. And the flow is from under the threshold of the house toward the east flowing down from under the throne. The banks of the river there are covered with very many trees on both sides. Flowing down, and getting deeper and deeper, until finally flowing into the Dead Sea and everywhere it flows the sea becomes fresh (Ezekiel 47).

Nothing stays dead where this water goes. This river doesn't just thin the disease. The curse is not merely diluted; it is eradicated. The Dead Sea becomes fresh; the nations (once dead in trespasses) are healed and fruitful. The ground no longer resists, relationships are no longer fractured by shame or selfishness, death and sorrow are gone. After all the judgments and the gathering of the redeemed from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, the nations are healed. No more hostility, no more Babel-like division.

The River is clear as crystal, never polluted, never failing. God’s River doesn’t just decorate; it resurrects what was dead. The stagnant, heavy curse of sin and consequences is washed away. The same River that heals the sea heals the soul.

What a beautiful vision and hope. I could dwell on these things all day. I want to paint them on canvas and always am in my mind. This thread from Ezekiel to Revelation strengthens the "already but not yet" tension we all live in. Jesus said the kingdom of God is here. And He is. The River is flowing now by the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39), but we long for the day when it flows unhindered from the throne we can see face to face.

Dwelling on these truths causes me to question myself; "Am I positioned on the bank, drinking deeply, so that fruit and healing can reach others?"

Jesus said - "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-39).

He is claiming to be the true source of life. The Rock in the wilderness. The fountain Ezekiel saw flowing from the temple, and the throne-river John sees in Revelation 22. The living water is no longer an external ritual; it is personal, immediate, and internal. The water now flows from belief in Him. After His glorification (death, resurrection, ascension), the Holy Spirit is poured out. The river now flows from the innermost being of every believer (John 7:38).

The Dead Sea gets healed because the water reaches the lowest, deadest places. Nations are healed because the Spirit-empowered church carries this water to the ends of the earth.

Reflect on this:
How is the Spirit prompting you to come drink, and then let it flow outward?

The river is already flowing. One day we will stand on its banks in the city where the throne is fully visible and the curse is gone forever.

Man!
That day can't come soon enough.

Come Lord. Please come soon.

I live for the visual glory of the crystal River, the Tree of Life heavy with monthly fruit, leaves shimmering for the nations’ healing, the throne pulsing with life at the center. It’s all meant to be seen and savored. But can we see glimpses today?

One way that I "see" the glory of God is the track how the Spirit is moving and working out everything in my journey.

Take for instance a recent development (revelation).

Three years ago we started a Kairos prison ministry program (K10 to be specific) at Sussex 1. And everything was in order but there was an "incident".

We begin our program on Thursday and it runs through the weekend into Sunday afternoon. We were just getting started, receiving the 42 participants at the gymnasium entrance. And checking them in against the list provided by the Chaplain. And as is typical for a Sussex 1 event, some people showed up who weren't on the list. And that is a bit stressful as you might imagine. Normally we let the prison staff handle the check-in, but we didn't this time. I was there helping the CO who was checking names against the list.

Long story short, Jamal (a young man who was near release just months away) was not on the list. And he sucker punched me, shattered one of my eyeglass lenses and gave me a small cut below my eye. Beyond that nothing serious happened, except he booked out of there and assaulted others along the way.

God used that incident (something that has never happened in Kairos history) to heal many wounds. One of our teammates that weekend was scheduled to give the "Obstacles to Grace" talk on Sunday, and he was prevented from entering the prison because of a paperwork snafu. So someone needed to step in for him.

Our teammates leader tagged me to give that talk and I basically had to wing it . I remember I literally tore the talk outline pages out of our manual and just let the Spirit guide my thoughts and words.

I don't remember much of what I said, but I do remember that the gym was absolutely silent (it's never silent) and every eye was on me. Me in my prescription sunglasses because my normal glasses were busted up. Everyone was hanging on this talk and listening intently, even the prison staff.

We ended the talk with a group prayer for Jamal. Praying that the Lord uses this incident for good. It was very powerful and moving.

Three years later and no one knows what happened to Jamal. We do know that when this sort of incident happens they go straight to "Red Onion". It's basically where they throw people away into permanent segregation. That reality always weighed heavy on me. I hated that this stupid punch added to his sentence and sent him to a place like that. I would have preferred working with him and helping him make better choices.

So recently (last week), I got a call from a someone in the DA's department for that region, and she wanted to talk about the incident.

Now, I never filed charges and dropped everyone's attempts at getting me to take punitive action. I didn't need any of that, not even for monetary damages. Hilariously, I got a new pair of eyeglasses free of charge because the lenses were supposed to be shatter proof. And I shared that with her.

But what I found most interesting was I learned about what happened with Jamal. Turns out he turned himself around. Did his time for assaulting the staff after he punched me. And now has been released and is working and getting his life straightened around.

I see that news as a HUGE blessing for me. I was thrilled to hear about this turn of events. And I thank God for answering our prayers.

But now they want to charge him for my incident. I of course intend to argue however I can against that. There is nothing good that'll come from dragging him back inside after all that has happened.

I think I got that message through to the DA's staffer, but we'll see what comes of it. If they subpoena me, I'll have another opportunity to talk about obstacles to grace.

Not a problem.

Glad to do it.

At any rate, all this to explain how I see the River of Life flowing already in this day and age. How I witness the Holy Spirit at work in more than we know.

Jamal didn’t stay in the Dead Sea. That’s the Tree of Life healing.

Amen 🙏🏼

Revelation 21:3-4
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them [as their God], and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

I want to only think eternity, about going home, my home merged fully with the Creator. No more separation, no more shadows.

For me it’s not escapism; it’s the hope that anchors me here while I walk as a sojourner. Jesus promised that he's preparing a place so that where He is, we may be also. And from what I know about His divine nature, I can understand that He has been doing this since before existence. He’s been making ready a dwelling of perfect communion for His people across all time.

And it's a blessing today to consider these things. Even in the abstract.

1 Corinthians 13:12
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

It's a blessing now because we are no longer anxious knowing we are God’s children now, even though what we will be has not yet appeared. We are blessed because "we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).

It's what's known as the "The Beatific Vision". A direct, face-to-face vision and communion with God here and now.

It’s exactly the sort of hope that anchors us sojourners without pulling us away from a faithful presence here. For truly we wouldn't want to be of no earthly value.

By the Spirit we behold "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6) through the Word, and that beholding is already changing us "from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18). No matter how messed up we are. No matter what state Christ is in. Knowing He predestined our eternal future with Him, yet allowed us to traveled for a time in despair, isn't a reason to be angry at His seeming absence, it should be viewed as a blessing. He's been watching over us. Longing for us. Waiting on us. That same sovereign love that predestined our eternal home with Him was watching, longing, and patiently drawing us the whole time.

For me there is nothing so beautiful as His prevenient grace. What felt like absence was often His merciful preparation; guarding, shaping, and waiting for our moment of surrender. God’s initiating, pursuing, enabling love that goes before us, drawing the heart even when we are lost, resistant, or sunk in despair. It says to me that He is eternally mindful of me. It reveals a love that is not reactive but initiatory. That's that "agape" we hear so much about.

When I read...

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44)

Unlike so many others, I don't read a distant discriminatory ogre, I see my Father's very personal eternal love actively seeking me.

No, eternity does frighten me, it doesn’t give me anxiety, it doesn't even give me a moments pause.

I want nothing else but that unshadowed communion.

And probably most importantly, the good news is that God’s agape isn’t earned or manipulated; it seeks, draws, and holds onto us.

In a world where so many are striving to earn their eternal rewards, it's truly a blessing to KNOW without a doubt that God is doing the work, going before us in His perfect love. What a freeing, soul-resting truth in a world obsessed with performance.

The Father draws, the Son accomplishes, the Spirit applies and perfects. What more do I need?

Rest.

"He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"
(Philippians 1:6).

Hebrews 11:17-19
"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; it was he to whom it was said, "Through Isaac your descendants shall be named." He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type."

In obedience, and through absolute faith in the word of God, Abraham knew God would fulfill His promises through his only [through Sarah] son Isaac. On the third day, after going to Mount Mariah with his son Isaac, he built an altar to sacrifice his only son as God commanded.

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love…and offer him as a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:2)

Abraham clung to the promise even as he walked toward the hardest thing God had ever asked of him. Isaac was not just a beloved son; he was the only son of the covenant; the child born through Sarah according to God’s miraculous promise. After three long days of travel (a journey that itself carries resurrection echoes), Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place God had shown him. And he told the servants who had traveled with them, "Stay here…I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you."

Abraham framed the entire journey as worship. And he spoke with full confidence that both of them would return. It was resurrection faith in action. So even as he carried the fire and the knife, and Isaac carried the wood, Abraham was preparing to worship on that mountain.

That's total costly obedience to God's word. Total surrender to his faith. And remarkably, that is exactly what happened. They did worship. God provided the ram. Isaac was spared. Father and son came down the mountain together.

This is the kind of faith that obeys when it hurts, trusts when it doesn’t make sense, and worships even on the mountain of sacrifice. Abraham didn’t start with easy belief. He had years of walking with God, seeing promises, waiting, and wrestling. Yet when the ultimate test came, his faith held because it had been forged over time through surrender and obedience.

In the beginning for me, I wasn't seeking, wasn't interested, and had no felt need for God or any faith community. Then the sovereign hand of God broke in. He changed your mind, provided what I lacked in faith, and transformed my heart.

Beginning with a nighttime surrender to prayer.

The words...
"I no longer want to be You"

This was my Mount Moriah moment.

It wasn’t shallow or convenient. It was costly, real, and life-altering. And like Abraham, once I committed to His word, God faithfully provided teachers, voices, and daily bread to strengthen me.

In an interesting twist, God provided a controversial revelation that helped me intellectually grow in understanding the dynamics of faith. From the very beginning, at the advent of the internet age, I have been involved in countless conversations with strangers about faith. Through those early years of chat rooms and online web based connections, I was exposed to many different views on religion. I found myself in countless conversations with strangers from all backgrounds. Some helpful, some challenging, some outright hostile. Through that unlikely furnace, the Lord sharpened my thinking, stripped away superficial ideas, and anchored me more deeply in the truth of Scripture.

But the most interesting start to this whole journey was a debate that occurred about progressive ideologies and theological principles. I of course have always held to a conservative view, but ironically at the time I was an ordained deacon in the congressional church. That faith community was part of the very Liberal UCC. I learned about the depths of that perverse ideology from within that synod. Their studies were deeply infected by Spong and Borg.

And many online battles were fought over these liberation movements, progressive re-interpretations of the faith.

In one such battle, a sincere and friendly group. I was challenged to read Paul Tillich...

That recommendation became a controversial but pivotal revelation the Lord used to help me intellectually grasp the dynamics of faith. I went into this challenge, thinking that I was going to dispute the things that Paul Tillich was writing about because I really knew nothing at all about him. But what I discovered was some amazing intellectual thought. His writings became a powerful part of my "before and after." And it demonstrated for me that absolute faith eventually requires us to stand on a secure understanding of Scripture alone, even when it costs relationships or community.

Many among the progressive Liberal branches of Christianity cherry-picked Tillich's existential, philosophical, and often abstract views. But somehow; and I never understood how, they managed to support their re-imaginings of Christianity using his name, and they frequently bypassed the robust Protestant depth in his Systematic Theology that he intellectually pulled together. One of my favorite works by him is, The Dynamics of Faith.

As was my habit in those days, I read everything he ever wrote (every available sermon as well) and watched many videos he produced. I wanted to understand what he was truly driving at. And I never saw a progressive liberal in any of his teaching.

And so it's really sort of comical that the Lord brought me to this greater understanding through some progressive liberal debater who thought they pulled a fast one on me. I can credit my fuller understanding of the word of God and about matters of faith to that silly liberal person.

I don't know what they were reading, but Tillich explores faith not as mere belief or emotional comfort, but as ultimate concern. The centered act of the whole person, involving risk, doubt, and commitment. For me in those early days of study among the progressives, it seems that the Lord used Tillich’s framework to intellectually clarify what absolute faith actually looks like. Not some fragile assent, but a dynamic, whole-life surrender that holds even when challenged. And he backed up these with the works of other great Christian minds.

God led me to consume voraciously the works of Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, J.I. Packer, A.W. Tozer, William Booth, John Wesley, Charles Finney, and many more. What began as an attempted "gotcha" from a progressive debater became one of the stepping stones the Lord used to anchor me more deeply in the truth of Scripture and the reality of costly, obedient faith.

In the context of today's scripture discovery, I see Tillich's words at work. Abraham’s faith on Moriah was exactly this kind of dynamic, whole-life surrender. It involved risk (the knife), doubt (how can the promise survive?), and total commitment (“We will worship and come again”). It wasn’t fragile. It held under pressure because it was rooted in the character and power of God.

Notice.

It wasn't faith in an institution or program. Abraham wasn’t trusting in a religious system, a temple, a set of rituals, or even the visible covenant community. He wasn’t leaning on what the servants thought, or what others in his household might have advised. His faith was personal, direct, and rooted in the character and promises of God Himself.

This mirrors deeply with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s teachings, especially in The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer relentlessly contrasted cheap grace (grace without obedience, faith without surrender, religion without the cross) with costly grace; the kind that demands everything, that calls us to true discipleship, and requires personal, obedient surrender to Christ.

Likewise, Tozer’s writings (especially The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy) hammer on the same core reality. He constantly warned against "the religion of the crowd," external forms, and a Christianity that is all doctrine or activity but lacks the actual presence and knowledge of God.

Tozer repeatedly called believers to move beyond "theology on the surface" into a whole-life surrender and intimate communion with God.

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. The man who has everything except God has nothing." — Tozer

Abraham proved he had God as his treasure. The knife proved it. His words to the servants proved it.

May we be that kind of people.

C.S. Lewis, in his warnings against "Christianity-and-water," reinforced that faith must be robust and personal; not a comfortable cultural appendage.

J.I. Packer, stressed that knowing God personally (not just knowing about Him) leads to obedience, trust, and worship even in the dark.

William Booth embodied active, costly obedience. His "blood and fire" passion showed faith as total-life commitment; reaching the lost, caring for the poor, and refusing to settle for comfortable religion.

Charles Finney called for an "entire sanctification" and revival through personal consecration reinforcing the "no turning back" nature of Abraham’s obedience.

And John Wesley taught on the warmed heart, scriptural holiness, and "faith working by love" adding to the relational, transformative fire. He showed that true faith is both deeply personal and outwardly obedient. Exactly what Abraham displayed when he rose early and walked with Isaac toward worship.

All these voices, and many others, (even some who never wrote a book), formed a powerful chorus the Lord used to move me from the intellectual stirring of Tillich into a robust, Scripture-saturated, whole-life faith.

Side Note:
One lesson to learn from this is how two people can read the same book and discern vastly different ideas from it. The same Tillich who fueled progressive re-interpretations in liberal circles became, in the Lord’s hands, a tool that helped clarify dynamic, biblical faith for me.

This reminds us that human authors, (even gifted ones) are not the final authority. Only the Holy Spirit illuminating Scripture can give us true understanding. The progressives took Tillich in a Liberation theology direction, mingled with politics. The Lord used him to point me toward a more robust, Scripture-saturated surrender. That difference is not ultimately about one's intelligence or reading comprehension. It’s about the heart’s posture before God. It's about our intent.

All I can say about that is, you'd better have a sincere intent when you claim to speak for God's intent. Don't take His name in vain for political purposes or cultural reasons. Don't drag the world into your exploration and exposition. Claiming to speak for God’s intent while dragging in worldly politics, cultural agendas, or personal biases is a very serious eternal matter. It violates the very heart of what we see in Abraham; a sincere, undivided posture before God. No mixture, no manipulation, just humble obedience and worship. Abraham didn’t try to negotiate with God, reinterpret the command to fit his preferences, or soften it for cultural acceptance. He simply trusted and obeyed with a sincere heart. The same standard applies to all of us who teach, preach, or even converse about the faith.

Amen 🙏🏼

Hebrews 11:7
"By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

A surface-level reading of this passage can leave us impressed with Noah’s effort. I mean, the entire chapter is a list of "super-saints" who are impressive in the lengths they went to do the work God set before them. Look at Noah and the sheer scale of the project, the decades of ridicule he endured, the physical labor, the engineering, the perseverance. And those things are impressive on a human level. But the text of Hebrews 11:7 does not ultimately point us to the impressiveness of Noah’s works. It repeatedly anchors everything in faith.

It doesn’t say "by works Noah..."

It does say "by faith Noah..."

So why are we impressed?

Not primarily because he performed the work expected of him. That would slide us toward a works-based view that Hebrews (and the whole New Testament) resists.

I think in this passage today, the focus is clearly about Noah's faith in spite of the "things not yet seen". He believed God when it made zero visible sense to.

No one had ever seen a global flood. The warning was about things not yet seen. Noah took God at His word and that's the especially difficult thing in a culture that had completely normalized wickedness (Genesis 6:5). This is a rare, and costly faith. His reverence (godly fear) produced obedience, not the other way around.

The sequence matters.

Faith → Reverence/Fear of God → Obedient action.

So many folks believe that if you could just get someone to come to church. To participate in the process, the "works of faith", the reverence and commitment to the religion will produce faith. And in fact most religious people follow this pattern with their children especially.

But there is in fact this radical order of faith. Noah first believed God’s warning about invisible judgment. Abraham and Sarah were first persuaded about God's word and purposes. By faith Moses' mother placed him in the river. By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. By faith the Jews passed through the Red Sea as through dry land. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down. Faith conquered kingdoms. Faith quenched the power of fire. By faith women received back their dead by resurrection.

(vs 39) "And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised"

Faith Is Journey:

Chapter 11 is a gallery of people who were first persuaded by God’s word about realities they could not see or fully understand in their lifetime. All operated from this same root; faith in what God had said. They were approved (they literally "bore witness" or "obtained a good testimony") through their faith, not through the visible completion of everything God promised. They lived and died as sojourners, seeing the promises still far off on the horizon. They saw the promise greeting them, but not entering into the full inheritance in their lifetime. The ultimate fulfillment still awaited them in Christ.

Why does this matter so much?

I think about the story by Bunyan, Hebrews 11 presents exactly the kind of pilgrim faith that John Bunyan so powerfully allegorized in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Christian’s (the main character of that story) long journey; from the City of Destruction, through the Slough of Despond, past Vanity Fair, up the Hill of Difficulty, through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and all the rest. It's all a vivid picture of what these Old Testament saints lived. They were sojourners, not settlers. They "saw the promises from afar, greeted them, and confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). Their true citizenship and final inheritance lay ahead, not in the visible comforts or successes of this life.

And yet, like Christian, they kept walking because they believed what God had said, even when the road made no earthly sense.

But here's the ultimate truth or lesson. In Bunyan's book, Christian reaches the River of Death. And there, at the very last leg of his faith journey, he nearly sinks. The waters are deep. The waves are strong. He begins to despair. He loses sight of the other side for a moment. The final test is not another monster to fight or hill to climb; it is trusting that the King will carry him safely through death itself into the Celestial City. Bunyan captured something very true to Scripture here. Even those approved by faith in Hebrews 11 did not receive the full promise in their lifetime. Many died without seeing the earthly fulfillment, much less the heavenly one.

No one escapes this final test. We all die in the end. For us, the last enemy is still death.

1 Corinthians 15:26
"The last enemy that will be abolished is death."

The final stretch of our faith journey will feel the most perilous because it strips away every visible support. We are made completely vulnerable, on our last legs. No new hope. Only our faith will prevail as our body fails.

Death is not merely a biological event. In the pilgrimage of faith, it is the final stripping away of every visible human prop. Health, strength, loved ones, plans, even the ability to "do" anything more for God. All of it fades.

In those final moments, we are reduced to what Noah, Abraham, Moses, and all the Hebrews 11 saints ultimately relied upon; naked faith in the God who promised to never leave us orphaned. No new evidence. No fresh signs. Only the Word we have already believed.

But death is the last enemy, not the ultimate one. It has already been defeated at the cross and empty tomb.

That river crossing?

Think about what it means.

It means there's an other side to it. A far off riverbank. And we knew this because Jesus told us it was so. The River has a far shore because Christ has gone before us and conquered it.

Why this matters so much for us?

Because it guards us from a false "arrival" mentality. We can be tempted to think that enough faithful service, enough Kairos weekends, enough family leadership, enough devotional discipline means we’ve "made it" and the rest will be smooth.

This is why the author of Hebrews immediately follows the faith chapter with the great "therefore" of chapter 12.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."
(Hebrews 12:1-2)

Even the greatest super-saints of the Bible, and the so-called "fathers of our faith" had moments of fear and doubt.

Noah got drunk after the flood.

Abraham lied about Sarah (twice).

Moses murdered an Egyptian and later struck the rock in anger.

David, the man after God’s own heart, fell into adultery and murder.

Elijah ran in fear and asked to die.

What saved them all was not their perfect track record, but the object of their faith.

It wasn't their devotion. Wasn't their church attendance. Wasn't their religious acumen and theology. Wasn't anything built by human hands. The only hands that had anything at all to do with their outcomes were pierced by a Roman nail.

They all had to finish their race by passing through that river of death. Even Jesus did that.

That’s the great reversal. We do not climb into heaven on the ladder of our own religious performance. We are carried by the One whose hands were nailed to the cross for our failures and whose resurrection guarantees our safe passage through that final river.

We don’t have to be the perfect ark-builder. We simply have to keep believing the One who said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

Amen? 🙏🏼

Hebrews 10:10
"By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time."

There are many things we believe in but have not seen. We believe wind exists because we can feel it on our skin, and witness its effect on our surroundings. Wind stirs the dust of the earth, the leafs of a tree, and the mosquito is thankfully blown away by it. Likewise we feel the sun's warmth but cannot see its invisible light waves. And we cannot see the dangers of the absence of breathable air under the water, but we know that we cannot breathe there.

All of these things point us to something even greater; the finished work of Christ. The unseen substance of our faith.

In our scripture passage today it reads...

"By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"This will"?

What will?

In the context of the chapter it's God's will that the writer of Hebrews speaks to. His will revealed to us in the same way that we understand the wind, the sun's unseen waves, and the deadly airless water. Revealed to us by the simple fact that the ritualistic religious seasons and acts cannot provide a sustainable salvation from sin. God’s will is revealed to us not by the direct sight of the material sacrifice, but by the unmistakable evidence that the old religious system could never deliver what it promised.

And so God begot a visible sign and perfect sacrifice to substitute the sacrifices that were but shadows (repeated year after year because they could never take away sins or perfect the worshipper). And what God did was to create a New Covenant of faith that would sustain and secure the sacrifice once-and-for-all.

The visible sign is the incarnate Son; fully God, and fully man. Whose visible bodily sacrifice on the cross was the substance that cast the old shadows. Now, there is no more repetition. No more annual reminder of guilt. The New Covenant of faith rests entirely on what Christ has already accomplished.

Every day I see God. I witness His creation and order. I come to know His "will" in these things. What we see all around us (trees, boulders, rivers, the very ground we landscape) was all spoken into existence by the unseen God. Nothing visible was made from pre-existing visible material. It was created (ex nihilo) out of nothing by His powerful word. In my job I handle the very evidence of His creative word.

Hebrews 11:3
"By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible."

In a "one and done" manner He created all that we see, feel, smell, taste and hear. God didn’t tinker around with it over millions of years or revise the creation slowly evolving into what we know today.

He spoke, and it was.

"Let there be light"

And there was light.

"Let the earth bring forth…"

And it did, and does.

One command, and the entire visible universe sprang into ordered beauty. By His Will He spoke it all into existence and called it all "good".

It's a beautiful parallel. Just as the God who spoke creation into being did it once; decisively, perfectly, with no need for repetition. So to the same God accomplished our redemption in Jesus Christ once for all. The same authoritative word that said "Let there be light" and called creation "good" has declared our sanctification complete in Christ.

The deal is done.

Nothing more need be said about that except that this is where many cannot track. Many cannot accept that simplicity. Many want to develop it, build it out, and complicate things.

Why?

The original sin.

Pride and self-righteousness. Unbelief and fear.

For these reasons many prefer the treadmill they know to the rest Christ offers.

All I can say is, the same authoritative word that created the world is the same word that says, "Your sins I will remember no more."

The deal is done.

Now walk in it.

Amen. 🙏🏼

Hebrews 9:16-17
"For where there is a [testament] covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives."

Imagine someone prepares a last will and testament; that covenant is not activated until death occurs. Just as no inheritance is distributed and no will takes effect while the testator is still alive, so the full blessings and promises of a covenant require the death of the one initiating it.

In the case of the New Testament it's a legal principle inaugurated by Christ. The will has zero legal power while he is still breathing.

This is what Jesus was alluding to in the upper room:

John 16:7
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

Jesus is explaining why He "had to go." His physical departure (through death, resurrection, and ascension) was necessary so the Holy Spirit could come and apply the full benefits of the new covenant.

Why do you suppose that is?

Was God limited somehow in His reach and power by a legal obligation?

No, the sovereign, omnipotent God of the universe is not bound by anything outside Himself. Everything unfolds according to His own eternal counsel and good pleasure (Ephesians 1:11). The necessity of it isn't a restriction but a wise and righteous order He Himself established for how He relates to humanity in covenant.

Jesus’ physical departure was essential for at least these interconnected reasons:

1. While Jesus was physically present on earth, He was still operating within the framework of the old covenant shadows in many ways. I think this point alone explains a lot of what the Jews had against him. In their minds the Messiah was not limited to the Old Testament system. In their thinking He should have ushered in a new era. Which He did. But not in the manner they expected. They weren't expecting his death. Even though the prophets clearly laid out the sacrifice of Himself He would necessarily be willing to make.

The Jewish leaders and crowds were steeped in the Old Covenant system. They were looking for a new era, but one that looked like David’s golden age on steroids, not the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. But He did it in the exact way the prophets foretold, which clashed violently with their expectations.

Only then could the full blessings; forgiveness written on the heart, direct access to the Father, and the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, be distributed to all who believe. This wasn’t God being "stuck" by a rule. It was the costly, loving way He chose to uphold both perfect justice (all sin must be punished) and perfect mercy (all sinners can be forgiven and adopted).

2. The Shift from "With Us" to "In Us"

What changed between the Old and New Covenants was a new reality in which temple the Lord dwelled in. Jesus again alludes to this in John chapter 4. He speaks to this new reality about the new covenant promise, that God’s Spirit would dwell inside His people permanently. Jesus, as the God-man in a localized body, could only be in one place at one time. When He ascended, He sent the Spirit who could be poured out on all flesh (Acts 2). Jew and Gentile, near and far, in prisons and in homes. For this reason Jesus told the disciples it was to their advantage that He go away (John 16:7).

When Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well, He directly addresses the old-covenant temple mindset:

"Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…" (John 4:21, 23)

The Shekinah glory cloud, the Holy of Holies, the annual Day of Atonement; all of it was "with them" but not yet "in them" in the full, permanent sense.

Jesus, while he walked the earth as the incarnate God/man was "with them". Jesus Himself was the true Temple.

John 2:19-21
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"

While He walked the earth, the presence of God was localized in His body. But that was preparatory. His death would tear the veil, and His ascension would release the Holy Spirit so that every believer becomes a temple of the living God (Ephesians 2:19-22). Just as the prophets said.

Jeremiah 31:33
"I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it."

Ezekiel 36:26-27
"I will give you a new heart...I will put My Spirit within you…"

Jesus’ localized presence meant the blessings were limited in scope during His earthly ministry. The Spirit came upon His people for very specific tasks under the old system, but the New permanent, universal indwelling awaited His cross and His empty tomb.

3. God Established a Pattern of Death Leading to Life

This mirrors the grain of wheat principle (John 12:24). The Son must die so that many sons could be brought to glory (Hebrews 2:10). God designed redemption this way so that His glory shines brightest through the cross; not through raw power alone, but through sacrificial love that satisfies every righteous demand. The cross wasn’t optional or secondary. It was the divinely ordained ratification. Nothing forced His hand. God wasn't taken by surprise. Rather, the triune God (Eternal Father sending, Eternal Word/Son obeying, Eternal Spirit applying the Holy ordinance) planned this from before the foundation of the world so that we could enjoy intimate fellowship with Him.

Short but sweet; Jesus had to go through the cross so the Holy Spirit could come live inside you. It's that simple. The same power that raised Him is now at work in you; not because God was limited, but because this is how He chose to make you a new creation.

The New Covenant is a new pattern for redemption. We die to self so Christ can live through us. We surrender control, so the new-covenant life can flow through us. And like it or not, old systems must be put to death as well. We can't keep the shadows hanging around polluting everything.

The old shadows had their purpose; they pointed forward, but once the reality has come in Christ, clinging to them pollutes and hinders fruit production. The repeated sacrifices, the external rituals, the reliance on temple or human mediators, had to be laid in the grave with Christ. Trying to keep them alive after the cross is like dragging a corpse around; it only brings decay and bondage.

From now on, until the resurrection of the dead, we are to set our minds on things above, where Christ is, and put to death what is earthly. The Holy Spirit was poured out on all who believe. That is the remission of sin, the assurance, fellowship in the new and living way.

But you've got to hold on to it. The assurance is sealed. The new and living way is open. But resist the temptation to cling to the traditional identities. It’s like trying to live in the blueprint after the house has already been built.

Don’t drift. Don’t shrink back. Don’t go back to the shadows that have been put to death. Hold fast to the confession, to the hope, to the promises secured by Christ’s blood.

Hebrews 10:23
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

Don’t drift back to performance-based identities, cultural Christianity, self-reliant "good guy" religion, or any system that diminishes the sufficiency of Christ’s once-for-all work. We now have (In Christ) a new pattern. You are forgiven, a new creation, and indwelt by the Spirit.

Hold on to that.

Act justly by refusing the old shadows. Love mercy by extending new-covenant hope to others. Walk humbly with your God by clinging daily to the blood-bought promises. Don't miss out on the full relationship because you couldn't put away the familiar, comfortable, old promises.

Hold fast.

Amen 🙏🏼