The Main Thing

October 29

(Luke 24:46-47 NIV) ““He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, {47} and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.””

(Mark 16:15-16 NIV) ““He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. {16} Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.””

(Acts 2:38-40 NIV) ““Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. {39} The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." {40} With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.””

Preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins is out of fashion among many well-read and enlightened Christians today. “Social Justice” and “Kingdom Living” dominate the agenda in many a church, and while these should be part of a complete discipleship package, we should never forget the main thing. The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing! Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could live better and be more compassionate. He would have us grow into those things, but Christ came to die for the sins of the world. He came to save us, and the road to salvation runs through repentance. Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead so that repentance and forgiveness of sins could be preached in all nations. He wants everyone to repent and be saved. This was Christ’s main thing. It was also the early church’s main thing. And it ought to be our main thing. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Open Minds

October 28

(Luke 24:45 NIV) “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

(John 20:22 NIV) ““And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.””

(1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV) “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The disciples spent three years walking with God Himself, but still struggled to understand the Scriptures. They seemed unable to grasp the “big picture” regarding Christ’s death and resurrection. But then, in a continuing display of grace, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon them and their minds were opened. Sometimes we forget that without divine help from the Spirit of God, we have little hope of grasping the things of the Lord. We may trust in reason to guide us into spiritual truth, but that can actually dampen the Spirit’s voice. We can read books and attend seminars, but if God’s Spirit is not active in our lives, translating God’s truth, we will fail at really understanding the Scriptures. We may appear sophisticated on the surface, but deep in our souls we will still be wandering and wondering. Like salvation, spiritual understanding is a gift from God. Pray for the Spirit to open your mind. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Everything Must Be Fulfilled

October 27

(Luke 24:44 NIV) ““He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.””

(Luke 24:27 NIV) “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

(Luke 18:31 NIV) ““Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.””

(Matthew 5:17 NIV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

(John 1:45 NIV) ““Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.””

Jesus told His disciples that everything written about Him in the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. When He spoke of the Scriptures, Jesus was speaking about the Old Testament. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms speak of a coming Messiah who would be a King and who would set Israel free -- a Messiah who would suffer and die for His people. Before His death, Jesus told His disciples that he was that Messiah. After His resurrection, He took them back to the Old Testament and explained it to them again. To those who would disconnect Christianity from the Old Testament, Jesus would say, “But that was my Bible. It is God’s word. It speaks of me. It is the Scripture that I came to fulfill. Don’t marginalize it! Embrace it, study it, and love it, along with the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament. It all contains my word to you.” -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

His Hands and Feet

October 26

(Luke 24:39-40 NIV) ““Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." {40} When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.””

(Psalms 22:16 NIV) "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet."

(Isaiah 53:5 NIV) "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

(Zechariah 12:10 NIV) "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

(Revelation 1:7 NIV) "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."

After Jesus rose from the dead, His body looked familiar, but it was also different. More than once, the disciples had trouble recognizing Him. Perhaps it was just their amazement and doubt, but it is also apparent that glory had somehow changed Christ’s appearance. His body had been transformed. On more than one occasion, Jesus referred to His hands and feet to confirm His identify. They had been pierced for our transgressions by evil men, and He bore the marks. He still bears those marks, and a day is coming when we will all look upon the One whom our sins have pierced. When Christ comes on the clouds to judge the world, every eye will see His hands and feet. Some will rejoice and some will mourn. Which group will you be in? Look at Him now! Believe now! And you will be among those who rejoice. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day