Awaken Church turns 3!

TODAY, September 19, 2012, Awaken Church officially turns 3 years old! We’re celebrating it this weekend as a church, but today is the actual day. It’s been amazing to see God build His church over the last few years from our first park outreach when 2 families showed up to last Sunday, with 3 services with over 200 total adults and over 130 kids!

We opened our doors on a rainy Saturday evening at our first building  (that we would soon lose in the flood) with 44 adults in attendance (many were friends from out of town). I taught a message from Romans 13:11 called “Are You Awake?” and I got to lead the first person to faith in Jesus Christ, Stacy Senn! Years of prayer and planning had finally culminated to bring us to that service, and it was an amazing night.

As if planting a church wasn’t crazy enough on its own, my wife (our worship leader) was 8 1/2 months pregnant. She was amazing then and she’s still amazing now!

Our first 3 years were amazing. We watched God do the miraculous, change lives, bring us through a flood, and so much more. Although they were incredible, buckle up, Awaken, we’re just getting warmed up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AWAKEN CHURCH! God is good, and He’s on the move.

A Common Theme

Last Sunday was week #21 of our study through the book of Revelation called The Reckoning. Almost every Sunday since February 19, we’ve been in the book of Revelation, and we’re loving it! There are many great things about expositional, verse-by-verse teaching, but one of my favorites is the variety of topics I end up teaching on. Expositional teaching forces me to teach things that I might naturally want to skip over.

Case in point: a message I called “Under the Knife” from Joshua 5, where Joshua circumcised a bunch of guys on a hill that became known as “the hill of the foreskins.” Yeah. You read that right. Imagine showing up to a church for the first time and repeatedly hearing about foreskins and circumcision!

Last Sunday, I taught on the Antichrist and his Satanic worldwide domination at the end of the world. Not exactly an easy text, or one that’s filled with tons of uplifting, encouraging verses.

Before we started Revelation, I spent 2 weeks doing an overview of the entire Bible – a series I called “The Book.” It was so fun and a great review for everyone before we dove into the final book of the Bible. Week 1 was on the Old Testament, and week 2 was on the New Testament.

One thing that all 3 of those messages had in common (among a few things) was that God used all of them to bring people to repentance and make public professions of faith!

Only God could use a review of 39 Old Testament books, a message about foreskins and circumcision, and a message about Satanic world domination through the Antichrist to bring new life in Jesus! Of course those are just 3 of many messages that God has used that way at Awaken, but those are a few of the most memorable ones.

Here’s the point: I make a concerted effort, every time we gather, to always take it back to the common theme of Scripture (and Awaken Church): the cross of Jesus Christ. Like Paul said…

1 Corinthians 2:2 - For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

When Paul left a city, church, or group of people, he wasn’t content with knowing that they thought he was a good speaker or that he had persuaded them into a new line of thinking. He had a special gift and made a conscious effort to take every conversation, topic, and witnessing opportunity back to the common theme of the cross. He lived for that. He would do anything necessary and make any sacrifice he needed to when it came to the Gospel. He wasn’t about winning arguments or debates; he was all about winning souls.

That’s what I want my ministry and life to be focused on as well. Whether I’m teaching about circumcision, Satanic domination, the Old Testament, or any other topic, when people come to Awaken, I want them to know this: they WILL hear about their need to be saved and Jesus’ ability and desire to save them. In other words, they WILL hear the Gospel. I refuse to waste an opportunity.

As Christians, we carry the name “Christ” within the title of our beliefs. Our lives should also be lived with a common theme in mind: pointing people to the cross!

Same message, different chapter

Have you ever had a friend that seemed stuck on the same topic whenever you got together? Somehow, he was able to steer almost every conversation back to that one topic. For some, it’s a skill, for others, it’s a rut. For me, I like to call it focus.

Every Sunday, I have one goal: to preach Christ and Him crucified. Those are the words of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth:

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2

His idea was simple. He didn’t want to show up and try to argue people into heaven. After all, if I can argue someone in, someone else much more eloquent than I can argue them out! He didn’t want people’s faith to rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. So, although he addressed many different topics – some encouraging and some very confrontational – he always took it back to the cross.

At Awaken, I mainly teach expositionally – verse by verse through a book of the Bible.  But God’s Word has a way of constantly realigning itself with the cross. That would make sense since the cross of Jesus Christ is the central need of all mankind!

I’m not just preaching to non-believers when I preach about the cross, though. The cross is a vital message for me to hear daily too. I can never get enough of the fact that Jesus took my place and paid the price for my sin! Amazing!

Many people at Awaken take risks each week to invite friends to join them for church. I want Awaken to know that their risk is worth it. I can’t promise how people will respond to the Gospel – that’s not my job. However, I can promise that they’ll hear the Gospel. What they decide to do with it is between them and the Lord!

The Terrible Twos

As of today, Awaken Church is officially 2 years old!

A lot has happened in the last 2 years since we opened our doors on September 19, 2009.

On Sunday, we celebrated the great things that God has done by taking a look back, but also by casting the vision for what’s next (If you want to watch or listen to the message, click HERE). Here’s a quick summary of our vision for what’s next…

Awaken Church will aggressively and unapologetically reach out to a lost and dying generation with the hope of Jesus Christ.

Everything we do stems from that statement. We’ll do things differently; we’ll do them with excellence; and we’ll do them to glorify the name of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate the 2-year mark, I’m praying that Satan sees it as Awaken’s “terrible twos.” We want to make destructive & devastating blows to his kingdom as we aggressively pursue this generation with the Gospel! This year holds big things for Awaken, and I’m praying it’s the worst one yet for the enemy!

Over the last few weeks, I’ve asked the Awaken Staff to collect numbers and statistics that represent some of the things God has done in their part of the church. It’s a tangible way to get a small glimpse on the huge impact God is using us for. However, I didn’t want to just read off a list of stats – I wanted people to be able to visualize it. So, thanks to my friend and fellow graphic designer, Khanh Dang, from New Mexico, we handed out these infographics with each bulletin on Sunday. They represent some of what God has done, but pay attention to the bottom line…

Since we gathered these stats at the beginning of the month, some of them have already changed.

>>> 32 professions of faith should actually be 33!

>>> 13 baptisms is actually now 25!

We also didn’t have room for everything, so here are a few noteworthy stats that didn’t make the cut…

>>> 450 cups of coffee in the last 2 months (hence the need to sell some sweet coffee mugs)

>>> 70+ volunteers serving regularly (that’s about 45% of our current church attendance!)

>>> giving has increased about 300% since our first month as a church (let’s keep that number going: give online here)

>>> 90 people involved in Awaken Groups (including leaders, hosts, adults & students) – that’s 60% of our church involved in weekly Christ-centered community throughout the city! 

Compromise elsewhere?

You may have seen this commercial for Boar’s Head turkey lunch meat…

Did you catch the last line of the commercial? “Boar’s Head Oven Gold Turkey: Compromise Elsewhere.“

It is a funny commercial, and they certainly have a point – nobody wants to eat turkey meat with fat and seaweed extract in it. The irony, however,  is that we live in a culture where a commercial promoting uncompromising purity in lunch meat may air right before a commercial for Desperate Housewives or on the same channel as a company promoting pornography.

Although Boar’s Head didn’t set out to encourage infidelity in marriage, the commercial highlights our misaligned priorities.

Where along the way did we begin to think that it’s ok to compromise in marriage and sexual morality, but not when it comes to lunch meat? I’d say if we needed to pick an area of compromise, it would obviously be the lunch meat (although I’m not recommending seaweed turkey).

In the last week at Awaken Church, the topic of spiritual battles and Satan’s clever schemes has come up a lot. Whether it’s through his lies and trickery (Joshua 9) or his constant bombardment of temptation through any means possible (James 1:12-18), Satan is on the prowl, and we need to be prepared.

If a faithful walk with Christ had a slogan, it could be summed up well by saying, “Compromise NOWHERE.”

Remember this: The best possible life you can live is a life of complete surrender to Jesus Christ.

Compromise and complacency always lead to regret and guilt. As Warren Wiersbe put it, “Satan never gives any gifts, because you end up paying for them dearly.”

If there’s an issue that is causing compromise in your life, TODAY is the day to deal with it. Don’t let it go on a day longer. God has provided a way of escape from every temptation and right now is the time to say, “NO!”

Compromise NOWHERE.

Jesus uses QR codes

About a month ago, we added these small QR code cards to our repertoire of cards at Awaken. They’re specifically designed to target the smartphone crowd and I purposely left them ambiguous in order to pique someone’s interest. The QR code leads smartphone browsers to a mobile web page (if you have a QR reader, scan the code to the left) with a video, links to our social media, a map, service times, and church phone number. It’s real basic. I hoped someone would pick one up, and be intrigued enough to scan the code and learn more about the church.

Rewind back to last Sunday at Awaken…

At the 11am service, there were plenty of new faces, but 2 of the ladies, Jessica & Beth, who came for the first time walked in right as we were starting. As I preached later on, I had this crazy feeling that much of what I was saying that morning was meant for them (although I hadn’t even met them yet). At the end of the message, I prayed and gave an invitation for people to give their lives to Jesus. I was amazed when they both raised their hands, then came forward to pray to receive Christ!

We prayed as a church for them, then they went to the back room with Nate for a few minutes where he gave them some new believer resources and prayed for them as well. As they walked out, I went back to meet them, and like I often do, I asked how they heard about the church. This is another part that amazed me…

Jessica told me that she and Beth had gone to rent a movie at Red Box a few days prior. Someone from Awaken had apparently left one of the QR cards on the Red Box and Jessica picked it up. She had just gotten a new Droid smartphone and knew she could scan the QR code, so she pulled out her phone. (She has recently been diagnosed with MS and it’s been very challenging for her. She’s suffered from a lot of fatigue and has been falling asleep often.) As she scanned the QR code, the first thing that popped up was “AWAKEN” and the words “IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP.” Considering her recently diagnosed disease and constant fatigue, she was blown away, and turned to her friend Beth and said, “We need to check this out. We need to stop renting movies and go to church!”

So, the very next Sunday, they brought all 6 of their kids, and joined us for church. Jesus met them there in that moment and they both came forward, in tears, to commit their lives to Jesus Christ!

As I talked to Beth she said, “We both had put our trust in men, but it was the wrong Man. Now we know.”

In case you’re wondering “QR” Code stands for Quick Response Code. Jessica & Beth’s story puts a whole new spin on “Quick Response,” doesn’t it?

If your church has flyers, business cards, postcards, or something to hand out or leave behind at a restaurant, Red Box, gas station, or wherever, don’t overlook the power of how God can use that in someone’s life. Also don’t overlook the power of a personal invite. Be bold. Speak up. Tell someone about what God is doing in your life – you might be surprised at how God uses your story!

Bible In 90 Days 66: REVELATION

This is it. The last book of the Bible, the last “Bible In 90 Days” blog, and the last of God’s words in Scripture.

Writing a blog about Revelation is a bit intimidating. Although I feel that I have a better understanding of Revelation than Quantum Physics or catalytic converters, there are plenty of mysteries that remain in the book. I’ve read the book many times, I’ve even taught through the whole thing over a period of a year (and I plan to again in the future), and yet, there are still things that I don’t fully understand in the book…but I like serving a God that I don’t fully get.

Think about it – what if we could fully understand God and everything He does? He wouldn’t seem that great anymore, would He? What if instead of saying, “My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9), He said, “You and I are pretty much equals.” Bummer. One thing I love about God are His unsearchable, unfathomable, uncontainable ways. Revelation displays that in a way that no other Bible book captures.

Remember that the book is called “Revelation” (singular). It’s not “Revelations.” Although the book reveals many things, it’s primary goal is to reveal ONE Person: Jesus Christ. He begins the book, ends the book, and saturates all the pages in between. He is the One who died but is alive forevermore, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, the faithful and true conqueror, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He. Is. It.

This blog is not intended to be a commentary on the book, but more of an overview. For a more in-depth study of the book, I’ve included some resources at the end of this blog post…

Revelation was written by the Apostle John – the same one who wrote the gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, and3 John. This book, however, is far different. It was the latest book of the Bible to be written and it serves as a fitting cap to the rest of Scripture as we anticipate the events that are still to come.

We learn from the very first chapter that John wrote the book while in exile on the island of Patmos. He had been exiled there for preaching the Gospel. Tradition says that he was thrown in a pot of boiling oil as a punishment, but he didn’t die. So, off to Patmos he went! Thank God for keeping him alive long enough to arrive in Patmos. He was very old by the time he arrived, and Patmos was a very lonely place. However, God often speaks the clearest when all the other distractions have been driven away. Don’t despise your Patmos. It may be lonely, but God has something unique to speak to you that you may not be able to hear anywhere else!

The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible that has this promise attached to it…

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3 NKJV

It’s not that you won’t be blessed by reading the other 65 books of the Bible, but Jesus sets this one apart as unique. It’s a challenging read, but dive in and live it out – you’re guaranteed to be blessed!

Although teaching the book provides many challenges, Jesus at least helped by outlining the book for us…

“Write the things which you have seen (Chapter. 1), and the things which are (Chapters 2-3), and the things which will take place after this (Chapters 4-22).” – Revelation 1:19 NKJV

John begins with the vision of Jesus that he was witnessing, then continues with 7 short letters to 7 churches that existed at that time, then continues with what is yet to come.

Throughout the book, John writes in colorful, vivid, poetic language. He describes rainbows of color, a city built with precious stones, a sea of glass, innumerable amounts of voices worshipping together, as well as bloodshed, never-before-seen carnage and judgment, and much more. Although much of Revelation is figurative and symbolic, there are also some things that are very specific: 3 1/2 days, 42 months, a time and times and half a time, a thousand years, and more. Because of the repetition and precision of these numbers, we know God is spelling out exact days and times of these events. We love to think we know how it will all end one day, but God is the One who really knows how and when it will end.

One thing that stands out to me in the middle of the book is God’s continued love and mercy that He gives to people who obviously don’t deserve it. Think about the great effort He has gone to in order to reach every person with the Gospel. Creation alone speaks of His existence, plus He sent prophets, angels, symbols, His only Son, and His Word. If all of that wasn’t enough, He deploys an army of 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 7, 2 more powerful, miracle-working witnesses in Revelation 11, and then, as a last resort, He sends an angel flying through the sky proclaiming the Gospel in every language (Revelation 14). By the time judgment rolls around, no one has any excuse. Every person standing before Jesus on judgment day has hardened their hearts and chosen to reject Christ.

Although we rejoice in the victory that is guaranteed to those of us who follow Christ, we’re saddened by the end of Revelation 20. In my opinion, Revelation 20:15 is the saddest verse in the entire Bible…

“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15 NKJV

God had better plans for these people. Hell wasn’t created for them. However, if these people purposely rejected Christ, why would He force them to spend eternity with Him? Instead, they’re given what they deserve and what many of them say they want (although they will disagree): HELL for all of eternity. Devastating.

Revelation 20:15 puts fire in my preaching. Although on that day, there will be people standing there that I know from my time on Earth, I don’t want them to be there because I didn’t love them enough to share the truth of the Gospel with them. God is holy and His holiness demands judgment.

Although Revelation 20 is devastating, Revelation 21 is on the other end of the spectrum – everything is made new!

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3 NKJV

It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. The streets of gold are great, the walls made of precious gemstones are awesome, 12 gates made of pearls are beautiful, but here’s the best thing about heaven…

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” – Revelation 21:3

We will dwell with Jesus forever!

Have you ever thought about “forever”? Just try to imagine something never ending. Ever. It’s a crazy thought. Just like the lyrics of “Amazing Grace” say: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years / Bright shining as the sun / We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise / Than when we first begun.” After 10,000 years, we’ll still have the desire, ability, and time to continue worshipping! AMAZING!

Forever: it’s an incredibly long time to worship and an incredibly long time to be wrong! Make sure that you know Jesus. Don’t be one of the people that Revelation 20:15 speaks of.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the Bible as much as I have. It’s been amazing and life-changing. Blogging through each book of the Bible has proven to be a greater challenge than I anticipated, but it’s been far more rewarding as well! I hope that these blogs and your personal time in God’s Word have caused you to have a greater hunger to draw closer to the God of the Bible. He’s real. He’s unfathomable. He’s in love with you!

Revelation Resources…

One of the best messages I’ve ever heard on the book of Revelation is by John MacArthur. It’s called A Jet Tour Through Revelation. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to it. It’s an hour that you will not regret!

You can also listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of an overview of Revelation taught by my pastor, Skip Heitzig. Also amazing.

If you’re looking for a basic commentary on Revelation, Skip Heitzig also just published a book last month called You Can Understand the Book of Revelation. You can purchase it online HERE if you’re interested.

Bible In 90 Days 63: 2 JOHN

Considering that 2 John is only 13 verses long, you probably thought this blog would only be a few sentences. You were wrong. Although it’s a very short letter, it’s jammed with tons of great truth. I like to think of it like a cream-filled donut. It may look a little bland from the outside, but once you bite in, you realize it’s filled with creamy goodness. In the case of 2 John, it’s not creamy goodness, but Christ-y goodness…

By the number of verses, 2 John is the shortest book in the Bible, but by number of words, 3 John has it beat.

2 John was written by John to a lady within a young, Christian church. It’s valuable to us today because it gives us a little peek into early churches – their structure and their struggles.

One main challenge that every church faces today is unity and love for one another. If churches that existed within 60 years of Jesus’ ministry struggled with it, it would make sense that we’d struggle with it today.

That’s one of John’s main reasons for writing…

“And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” – 2 John 5 ESV

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

That’s easy to do with people you agree with and see eye-to-eye with, but what about the others? What about the people who just seem to rub you the wrong way? What about those who seem condescending or constantly critical? Should we love them too?

The answer is of course, YES!

Jesus talked often about the importance of loving each other.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35 NKJV

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” – John 17:20-21 NKJV

It’s easy to blow past the importance of Jesus’ prayer in John 17. He’s praying for us, first of all (“those who will believe in Me…”), so that’s huge right there! He goes on to say that unity within the body of Christ and love for each other is so vital that it will prove Jesus’ identity to the world!

The world is full of personal grudges, selfishness, and people out for their own agendas. The church MUST be different.

Not only should we guard against division, but also false teaching. Peter talked a lot about that in 2 Peter, but here John points out that “many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 7 NKJV).

Whenever you encounter someone of a different belief, the first question to ask is “what do they think of Jesus?” Many cults and religions sound innocent at first, but once they deny Jesus’ incarnation (like what John addressed here), or begin saying other weird, non-Biblical things about Him, that’s where you have to draw the line. Those teachings are dangerous and must not be allowed in the church.

If you’re a Christian, I assume you attend a church. If not, start there. You NEED the Church and the Church needs you! When you’re part of a church, guard against division and false teaching. Satan uses those often to destroy. Don’t let him!

Bible In 90 Days 58: HEBREWS

Today is day 88 in our journey through the Bible in 90 days.

Do you remember the days of show & tell? You brought in your favorite toy/pet/food to show your class and reveal your awesomeness for owning that thing. In a way, the book of Hebrews is like show & tell with Jesus. It displays how much better He is than the Old Testament system, priests, and sacrifices.

Hebrews is a daunting book to read, but especially to recap. There is so much to be said that it’s impossible to do it justice, but here’s one of the main themes… JESUS IS BETTER.

He’s better than the angels (1:4);

He’s better than Moses (3:3);

He’s better than every high priest (5:1-3, 7:27);

He has a better covenant (7:22, 8:6, 8:13);

His Tabernacle and offerings are better (9:1-14);

and He made a better sacrifice (10:1-4).

Hebrews reveals that the Old Testament system, although functional in its day, has now been superseded by the One who it was all pointing to in the first place: JESUS!

In other words, if the Old Testament was a rotary dial phone, Jesus is an iPhone. (Of course we know He’s cooler than that, but you get the idea.)

Using the Old Testament and its worship systems as a background, the author of Hebrews paints a picture of Jesus as the Great High Priest who is better than all those who came before Him.

But it doesn’t stop at just lifting up Jesus, it does what any Bible book should do and it points to the response we should have in light of how great Jesus is. For instance, Hebrews 4 says that since our High Priest is Jesus, we should “hold fast our confession” (cling to our faith in Him) and approach Him with confidence. Hebrews 10 echoes some of the same thoughts…

“and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:21-23

Continuing with that theme of faith-filled living, the author dives into numerous Old Testament example of faith in Hebrews 11. Many people call this chapter “The Hall of Faith” because it’s such an amazing display of men and women who did amazing things “by faith.”

They all set an example for us because they were ordinary people who God used to do extraordinary things. They weren’t superhuman by any means – they sinned, but they also loved Jesus and trusted Him to work in their lives despite their faults!

Hebrews 12 continues with what we can do since Jesus is so great. We can endure sacrifice, chastisement, and more.

Although it’s very simple, I believe this verse from the final chapter of Hebrews paints a simple, but magnificent picture of Jesus…

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8

In a world of constantly changing systems, leaders, public officials, rules, and loopholes, it’s refreshing to remember that at least one things stays constant: JESUS. He’s all we need and He’ll always be all we need.

Bible In 90 Days 42: LUKE

Today is Day 78 in our journey through the Bible in 90 days.

Have you ever read a book written by a doctor?

If you answered “no” to that question, but just finished reading the book of Luke, then you are wrong. Once you have finished the book of Luke, you’ve finished reading a book by a doctor. We know he’s a doctor from Colossians 4, where Paul calls him “the beloved physician.”

Luke also wrote the book of Acts. Both were written to a friend of his named Theophilus. We don’t know much about Theophilus, but I for one am thankful for him since he let us eavesdrop in on his letters from Dr. Luke.

Side note: if you combine the books of Luke and Acts, they contain almost half of the content of the entire New Testament! Luke is also responsible for writing more of the New Testament than any other author! If you felt like Luke took a long time to read, there’s a reason – it did! The rest will go by much faster.

Luke spells out his reason for writing his book from the very beginning…

“it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” – Luke 1:3-4

Just by reading Luke we can learn a lot about the author. He obviously was very detailed and meticulous in his thought and writing processes. You can get a sense of that even from the fact that he started all the way at the beginning with the announcement that Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, would be born. He then records the announcement of Jesus’ birth, and even gives us the only account of Jesus as a teenager in Luke 2. He’s very thorough, just like most doctors are.

The amazing thing about the Gospels is that, even though they’re each written about the same Man, they each provide a different viewpoint on Him and His story. It’s as though Luke is the third “camera angle” in the movie – providing a unique point of view that we don’t see with the other three.

The book of Luke is heavy on the themes of faith and grace. He loved to paint pictures of how God blessed men and women of faith and forgave by His grace. After all, as Jesus pointed out…

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10

That verse is key to understanding another main theme of Luke, which is showing Jesus as the Son of man. As I said earlier, Luke includes a lot of information about His birth, childhood, and even teenage years that are exclusive to this book. He even highlights His human feelings, His prayers, and even some of the people He knew socially.

In the very last chapter, Jesus is also called “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” – Luke 24:19

That verse is proved throughout the book in that He is identified through His powerful, authoritative teaching as well as His miracles and forgiveness.

Luke 22-23 are the darkest chapters of the book, as the Satanic plot to overthrow God’s Son begins to quickly unfold. Those 2 chapters cover “passion week,” where Jesus was preparing to suffer and eventually suffering to the point of death.

Thankfully Luke doesn’t end with Luke 23! One of the last things he says in Chapter 23 is “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” – Luke 23:43

What a word of hope for not only the thief on the cross, but also to us! Jesus wasn’t dead and gone…He had after-death plans. Although the cross was a horribly tragic scene, Jesus had an after-party planned of epic proportions! It would change eternity! That is, of course, where the beautiful words of the angel come to the women at the tomb, saying…

“He is not here, but has risen.” – Luke 24:6

Those words provide the hope we need to keep pressing on. Since Jesus is alive, so is our hope, future, forgiveness, and eternity!

Luke gave a powerful presentation of the Man Jesus Christ in a way that no one else did. As you think about Jesus as a man, remember the words of Hebrews 4:15-16…

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

He knows what we’re going through because He was one of us! God put skin on! The Creator became a creation by stepping out of the glory of heaven and descending to the suffering  of earth. Now, when we pray, instead of God saying, “It looks hard down there,” He can say, “I know. I’ve been there, and I’m still with you!” What a comfort that is!