Glory Cloud: What's next...

For those of you who haven't seen the video clip of the glory cloud that appeared at a meeting at Bethel Church a few weeks back, click on the link below:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts0Kz43Ewlc


It's humorous to me that the many critics that would normally criticize this as a hoax are silent. How can you argue actual video footage? That was captured by about 50 smart phones??? 


The truth that grips my heart is that there is much available to believers in Christ. God is waiting to display Himself to the world in weird, funky and mind-boggling ways that will have everyone sit back and say 'Well, we never saw that one coming!' Reports about feathers appearing, jewels and gems appearing, angelic appearances,  raining on the inside of buildings, glory clouds, cancers being healed, growths dissolving, eyes opening, ears opening and many more have been accelerating over the past 10 years. And these reports aren't coming from fruit cakes either; guys who just want their faces on TV. They are coming from groups of people who witnessed these wonders first hand.  


Christians need to remember that the supernatural life was meant to be lived naturally. I believe that we can fully expect to work with angels and some times see them. We can expect to see the gold dust appearing, feathers falling and bodies being healed when we pray. Who said the present normal is actually normal? I believe that we're actually living below the normal line. What we call normal Christianity is a water-down excuse of a religion that rarely displays any demonstration of His Kingdom. The key to remember though in all of these signs and wonders is that WE don't turn it on or off. HE DOES. The moment Christians feel the pressure to pull a cat out of a hat in order to justify their faith before others; they've tread on unhealthy ground. However, Christians can wake up in the morning like an adventurer who's getting ready to discover new land! We can live in expectation to what Jesus will do in our lives when go about living in the assurance of the finished work of Christ and through me HE can do all things - including make signs that make us all wonder.


Living in the love of mystery is one of the foundations of experiencing the supernatural of His Kingdom.


He has called us all to be signs and wonders in this day and age; to all who meet us and know us. Some will be 'Machine Gun Preachers' (Youtube the movie trailer starring Gerard Butler - true story of a guy whom God saved and used to save lives in Africa.) and some will be Ordinary Joes who see, witness and behold the extraordinary of Jesus in and through their lives!! 


I'm excited to see what He's going to do next...  

Should Sunday preaching be necessary?

There is a true story about a woman known as ‘Auntie Esther.’

She was an elderly medical doctor in Beijing, China. She was a Christian. During the Cultural Revolution years ago, she was called in by her superior at the hospital. At the time, she was in charge of eight hospital wards. The communists were cracking down on people who followed a different faith. She warned Esther to deny her faith and join the communist party or else she would face serious persecution. 

The consequences would be a job demotion and salary reduction. Esther refused. 

A few days later, she was woken up by four nurses who roughly pulled her from her bed and marched her over to the hospital. En route, they stopped off at the barber shop and shaved off her hair. At the hospital, she was confronted to deny her faith in Jesus and join the communist party. In front of her staff, she said, ‘I can’t deny Jesus. I love Jesus.’ At that point, they threw her to the ground, tore the stethoscope from her neck and shouted at her, ‘You are no longer Esther, you are now The Fool.’ 

For the next eleven years, she was made to live in the basement of the hospital. Her new job was that of cleaning the hospital floors and toilets. Her salary of 50 Yuan was reduced to 15 Yuan. With her salary she had to feed herself and buy the cleaning materials. Towards the end of life, she said, ‘When you have Jesus in your heart, it doesn’t matter what job you do or position you have. It only matters that you love him and are faithful and loyal to him.’ 

You never have to motivate anyone who's devoted.

No one has to motivate me to love my wife. 

How much of Sunday preaching is motivation to a people who lack devotion....I'm just asking??

WHAT THE FLIP??

There was once a family who experienced the most awful tragedy. A couple's son, Matthew, was involved in a fight after school with another teenage boy named Marcus. The fight turned into a blood bath when Marcus pulled a knife out and stabbed Matthew to death. He was 17. He was dead. Marcus, Matthew's murderer, an orphaned 19 year old gangster, was charged and found guilty.

Many have tried to explain the difference between mercy and grace. You can have mercy without grace, but you cannot have grace without mercy. Grace goes further than mercy ever will. If Matthew's parents decided to have mercy on their son's murderer, they would do three things. They would truly forgive him, they would drop all charges and they would allow him to go free. As a dad, I'm not even sure I could do that. I don't know if I could minister mercy to my son's murderer, let alone grace.

However, Matthew's parents made a decision to administer grace to Marcus. They made the decision to forgive him, to drop all the charges and for him to be free to go. They then adopted him as their son, gave him all of Matthew's belongings, all of Matthew's privileges, all of Matthew's possessions and treated him as their beloved son till the day they died.

  

They left Marcus the inheritance that would have gone to Matthew. From the day they decided to show grace to their son's murderer, to them, Marcus become their son and treated him and more importantly, they loved him as their only son. They decided to show him the measure of their goodness and to not treat him as his sin deserved. His actions demanded justice, except Marcus was met by the saving grace of a couple who decided to display their goodness towards him. For the rest of their days he was their son. And for the rest of his days he had something he'd never had before: loving parents who gave him the world! 

As I said, mercy would be almost impossible for me to give to someone who killed my boy. To show them grace would be out of the question. But the good news of the gospel, that is written about in the New Testament and is the foundation of the New Covenant that Jesus introduced, is that God himself has displayed towards us the immense riches of His grace. The perfect Father has forgiven us, adopted us, loved us with the same love that Jesus has and has left us an inheritance. He has given us a salvation is based on the finished work of His Son. He has given us peace with himself as a gift to all who would believe. He has saved us not because we are good, but because He is grace personified. You see, the truth is: Matthew's parents had tons of grace. Jesus is Grace.

I don’t care what you say: I am right!

There is a term that’s not too often used but practiced all the time – denominationalism. And NO, it’s not just a church thing. Although churches have split into ‘denominations’ over the past 2000 years; the term denominationalism is something practiced by almost everyone. The definition of the term goes something like this: If we agree, then we can have relationship. If we don’t agree, then we can’t be in relationship and hence, a split is formed and two denominations of people/groups are formed. Naturally, within the Christian church, many people have failed to agree on certain doctrines or beliefs and so splits occurred and different denominations were formed on the basis of people being in relationship with other people they agreed with.

This happens in friendships, businesses, companies, families, etc. Don’t fool yourself. You don’t have to be a Christian in order to practice denominationalism. Natural instinct is to hang out and share our lives with people with whom we’re in agreement with. Who wants to have a conflict of ideas? Which of us enjoy our values and beliefs challenged within our peer group? Not many.

I made friends with a guy who eventually told me in secret that he was gay. He’s had gay feelings from the time he was around 8 years old. He’s in his late thirties. He shared his story with me in one of the most open and honest ways I’ve ever experienced. He’s kissed men, he’s slept with men and he holds strongly to the belief that Jesus loves him. Really loves him.

Five years ago, my reaction would have been one of surprise, shock and avoidance. I would have smiled, left the table and really hoped I never bumped into him again while singing ‘Jesus loves me this I know’ while I climbed into my car. I would have resigned myself to the belief that because we don’t share the same values/beliefs on sexual orientation, then we cannot; we dare not hang out as I would be ‘compromising’ my own values.

I believe this is God’s idea of living: Being a people who are allowed to have a seriously different set of ideas, values and beliefs; but who are able to share their lives with each other, love each other, hang out together and not living with a secret agenda of trying to change the one another to conform to each other’s idea of what’s right.

Denomination is another word for division. Division is another word which means ‘broken relationship.’ That is so anti God it’s not funny.

It’s funny how Jesus sat at the same table and ate with hookers and thieves. He never tried to change them. He never alienated himself from them incase they’d ‘corrupt’ him. He drew them closer in fact. He healed them. He blessed them. He loved them.

I long for the day when Christ’s body will express Christ.  

God’s sex tape

I can’t remember the day but I still remember my reaction to the news that broke: Pamela Anderson’s honeymoon sex tape had been stolen from her home and was threatening to hit the public eye. Sex tape? Huh? A real person recording themselves having sex?? What for?? Its funny how, some years later, everyone in Hollywood seems to be making their private sex tapes. Twenty years ago it was considered taboo, but now it’s accepted. It’s amazing how society changes. It’s amazing how much we choose to accept.

God didn’t release a sex tape; but he did do something as raw, as naked and as shocking as any sex tapes released onto the internet. Around 1978 years ago the only God-man to ever walk this planet hung, suspended on two pieces of wood, for all the world to see. It was recorded and documented in detail. Since then the event has been shot in film, painted on canvasses and sung about in songs. The God-man hung naked, raw, bleeding….dying. No help, no assistance…purposed to die and to die painfully.

Sex, for it’s intended purpose, was the ultimate expression of love between a man and a woman in marriage. It was to be kept private and secret; only for them.

Jesus hanging on the cross….dying, was God’s ultimate expression of love between Him and us. He chose to make it as public as possible. He chose to make it as raw, as naked and as gross as possible. This love, this passion that he has for us, was never meant to be private or to be kept as a secret.

People can make endless sex tapes, a captured performance of empty passion for the camera, whereas we will always behold God’s love event full of passion and dripping with love: Jesus on the cross.     

What makes a Superhero a SUPERHERO?

Have you ever wondered why superheroes decide to become superheroes? I have. I watched the movie Kick-Ass and I as they tried to answer this question. They got it wrong. Well, in my opinion anyway. What made Clark Kent decide to be Superman? What made Bruce Wayne decide to be Batman? What made Robin decide to be Batman’s sidekick? What made Peter Parker decide to be Spiderman? Until recently, I never knew. It was only recently that I made the connection; and did you know that it’s the same reason for all of them.

Before I reveal the answer, can I ask you a question: What will it take for you to decide to be a superhero? By a superhero, I’m not insinuating we all don latex outfits and hit the streets like wild vigilantes. By superhero, I mean what will it take for you to decide to be a history maker, a world changer? I mean, realistically, we all have the capacity to change history and to leave a legacy for others to follow. We were created to change the world we live in – for real. 

The same thing that motivated all of Marvel’s superheroes to don the suits will be the same thing that motivates us to step up and be counted – death.

It was the irresponsible murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Peter Parker’s uncle, Superman’s parents and Robin’s family. It was death. They could not stand by and allow unnecessary thoughtless criminals get away with injustice. Justice had to be done! Out of that and the need for justice, superheroes were born. 

These men decided to make a difference! And they did…

The reality is that a death has happened but even more than that – a resurrection happened – that has the same motivation to make all of us passionate enough to stand up and make a difference in the world we live in and to change our history and others forever. 

When the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection grabs our hearts – we have no choice, but change grips us and it’s only a matter of time till we rise up and effect our world forever. 

My DT50...a 17 year-old's pride and joy!

I was in Grace 12. I was sleeping. I was suddenly woken by my mother shaking my arm and saying in an alarmed scream “Ross, where’s your motorbike? It’s gone. It’s GONE!!” I jumped up, ran to the window and looked outside. And it was; it was gone. My most prized possession (I was 17) had been stolen. Right outside my bedroom window it had been nabbed. What a cheek!?! I ran outside, look down the road and no sign of my DT50. I went inside and silently asked the Lord, “Okay, what now?” Gently he said “Get into the car; I’ll take you to it.” Trying to convince my mother that God was going to take us to it was another thing. We got into the car, edged to enter the road, my mother said “Okay, which way?” Directions started to drop as though my mind was receiving a download – left, left, right, left…God was literally leading us. Parked down a side street was my pride and joy. The brakes had been tightened somehow and my DT50 was very difficult to push. I eventually pushed it home that night. I fixed my brakes the next day. My bike was lost. My bike was found. The passion God has for us and the lengths he went to in order to ‘bring us home’ was brought to mind/heart once again. The passion I had to find my bike and bring it home; the protectiveness I felt towards ‘my pride and joy’ is NOTHING compared to the passion and protectiveness our Superman feels towards us…..towards you. Have you forgotten? You’re His passion, You’re his pride and Joy and He has given His all to have you back!iHiH

  

I've seen Revival: A True Story

He walked by me and I just knew he was different. I felt the evil. He wore black. He never smiled and never looked at anyone of us. His black leather jacket with his black jeans and black boots made a statement that was quite evident. I later found out that John (not his real name) was not allowed into our school grounds, but he came anyway. John came as he pleased and recruited ignorant teenagers into the religion of Satanism. This was my Grade 11 year at Port Rex Technical High School. I was 16 years old.  It was 1997. Satanism wasn’t really spoken about amongst youngsters. It was more like something you saw on television and experienced in the movies. What did I know about Satanism? Not much really. All that I knew was that they didn’t like God; they hated Jesus and wore a lot of black clothing with pentagrams around their necks. That was it. Little did I know, but our city of East London was one of the satanic hot spots in South Africa and this guy was pretty high up in the ranks. I’m not sure how high, but he wore a lot of black.

At the same time, our Student Christian Association (SCA) at the school was a growing one. We had roughly 30 to 35 teenagers that gathered weekly to sing some songs and to hear one of the leaders share a message. But one afternoon, a group of the SCA members did a Jericho walk around the school. Donny, who was one Christian guy that I really looked up too, lead the charge that afternoon. I wasn’t there, but I heard that they did some warfare and claimed the school for Jesus. It sounded like a cool thing to do. I’m sorry I missed it.

Some months went on and rumours started to circulate that some of the girls and guys in Grade 11 and Grade 12 were involved with John. They were gathering at certain times outside of school hours and doing a lot of ‘satanic’ things. One of the instances reached the local newspaper. A guy was murdered with an axe and it was John’s name that appeared in the newspaper as the murderer. Rumour has it that it was a botched sacrifice to satan. They were supposed to take the man’s head, but things went wrong and John was arrested. The police questioned some of the guys at our school that John hung out with and even some went for counselling. Whether they were directly involved, I don’t know, but it did have a serious effect on them.

One girl named Janet (not her real name) who was involved with this crowd asked the school principal if she could read a scripture out of the Bible at the school’s daily devotional. Daily devotionals happened in front of the whole school every day before school began. Janet got up in front of the school and read a scripture that still to this day I cannot remember. After reading a few verses she looked up and said to the school that she had realised that through her experiences with the ‘wrong crowd’ (i.e. John and company) that satan was a liar and that Jesus was the only true God. She has realised that she needs to get right with God and she needed to do it today. By now she had started to cry. She asked the SCA committee to come to the front and pray with her to receive Jesus so that she could be born again. We went to the front and stood on the stage with her. By now she was bawling and so were some of the teachers. Many of the students had no clue what was happening. We lead her in a prayer right there on the stage in front of the entire school of around 1100 students and 30 odd teachers. She made Jesus the Lord of her life. By the time she had finished praying, everyone knew what was happening and even some of the students were crying. Our chairperson announced that straight after the devotional time the SCA committee would be in the hall to pray with whoever wanted prayer. About 300 students and about 10 teachers came. All this happened on a Friday at around 7:45am. At 9:15am, it was time for the ‘Life Skills’ period. SCA held a mini church service during this time every Friday. We would normally use a classroom that seated up to 40 students. That day we used the hall as we had over 400 students attending.

None of us knew what to do! We had never seen such a big crowd before and we now had to entertain them. As it so happened, it was my turn to speak to the SCA group that day. I had prepared a cute 10 minute sermon that I had hoped I would speak to as little people as possible. Why you may ask? Because this was the first time that I was going to speak publicly and 30 to 40 people was more than enough for me. (What was that quip about God having a sense of humour?) I went to Donny and said ‘Bru, I cannot do this. You do it man. I can’t speak to 400 people about Jesus. I’m too nervous. Why don’t you do it?’ Donny looked at me and smiled. He said one thing to me that smacked me right between the eyes. He said, ‘Ross, the Bible says that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.’ I don’t know how to explain it but a supernatural peace came over me that I still to this day I cannot explain. The nerves that I had and my shaking hands came under control. I walked into the hall with Donny. The praise and worship had started and there were around 400 students in the hall, students that I had seen everyday on the sports fields and in the classrooms, singing songs to Jesus! It totally blew my mind as to what God was doing.

The singing finished and I was introduced after Donny had prayed. I remember that I had prepared a message on salvation and that God was not judging us but instead drawing us by his love. It was a simple message about Jesus. I gave a call for people to stand up if they wanted to receive Christ as Lord of their lives. Close on 400 students stood up that morning and I had the privilege of leading these students in a prayer for the gift of salvation. Still to this day, I regard this as the biggest honour given to me by the Lord.

From that day, our SCA meetings grew from 35 students to close on 200 on a regular basis. The Holy Spirit was using a bunch of Baptist believers to usher in revival that year. From 1997 to the end of 1998, we saw the Holy Spirit save students who were heavy into porn, drinking and partying. The guys that I thought would never get saved, started coming to our meetings for one reason – to get saved. One guy, who is still serving the Lord today walked into a prayer meeting at break time. I thought he was lost (literally). I said, ‘What you doing here?’ He said, ‘I don’t know. I just know that I have to get inside here.’ I had the privilege of leading him to Jesus at that prayer meeting. He is still serving in the worship team at his church.

We had students getting baptized in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. We had a student getting filled with the Spirit to the degree we had to take him to ‘sick bay’ after the prayer meetings as he couldn’t go to class in a drunken state. My friend, Donny, and I were called to the principal’s office twice to tell us to calm down because some students and their parents were worried at the religious frenzy going on. We assured him that we were not doing anything out of the ordinary except praying for those who wanted prayer. The frenzy was God’s fault. Thank God he was a believer. He just smiled and asked us to be careful.

There is one thing that I have seen in the life of many boys, girls, men and women; and that is that Jesus changes lives! I have experienced it in my own life how Jesus can change a person who is completely surrendered to Him. There is nothing Jesus cannot do with a life that is devoted to Him.

If you take some time to read the story of creation, you will notice that when God created the fish of the sea, he didn’t speak to himself. He spoke to the sea. And out of the sea came fish. When God created the plants and trees He spoke to the ground. And out of the ground plants and trees came. The sea became the source of the fish. The ground became the source of the plants and trees. That’s why if you take a fish out of the sea it dies. It dies because you are removing it from its source. If you remove a tree or plant from the ground and throw it into the sea it will die. That’s because the source of the tree and plants is not the sea, but the ground. If you remove it from its source it will die. When God created man, he did not speak to the sea or ground. He spoke to himself. And out of God came the spirit of man.

That’s why sin is so dangerous. Sin separates you from your source – God. And what happens if you remove something from its source? It dies. That’s why the Bible says the wages of sin is death. It’s because it removes you from your source. Jesus came so that sin may be done away with in order that we, as God’s creation could be rejoined to our source – God! That’s why salvation (life) is found only in Jesus. He is the way, truth and the life. We come to the Father through Jesus – Jesus is our way back to life – back to our source – back to God! The devil doesn’t care if you worship him or not. The devil’s only purpose is to steal from you, kill you and destroy you. His chief purpose is to keep you from God; because that’s the only way you will find life. It doesn’t matter to the devil that you serve a hindu idol or worship money. The only thing that matters to him is that you do not find Jesus; because if you find Jesus, then you will find your source and when you find God, you ultimately find life.

This might shock some people to hear this, but the most natural thing a person can do is to make peace with God and enter into a relationship with him. People think Christians are weird! Actually, it’s quite natural. If you speak to a person who has been united with God, they’ll tell you how fulfilled and complete they are. It’s like an emptiness has been filled that money or pleasure or porn or sex or alcohol or parties or their career just could not satisfy. Every person is searching for fulfilment. What many don’t know is that what they are actually searching for is the reconnecting with their source. Once the plant is in the ground and the fish is in the sea, they are satisfied and can grow from there. Unless a person is connected with God through Jesus Christ, they’ll live unsatisfied, unfulfilled and frustrated lives searching for things that will quench the thirst of their souls that only God can fill. Coming into a relationship with God is the most natural thing to the human being! To be separated from God is unnatural in all matter of speaking.

Before we go any further into this discussion, we have to talk about the One that brings us into relationship with the Father. He’s the funniest guy you’ll ever meet. He’s the gentlest guy you’ll ever meet. And He’s the easiest person to get on with that you will ever meet. I’m talking about the one and only – I’m talking about Jesus. 

It's Time to Arise...

His whole life had been building up to this moment. With many hours of training, running, long afternoons, early mornings and cramped legs, John Stevens had been paying the price and preparing for this race at the Olympic Games. John Stevens was a 28 year old athlete with the dream of winning a gold medal while representing his country; Tanzania. Amongst all the runners, he was regarded as the strongest and fastest for the 65 km marathon.  The gun shot and the runners were off. The intensity and strain that these runner’s bodies endure would make most human beings collapse after a few minutes. Kilometre after kilometre and hour after hour; these athletes pushed themselves to the limit. A gold medal and a nation’s pride was in their hands (or legs). The years of preparation was now going to bear fruit. One of these many runners were going to win and John Stevens was in the lead.

After many hours, runners started to cross the finish line. Germany first, USA second and Russia third. No John Stevens. An hour had passed; more crossed while others collapsed over line. Still, there was no sign of John Stevens. By now, dusk had arrived, most of the spectators had left, some of the officials had started to pack up as one runner was still not accounted for; John Stevens. Suddenly, one of Olympic officials pointed to a figure moving in the distance towards them. Slowly, but surely, this athlete hobbled and trudged towards the finishing line. As this man drew closer, the sight of his condition was evidence of his position in the race. John Stevens was making his way down the road, his knees cut open, his arms covered in scrapes and blood, but he continued to move towards the finish. The blood had actually dried to his wounds. John’s face carried the expression of agony and pain as he made his way closer. Medical personal rushed to him, but he warded them off, shouting ‘Leave me alone, leave me alone, I have to finish.’

As John Stevens crossed the finish line, he collapsed onto his knees as medical staff brought him water, bandages and treatment.

By now, Olympic Games officials gathered around this athlete from Tanzania who was favourite to win, but ended up coming stone last, because of his fall.

They said to him ‘John, John, what happened? Why are you so banged up?’ John told them about his tremendous fall on the tar road during the first couple of kilometres. His knees were cut open, his elbows and forearms were scraped and had bled from trying to break the fall. The officials said ‘But, why didn’t you stop and call for help. Why didn’t you stop and get the treatment you needed? You didn’t have to run to end while in pain and agony.’ John looked at the men and women around him. He smiled and said the most powerful words many of them will never forget. He said ‘My country never sent me to start this race. My country sent me to finish this race.’

Jesus, what a guy!

Jesus was an amazing guy! I often wonder what it was about Jesus that made him so attractive to people. They enjoyed his company and Jesus certainly enjoyed theirs. One thing is for sure, they weren’t trying to impress Jesus; they didn’t have to. They could be themselves. And Jesus loved that.

In fact, he loved them so much that he wanted them to experience the kingdom so that the stuff that had polluted them could be removed and replaced by His kingdom qualities. The Bible tells us that Jesus hung with these folks because He loved them, he had a mission to reach them with his love and to so demonstrate that the Father didn’t isolate them when they mess up and sin, but quite the opposite. He longed to draw them to himself so he could clean them (Matt 9:12-13). This drove the Religious nuts of the day crazy because they were so religious in their hearts that they thought and honestly believed that the dirtier you are; the further God wants you away from Him.

He ate food and drank wine with the unrighteous. He told jokes, he laughed with them, and he shared stories and listened to theirs. He used these times to share principles about his Father’s kingdom. But he never did this to alienate, but instead to add salt to their lives so that they would thirst for more. The religious dudes of the day accused Jesus of being a drunkard and a glutton because he feasted on good food and drank wine with these ‘sinners’. They even labelled him a ‘friend’ of these ‘people’ whom they despised and looked down upon (Matt 11:19).

The one thing that amazes me is how sinners never felt ashamed or embarrassed in Jesus’ midst. He was a man who was tempted, but was without sin (Heb 4:15). He never swore, he never told a dirty joke, he never lied, he never made a distasteful joke about a woman, He never got drunk, but yet he was always around people who thrived and lived daily in these vices. Surely, they discovered after the second or third party that Jesus was different. Jesus wasn’t going to get drunk with the rest of them. He wasn’t going to pull out the latest Hustler magazine for all to gawk at. But yet, instead of feeling weird around him, these sinners, these men and women who were far from God, wanted to hang around with GOD. They truly liked him! They invited him for dinners, they washed his feet with their tears, they anointed him with oil, they invited him to parties and they never considered Jesus boring. Not once. He never made them feel inferior to him because he was perfect. In fact, they felt more loved by Him through his perfection. Jesus had a way of looking past the sin of a person and connecting with the heart of a person in a social gathering with no worship playing in the background. He managed to connect with some people in such a way that they would in fact change their lives, turn away from what was wrong and live differently. And this all happened around live music, fisherman cussing, wine being served and prostitutes sharing on how business is booming!

Most Christians would be found helpless in a gathering of this nature. Not Jesus, he thrived in these meetings. This is the reason he came. Something deep inside me suspects that God wants Christians to infiltrate such gatherings amongst our friends and families, to imitate exactly what Jesus did (Eph 5:1), without actually saying much else; but just to love the unlovable (Matt 22:39) and to show an authentic care and love for people that most would look down upon and ignore. Jesus received much suspicion from the religious part of society and I no doubt believe that once Christians start reaching out as Jesus did, they will receive the same suspicion and maybe even worse.

Jesus was invited to more parties and more dances than he was Healing Conferences and Leadership Training Seminars.

This is what made him so attractive to unbelievers and such a threat to the religious guys of the day. It was because the religious couldn’t work out how he could be in such close proximity with sinners and yet be without sin. They had to resort to false testimony just to have a case to punish him. It drove them crazy that Jesus didn’t live inside the synagogue and perform the required rituals and yet he lived the perfect life. Instead of embracing HiHiHim, they shunned him. He invited them to His Father’s house, but they refused. He then went to the by ways and high ways to invited any who would come (Matt 22:2-10).

Jesus, what a guy!