A Passionte Response

Written by Kim Bloomer


Fromrepparttar first moment I heard about this movie several months ago, I knew it was going to be something different. I wasn’t wrong. It hasn’t only been different it has been a phenomenon – well BEFORE it was even released. One is inclined to wonder why, wheneverrepparttar 126840 name of Jesus Christ is mentioned,repparttar 126841 name hasrepparttar 126842 power to generate such controversy. Over 2000 years later,repparttar 126843 name of Jesus still stirs up people, especially whenrepparttar 126844 focus isrepparttar 126845 release of a major motion picture depictingrepparttar 126846 last 12 hours of His life. I know why. Those last 12 hours arerepparttar 126847 reason He came to this earth inrepparttar 126848 first place. He came to redeem us back to Godrepparttar 126849 Father by willingly laying down His life for us. By takingrepparttar 126850 punishment we deserve for our sin and thereby granting us a pardon from Godrepparttar 126851 Father. Yes, I said He laid down His own life. Not one human being on this earth hadrepparttar 126852 power to takerepparttar 126853 life of Jesus. He gave us His life so that we might have eternal life in Him. You say, butrepparttar 126854 movie depicts Him being brought up on false charges byrepparttar 126855 Pharisees, and wrongly and savagely beaten and scourged by Roman soldiers. As if that wasn’t enough to kill someone, he was then forced to carry a cross weighing 300 pounds up a hill. Granted he had help from Simon of Cyrene, but could you have even been able to lift YOURSELF up after enduring such torture and carry a 300 pound cross as far as he did ALONE? Allrepparttar 126856 while being continually pushed, hit, spat upon, and whipped byrepparttar 126857 soldiers and for what? For us, humankind. Yes, humans did that to Him. However, they could not have, hadrepparttar 126858 power not been given to them from Godrepparttar 126859 Father AND Jesus’ obedience torepparttar 126860 Father and willingness to do so. Some have said this movie is anti-Semitic and they said that BEFORE even seeing it. In fact that was said BEFORErepparttar 126861 movie was even released. Some have said it depictedrepparttar 126862 Roman soldiers as ruthless and brutal. Guess what? The soldiers WERE ruthless and brutal. The whole human race is and can be ruthless and brutal. Anti-Semitic? No, it is not. How can I say that? Because, first of all Jesus was a Jew. So was His mother. So wererepparttar 126863 apostles and most of His followers. The first Christians were Jews. Some have said that Christians, and I am one, are promoting anti-Semitism by supporting and promoting this movie. You see, that is just not possible because those who ARE truly Christian, cannot be anti anyone. It would be a complete oxymoron to say I am a Christian and then be a racist. Anyone who is truly a Christian and abides in Jesus Christ will not and cannot be against any race. Like Bill Gallatin, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel ofrepparttar 126864 Fingerlakes, NY said, there aren’t any races other thanrepparttar 126865 human race, just different nationalities. No, neither Jews, nor Romans put Jesus onrepparttar 126866 cross. Our sin wasrepparttar 126867 reason He willingly laid down His life for us ALL. Why? Because He loves us, that’s why and He wants us with Him for eternity. He becamerepparttar 126868 perfect, sacrificial Lamb who laid down His life for our transgressions.

Following the Spirit

Written by A K Whitehead


Frank Sinatra made famousrepparttar song "I Did It My Way". It has become so famous that sometimes one even hears it played at funerals - even Christian funerals. It is as though people are so loose in their knowledge about what God wants of us that they see having "done it" their own way as a real testament torepparttar 126839 quality of their lives.

Butrepparttar 126840 principle on which this song is founded is anathema torepparttar 126841 Christian trying to follow Christ. It isrepparttar 126842 last thing we should want as a summary of our lives - that we did everything in our own way!

We are called to live as Jesus lived. One crucial aspect of his life was that it was led byrepparttar 126843 Holy Spirit. This was at least fromrepparttar 126844 start of his public ministry when, after his baptism inrepparttar 126845 Jordan, Luke 4. 1 tells us that he was driven intorepparttar 126846 desert byrepparttar 126847 Spirit.

There are other scriptures which one could quote also if space allowed. Butrepparttar 126848 lesson is that, to live as Jesus lived, we also need to be led byrepparttar 126849 Spirit. Easy to say. But how do we do it?

First Essential The first essential is to know that this is really what God requires of us. We all "know" it in an academic way. We know it as a principle. But what we also need to have isrepparttar 126850 conviction of it!

If we do not have that already, there is only one way to get it: by prayer. Preferably by prayer based onrepparttar 126851 scriptures.

meditate on selected, relevant passages, especially fromrepparttar 126852 New Testament, and preferably fromrepparttar 126853 gospels. (This is discussed in detail by a book on our site: "The keys to Christian Meditation"). For example, readrepparttar 126854 gospels carefully explicitly looking for passages which have especial reference to Jesus being led byrepparttar 126855 Spirit. You need to find them. They are not always overt, so look with care and take your time.

Meditate on these passages allowingrepparttar 126856 Holy Spirit to lead you. Search forrepparttar 126857 realisation that we are to imitaterepparttar 126858 example set for us by Jesus.

The conviction may come in various ways: all at once, or as a gradual process of a growing conviction which no one can give yourepparttar 126859 details for in advance.

Second Essential; Once we really know that this is really what God wants of us,repparttar 126860 second essential is to integrate it into our lives. Easy to say. But how do we start?

We start withrepparttar 126861 determination not to take decisions "off our own bat", not to live as we want but as God wants. We want to end up saying "I did it his way", not "I did it my way".

You can begin in either of two ways. Start withrepparttar 126862 really important decisions and work down torepparttar 126863 daily ones; or start withrepparttar 126864 small ones and work up torepparttar 126865 big ones. This is a matter of personal choice - but also of opportunity

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