Someone in a Facebook group I’m a part of posted this. Inflammatory initial scrawl aside, this is fantastic perspective on the reality of Jesus’ existence by a notable scholar that has no vested interest in the conclusion other than a historical one.
I know that this is not an objection held by any real majority (most reasonable atheists and agnostics don’t dispute the existence of Jesus, rather, the dispute is on the truth of His claims and the claims made about Him). However, the view is popular enough that it warranted discussion on this radio show, and so it warrants discussion here.
Listen to Bart Ehrmann give a terrific account about what matters to historians when discussing historical data, and how this relates to the existence of Jesus.
I mentioned that from time to time I might share something interesting in my study of Ephesians. While I got a bit behind, I recently became sort of re-dedicated to having a morning quiet time, and using this time to continue in Ephesians. This morning I finished chapter 1, and something in these verses really stuck out to me. Let me see if I can re-create what I wrote in my notebook from this morning for you here.
Ephesians 1:22-23
“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”
While these verses speak largely about Christ’s authority as head of the church (which is consistent with the book of Hebrews, which refers to Christ as the High Priest of the church), it was a phrase right in the middle that got the wheels turning: “which is His body.”
As my mind traipsed through anatomical images and songs about this (“If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns is what I’m referring to here; I’ve posted a video with this song below), it ended up on the Lord’s Supper. This is a notably relevant subject for me right now; this week in our Spiritual Boot Camp at church the pastor is preaching on the spiritual discipline of fasting. But Jesus broke the bread and said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) But the verse in Ephesians says that the church is also His body. So in a sense, the bread also symbolizes the role of the church. It pointed me to the other part of the Lord’s Supper, which I’ll hit on as part of my conclusion.
I felt like God was impressing on me an understanding here about His character, and what I was surprised to reach as my conclusion is how personal each aspect of the Trinity is in regards to the church. We often think of the church as Christ’s; after all, Jesus referred to it as His in his charge to Peter (Matthew 16:18). But if you think about what it takes to make a body worth anything but a lifeless lump of immovable mass, there are several pieces, and each part of the Trinity uniquely provides for these:
1) The Father formed the body at creation and provides sustenance (physically and through His Word).
2) The Spirit indwells the body and provides direction (by way of sanctification and spiritual growth).
3) Jesus the Son gives the body His blood and provides the means of life (eternally and salvationally).
So the body is a great picture of how personal and involved our God is within our lives individually, and also within His church as a whole. How can we do anything but act on this understanding through worship and sharing these things with others. I hope this blog encourages you as much as coming to this realization encouraged me. Let’s take great joy in being part of God’s body, and hopefully in doing so we will move forward even more boldly in our faith. I pray that God blesses each and every reader of this post as they read it. Amen!
Here’s a great video with Brian Welch, better known as “Head” from the rock band Korn, talking about how having it all wasn’t enough. How awesome a God do we serve that He loves each and every one of us, no matter our past or our circumstances. No one is denied access to Christ; He wants everyone to come to Him. If you haven’t considered it before today, perhaps this video might offer some insight or perspective into what it means to truly give up everything and trust that God knows best.
Wow. What drama. The USA advances to the Round of 16 in the World Cup by scoring in the 91st minute against Algeria. Not only do they advance, but based on goals scored they win their group and play the second-place team from Group D in the next round. While this could potentially be Germany, more likely it will be either Ghana or Serbia.
If the US were to win that game, then a winnable quarterfinal matchup against either Uruguay or South Korea awaits. Can you imagine the USA making it to the semifinals of the World Cup?! Wow.
I’m also potentially looking at two groups of death in the knockout round. In one quartet you already have Argentina, Mexico and England, with the winner of Group D joining them. If Germany wins Group D, that is going to be one messy group.
In the bottom half of the bracket, if it all plays out perfectly, you could see Netherlands vs. Italy in the Round of 16, with the winner of that game taking on the winner of Brazil vs. Spain. Yikes! I’m glad the USA got placed where it did. We’ve got a much easier go of it than some of these teams. However, if we do happen to strike gold and make it to the semis, we could potentially get any one of the above teams in that game. I think the US may be catching a little bit of soccer fever! Too bad this disease only lasts another 15 days or so.
Anyway, if you missed it and want to see Landon Donovan’s incredible goal that pushed the US through, here it is. The first one I posted got blocked on copyright grounds, so we’ll see how long this one stays up. Enjoy!
What a great worship song! Each line is so powerful and gives due praise to the one who deserves it! This is Travis Cottrell’s version, with some good imagery.
Unworthy Yet Redeemed 