“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it;
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
~ JESUS ~
Hi Men:
A couple short questions Jesus might like to know on this Good Friday:
- Have you denied yourself?
- Have you taken up your cross?
- [A cross is an instrument of death]
- Are you following Jesus?
- [That means obeying His commands]
- Have you lost your life for Him
Well, how are you doing so far?
Jesus made some remarkable statements. Here is one of them from Luke 12:49….
🔥 I have come to cast fire upon the earth,
and how I wish it were already kindled! 🔥
What happened to “meek & mild” Jesus? I spent some time on this verse and let me give you a couple quotes I found from a few learned men of the past you all know. They are all commenting on Luke 12:49
Matthew Henry (Puritan Reformer)
“Christ’s coming kindled a fire that burns up men’s corruptions, and separates between the precious and the vile.”
- The Gospel refines believers like gold in a furnace.
- It consumes hypocrisy, judges rebellion, and leaves no middle ground.
- Christ came to remake the world by fire, not to maintain its status quo.
John Calvin
“The Gospel is called fire, because it inflames hearts with the fire of the Spirit, and because it kindles the anger of the wicked.”
- Christ’s fire is not a gentle glow but a consuming blaze.
- The Gospel purifies the faithful and provokes the hatred of the world.
- Calvin emphasized: the Gospel separates truth from lies and calls forth persecution.
Martin Luther
“Wherever the Gospel is faithfully preached, there will be upheaval, anger, and persecution, for the Gospel is not friendly to human pride.”
- True Gospel preaching does not pacify men; it confronts them.
- Luther warned: expect conflict and division wherever Christ is preached.
- Christ’s coming is a declaration of war against sin.
Some of the guys sent me the President’s message he gave earlier this week. I thought it was appropriate to include it, because the President gave a pretty clear presentation of the Gospel (Christ’s death, burial and resurrection). Actually, I was astounded …… The only thing that could have been added, would have been the part we play in the repentance of our sins. We must never forget that the Gospel is an offense. And don’t forget these verses:
1 Cor 1:18 “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…..”
Rom 9:33 “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense….”
If interested, Here is the Presidential message (45 sec read)
Watch Max McLean perform Mark 16: (YouTube 4 Mins)
Have a Blessed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday……
He Has Risen!
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
— 1 Corinthians 16:13
“Extraordinary revelations were accompanied by extraordinary suffering”
Men:
If we are honest, I think all of us would covet special encounters with God. The question remains, are we willing to accept the suffering that comes with that desire? Don’t forget what Paul says in Phil 1:29…..
“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”
Commitment Leading to Disobedience – Day 103 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
(1) – 2 Cor 12:8-9
(2) – 2 Cor 11:23-28
Download And Share this devotional with a friend.
An Easter Surprise | Diamonds in the Dust
Joni Eareckson Tada
Watch Joni on YouTube (only 1 minute) You will like this.
What Do You Seek?
by John Hartshorn | Apr 14, 2025
Men: Please take the time to read and reflect on the article our brother John Hartshorn has submitted. It gave me pause when I reflected how the Prosperity Gospel movement has twisted the scriptures to deceive the sheep and line the pockets of the shepherds (wolves). The years we worked with the brothers in India, we saw up close how the Prosperity Gospel has been a plague on India church…… and the “Name It, Claim It” gang from the USA exported it to all these other countries. Shame on them!
When you Read John’s Article, pay close attention to the words from 2 Cor 9:10 “…..increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Men: These would be great to send to your friends……….
JOHN 10:10 PROJECT: An Easter Trilogy
Watch On Vimeo (7 min)
Jesus’ death and resurrection were the ultimate proofs of His claims to deity.
Featuring Mike Licona, N.T. Wright, Mark Strauss, J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, Craig Evans, Lee Strobel and Ben Witherington III
Watch On Vimeo (7:40 min)
The reality of the empty tomb was confirmed by hundreds of eyewitnesses, Roman historical accounts, first century tradition and the rapid growth of the early Christian church. Featuring Mike Licona, Mark Strauss, Lee Strobel, J.P. Moreland, Gary Habermas, William Lane Craig and Craig Evans
Watch On Vimeo (5 min)
The resurrection of Jesus was also confirmed by the dramatic transformation of His closest disciples in the face of persecution by the Roman Empire. Featuring J.P. Moreland, Gary Habermas, Lee Strobel, Mark Strauss and N.T. Wright.
Men: This is such a great article. See PDF link at bottom. Sent from the brothers with the Atlanta Men’s Conference: R122conference.org/
————-
Dear Friends,
Easter is here. He is risen!
The attached blog was written by one of our team members, inspired by his recent encounter with a close friend. While not a traditional Easter devotional, we hope it will inspire you to have an “Easter State of Mind” throughout the year. You see, Christ died for you and for me as God executed the justice we deserve (1 Peter 2:24). We have no part in God’s divine plan for salvation – even the faith that we must demonstrate is a gift from God. It leaves us speechless, with our faces on the floor in complete humility at the realization of the unfathomable and priceless gift of salvation. Praise God!
————-
Twenty-Four Hours to Eternity
“How well am I living up to my responsibility as a follower of Christ to share the good news of the gospel?”
Read The PDF and send it to a buddy (2 min read)
A DEPRESSING STATISTIC
I just read this from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:
“Europe once burned brightly for the cause of Jesus Christ, sending missionaries and the gospel to the far corners of the world. But sadly today, secularism has plunged much of the continent into spiritual darkness – and only 2% of its estimated 750 million people consider themselves evangelical believers”
Based on the statistic above, I’ll end with this quote. It appears to be the main problem with all the strife around the world…….
