A Ministry of Peace and Forgiveness

When Jesus Christ was crucified, His disciples must have believed they had lost everything. They had forsaken all to follow Him and now He was dead. They had placed their trust in Him as the Messiah and they had left their jobs, their families, and their friends believing Jesus to be the One. They probably feared the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman government officials would be searching for them next. As they pondered their seemingly hopeless situation, Jesus Christ appears!
You can pick up the account in John 20 and Luke 24, Jesus appears and offers peace. "Peace be with you" He said as He stood in their midst, and in an instant everything changed! The fear, the worry, the discouragement, the helplessness, and the insecurity of the disciples turned to joy when their focus was on Jesus Christ. He offered them peace, the Hebrew idea of shalom; well-being, wholeness, security and prosperity, what an offer! His offer still stands today for believers who put their focus on Jesus Christ, we receive His peace. Everything changes when we experience His peace, the shalom that is beyond understanding.
Jesus also provided perspective to His disciples, Luke explains, "He opened their minds that they might understand the Scriptures." They understood the Truth! Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and we are able to understand the Scriptures, they point to the Truth. As we look to Jesus Christ we receive His peace and we are able to have a proper perspective on the circumstances in our lives.
Not only did Jesus provide peace and perspective but He also gave them a purpose; to extend His forgiveness to others. The idea is simple, they were to know God and make Him known, to love God and love others, to understand they are forgiven and to extend His forgiveness to others.
As Christ followers today we are offered a similar opportunity, we can experience God's peace, His perspective and His forgiveness. We have the privilege of passing along to others in our lives the peace, perspective and forgiveness of God. As we turn our focus to Jesus Christ and receive His perspective, may our lives be filled with His ministry of peace and forgiveness.
Link to sermon:
A Ministry of Peace and Forgiveness

The Royal Priesthood

Access is defined as the right to approach, and the ability to communicate. We all want access to certain people, to certain friends, to the powerful, and to the successful. But ultimately each and every one of us is designed to desire access to the One Holy God. Adam and Eve had this access, they were created in a relationship with God; they were clean, they were naked and not ashamed, and they were anointed. Through their sin they lost access; the relationship was broken, they lived in sin and shame, separate from the Spirit of God.
Even though we seldom consider a relationship with God, life on earth is made up of attempting to connect with Him. We all try to experience God, and we all want to get to know God. The Bible explains what is required for us to connect with God; the picture is given through the priesthood, through the system of sacrifices, and through the temple. All sin, all fail, all fall short of a Holy God and thus all men and women need a savior to able to have access to Him. He is holy, we are not!
Jesus Christ is the savior we all need. When Christ died the veil in the temple, the veil that separated the people and the priests from the presence of God, was torn from top to bottom, Mark 15:38. God provided the ultimate sacrifice of His Son so we could have access to Him. The requirement is that we trust Him, Hebrews 10:14-25.
Through Jesus Christ we can all have a relationship with God, we are cleansed of our sin, we are clothed with His righteousness and anointed with His Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ we have the right to approach and the ability to communicate with the God of ages. Have you gained the access to God that you have desired? Trust Jesus Christ today.
 Link to Sermon:
      The Royal Priesthood