vinecast

The Spirit of Adoption

This past week, I’ve had several deeply moving, providential, divine-appointed conversations with brothers and sisters in our congregation. And a beautiful, recurring theme kept surfacing in those talks:

the adopting heart of God.

As a church, we believe deeply in fostering and adopting. We believe it is how we become an answer for our broken community, stepping in to love and guide the next generation.

Recently, a dear friend of mine, Pastor Sam Todd from Sanford, Florida, came down to Fort Myers and treated me to lunch.

By the way, if you ever want to invite me to lunch, I am exactly like Jesus with Zacchaeus—I am always ready to say yes. In fact, if you don't invite me, I might just invite myself!

Jokes aside.

As we sat at the table, Sam shared the powerful story of his own adoption.

His late parents had struggled with infertility, but they felt a profound calling from God to be parents to multiple children. To confirm this calling, they bought a stuffed bunny, placed it in their bedroom, and named it Samuel—because in the Bible, the phrase "asked of God" directly translates to the name Samuel in Hebrew. 

That bunny became a daily token of their prayer. It was a “Gedeon fleece” before God, saying, "Lord, if you do not bring a child to our family in 12 months, we will understand that we were just emotionally moved, and we will let it go."

For 11 months, they prayed. No child came.

But exactly 11 months and three weeks into that year of prayer, the phone rang. It was an adoption agency. A young, unmarried girl had just released her baby boy for adoption. That was Samuel.

In that single moment, the Todd family broke a generational curse and completely changed the trajectory of that little baby's life forever.

Fast forward to today. Pastor Sam Todd has two biological sons. At our lunch this week, I sat with his youngest son, Phil. We had the most incredible time talking about Legendarios and about Godly, heavenly things.

But his oldest son wasn't at the table with us. He was busy taking care of his own daughter—a beautiful little girl he adopted from India.

Think about the staggering odds of that. There was perhaps a one-in-300-million chance that a little orphan girl from India would end up in an American family.

But she ended up in a family whose very foundation was built on the adopting heart of God.

She was chosen. Pastor Sam Todd was chosen.

And this morning, on Father's Day, I want to remind every single one of you of this truth: You are chosen.

We have a Heavenly Father who looked at us in our brokenness, called us by name, and elected to adopt us into His eternal family.

(Romans 8:14-17) 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For many, the idea of "God the Father" brings up a mixture of emotions. If we are honest, sometimes our view of our Heavenly Father is tainted by our earthly experiences.

That is a problem. I remember that in one of my Bible studies, I learned that the only way I could relate to God appropriately was by first fixing my relationship with my earthly father. Again, the problem was that I was unable to fix that relationship perfectly, and it goes back to the thought that the Christian life is centered on what I can do, not on what Christ has done.

It is the other way around.

Be loved, receive the mercy of the heavenly Father. Allow the truth of adoption to take your heart completely. And from this new identity as beloved, you will have a healthy, healed relationship with your earthly father and with everybody else.

The finished work of Jesus Christ entirely defines our relationship with the Father. He is not demanding you earn your keep; He is inviting you to rest in His grace.

The name Revealed: Father

When Jesus stood on the brink of the cross, He prayed what we call the High Priestly Prayer. He did not say, “I have manifested Your name as Elohim or El Shaddai." 

The entire context of John 17 is Jesus speaking to His Father. He revealed God’s name by demonstrating His perfect, unconditional love as a Father to His children.

Jehovah-Jireh, our provider, or Jehovah-Rapha, our healer.

Yet, of all the magnificent titles and redemptive names God revealed throughout history, Jesus came to emphasize one above all others. The name that the Lord Jesus came to reveal to us is "Father".

(John 17:6) 'I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.' 

(John 17:11) 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Father — Patēr — The word carries a meaning of nourisher, protector, upholder.

(Matthew 6:9) 'Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”'

We do not relate to our early dads primarily through a title.

With God, Jesus is teaching that we pray through an intimate relationship of grace. When you cry out "Father," you are assuming the position of an heir.

Today, in Christ, the Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. If you always come before the Father saying "God, God," it is no wonder you might struggle to feel His love or find faith released in your heart. But when you say, “Father," the Holy Spirit fills you with His love and faith.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He did not give them a complex religious formula. He handed them the keys to intimacy.

(Matthew 27:46) 'And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”' 

Our access to the throne room is not based on our good behavior, but on our family status. You are a child of God, and you have a Father who delights to hear your voice.

Think of it this way: If you go to a large corporation, employees address the head of the company as "Mr. President" or "CEO." 

They interact with him based on his title and their performance. But at the end of the day, a little boy can run right past the reception desk, burst into the corner office, and yell, "Dad!" The CEO drops everything for his son. 

The world knows God by His titles—Creator, Judge, Elohim. But because of the finished work of Christ, you do not stand in the lobby of heaven as an employee hoping for a good performance review. You burst into the throne room as a child.

The only time the Lord Jesus called His Father "My God" was on Calvary. On the cross, He took on our sins and proved for us our separation from the Father.

Jesus was forsaken so that you and I would never be.

He cried out, "My God," experiencing the cold distance of judgment and the full penalty of the law, so that today, as born-again believers, we can cry out, "Abba, Father". Because of His sacrifice, our position is eternally secure.

ἀββά

The term ἀββά occurs in the NT only 3 times: Mark 14:36 (Used by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, expressing agonizing intimacy and submission to God's will)

In Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6. In each case, it is used to call on God in prayer.

The Apostle Paul (in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6) and Mark deliberately chose to write the Aramaic word into their Greek texts using Greek letters (Ἀββᾶ). A transliteration.

English translators maintain this by transliterating the Aramaic word into English letters, honoring the bilingual construction of the original authors.

Biblical scholars conclude that New Testament authors used bilingual expressions to strategically bridge Christianity’s Judean roots with its expanding Gentile audience.

Historically, retaining the exact syllables of Jesus’s native language captured his authentic voice (ipsissima vox) during intimate healings (Mark 5:41: Talitha koum — translated as, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!”; Mark 7:34: Ephphatha — translated as, "Be opened.") and his traumatic crucifixion (Mark 14:36) 'And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”’).

Also, the immediate Greek translations following Aramaic transliterations dispelled pagan notions of magical incantations and clarified narrative misunderstandings.

John and Paul used this dual-language technique to prove Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecy and to emphasize that Greek-speaking Gentiles were fully adopted into the same familial relationship with God. An act of cultural and theological bridge-building. And maybe even as a password to protect the early persecuted believers.

A vital liturgical function, as untranslated Aramaic words like Abba, Maranatha and Hallelujah. functioned as sacred, unifying passwords of worship that connected the broader Greco-Roman churches back to the mother church in Jerusalem.

(Galatians 4:6) 'And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”'

According to Moisés Silva in the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (NIDNTTE), Abba has absolutely no childish character. Jewish writings demonstrate it was the standard word used by adult offspring

It was also a respectful title for scholars, like "rabbi". In Greek philosophy, the term patēr signified the supreme deity who is the creator, parent, and sustainer of the entire cosmos.

The Cry of the Spirit

The Spirit does not point you to your own works to establish your identity; He points you to your Father.

Psalms 103:11-14 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

The Spirit we received does not lead us back into the fear of the law.

You do not have to be terrified that God will revoke your adoption if you stumble. Your eternal security is anchored in Christ’s sufficiency, not your performance.

Romans 8:16 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The Holy Spirit Himself bears witness to your true identity. It is not baby talk, but it is the language of ultimate family intimacy. It shifts our view of God from a distant, conditional judge to a close, nourishing protector.

If a child wakes up terrified in the middle of the night, they don't stand at the edge of their parents' bed and recite their chores or promise to be perfect tomorrow so they can be comforted.

They simply cry out, "Dad!" And the father rushes to comfort them. How much more does our Heavenly Father respond when we simply cry out to Him in faith? You do not have to clean yourself up before He loves you.

Rest in His unmerited favor.

From the Guardian to the Father

Galatians 3:24-26 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Galatians 4:1-7 1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Under the Old Covenant, the law was a guardian. It was a flawless standard that revealed humanity’s absolute inability to be righteous on its own.

The law is a demand, but grace is a provision; the law says "Do," while grace says "I will do it for you". 

Galatians 4:5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 

You do not work your way into God's family; you are born into it by faith.

We do not have to beg for a place in the house; the Spirit inside us confidently cries out to the Father. When you cry out "Abba," you are assuming your rightful position as an heir.

The Adoption — Huiothesia

The image here is the relationship which God was pleased to establish between Himself and the Israelites in preference to all other nations. Is we receiving the privileges and inheritance rights not as a toddler to be managed and scolded. But God grants us full status, authority, and access as adult sons and daughters through the work of Christ.

One of those divine appointments this week was with Ieda and Chris. Many of you know them; they are two of our most faithful members, here from the very beginning. They are truly children of this house. A couple of months ago, God baptized them with a heart for foster parenting, and they stepped out in faith to get licensed through the 4Kids agency.

Ieda had been carrying the heavy weight of a deferred dream. For various reasons, she is unable to pursue her medical career at this time. She was feeling the sting of that apparent failure, mourning that she did not yet have her doctor's diploma. But she and Chris asked God for a new story of victory. And God answered. On the exact same date, she would have been thinking about that diploma; instead, God handed them their official certification as foster parents.

In a short period of time, they welcomed children under their wings. As I listened to their story this week, I could see pure joy radiating from them. They hold so much love in their hearts for these kids, driven by the profound conviction that they are raising the next Elijah of this generation.

That conviction fuels them to pour out everything they have, sacrificing far more than they can comfortably afford, financially, emotionally, and physically.

But God is honoring His promises to them. While many people right now are wondering where their next job will come from, God has blessed Chris with so much work that he has to hire others just to keep up. That abundance is God testifying to His own joy, pouring out blessing over them because they are so beautifully expressing His adopting heart.

Through Jesus, we have stepped into full sonship. We no longer live for God's approval; we live from His approval.

Imagine your family has a massive family trust fund. While the heir is young, the wealth is controlled by strict managers. The child gets a small allowance and a list of rules.

Maybe even as an employee of the estate.

But on the date set by the father, the heir steps into full adult rights. 

The strict manager—the law—steps aside.

Lora and Tyler

Over the past four months, the Lord has entrusted us with more than eight children. Just when we think we have hit a comfortable moment of peace or rest, the phone rings again. We answer the calls, and we pray. In these moments the Lord calls us to say yes to the uncomfortable and to find comfort in obedience to Him.

So far this season, we have learned that when we stop relying on ourselves and fully submit to the Lord, our weakness becomes the very place where His greatness is put on display. 

The Lord has called us to, as Paul says, “boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon us.” 

That is exactly how Tyler and I feel, and what we have to choose every day as we continue saying yes to the children He places in our home.

Foster care has also taught us that we are not the main characters in these stories. These children are not stepping into our story; the Lord is allowing us a small role in theirs. 

We get to be a part of what He is doing in their lives as He pursues, redeems, and loves them.

Some children have come into our home never having heard the name of Jesus, never opened a Bible, and never been told that they are deeply loved by their Creator. 

By God's grace, they are leaving knowing who Jesus is, hearing Scripture read over them, singing songs about Him, praying before meals and bedtime, and knowing exactly who they can call on in every season of life.

One of our foster daughters now stops to pray for everything—before meals, before bedtime, when someone gets hurt, when she is afraid, and for all of the little everyday things.

Watching her go from not knowing Jesus to instinctively turning to Him in every circumstance has been such a blessing and a sweet reminder of why we do what we do.

Each time the phone rings, we are reminded of Abraham, who by faith "went out, not knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8). We answer these calls without knowing how long the children will stay, what challenges they may bring, or what plans God has for their future—but we answer, and He remains faithful.

Some people may think foster parents are saving children, but we're not. Jesus is the Savior. We are blessed to have the privilege of stepping into these kid’s stories, introducing them to the One who can truly save, and witnessing Him work in their hearts and lives.

We are not incredible people doing extraordinary things.

We are weak people serving an incredible Savior, and foster care has given us a front-row seat to watch Him work.

Heirs with Christ

(Romans 8:17)'and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.'

Eternal life is a completely free gift, but reigning with Him as an overcomer is a reward for faithful endurance at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Becoming a managing partner in the family business—reigning alongside the Father—requires dedication, learning the ropes, and sometimes enduring late nights and struggles alongside the boss.

God invites every believer to step up from merely being a child to becoming an overcomer. He provides the grace to endure, and then He rewards you for the very grace He supplied!

You are sons and daughters of the Most High. God does not adopt us as probationary members of the house who must earn their keep. He grants full, irrevocable status. Our assurance of salvation rests entirely on Christ's promise, never on our own fluctuating performance.

Imagine a child who has been rescued from a terrifying, abusive situation and legally adopted by a loving family. For the first few months, that child might try to "earn" their dinner by doing chores perfectly, terrified that if they make a mistake, they will be sent back. What does the adoptive father do? He sits the child down, shows them the signed, legally binding adoption papers, and says, "You do not work for your food here. You are my child. This is permanent."

The Holy Spirit acts as those signed papers in our hearts. When we fail—and we will—the Spirit does not threaten us with spiritual eviction. Instead, He reminds us of our permanent adoption by crying out, "Abba!" Assurance flows from the sufficiency of Christ's work, not the perfection of our walk.

Be Fervent in the Spirit

Romans 12:9-13 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Today, we will start a series of “The Heart of God for Us”.

 In the next weeks, I would like to share what God has intended us, as His people, to be known. The qualities that would make us distinct in our families, workplace, school and community.

We will not follow an order here. But we will try to share what the Lord wants us to be like and how He empowers us to respond to this identity.

Today, we land on Romans 12:11

Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 

“be fervent": a primary verb; to be hot.

The image is to boil, of liquids; or glow after you heat up a metal, of solids. That is, be fervid, earnest, be fervent.

Thomas Edison tested thousands of bizarre filament materials—including carbonized bamboo and even human beard hair—scientists finally settled on tungsten because it has the highest melting point of any metal on Earth. To make it work, they take about six feet of microscopic tungsten wire, tightly coil it up to fit inside that oxygen-free glass bubble, and let it burn at temperatures rivaling a star's surface, all without ever actually turning to ash.

Be a burning bush

Exodus 3:2-4 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Moses’ calling and his usefulness were about the fire in his life. That is why God called Him out of the burning bush. 

True usefulness to God relies entirely on the fire of His presence rather than human capability.

We Are "Common Bushes": God did not choose Moses for his intellect, charisma, or strength. A desert bush is a rough, ordinary, and unimpressive plant. God does not seek out our natural attributes; He chooses us despite who we are. Our beauty and uniqueness do not come from our natural "wood," but from the fire of God resting upon us.

The Fire Sustains the Work, Not the Bush: If a physical fire burns a bush, the wood is eventually reduced to ash. But in this vision, the fire did not consume the branches.

God’s heart for us is fervor without burnout. To be set on fire by god without being consumed by the demands of the work.

Many leaders fall into the Messiah trap—the belief that they must convert people, save people, fix marriages, heal broken lives, or deliver someone from addiction. But we can’t. Those things are far beyond what any human being can accomplish on their own.

We can preach the gospel, disciple people, pray, counsel, encourage, and walk alongside them. We can plant and water the seed, but only God can bring the growth. We can create an environment for transformation, but only the Holy Spirit can transform a heart.

When leaders take responsibility for outcomes that belong to God, they eventually become exhausted, discouraged, or controlling. Our calling is faithfulness, not sovereignty. Jesus is the Savior, not us. He is the one who changes hearts, restores marriages, breaks chains, and brings true freedom.

So, we should not rely on human strength to accomplish His work. If you try to carry God's work on your own shoulders, you will burn out. True spiritual fervor means allowing God to work through you, so that He sustains the energy, provision, and impact.

The Fire Attracts: Moses could not resist the fire (vv. 3). When we are fervent in the Spirit and clothed in Christ, people no longer see our natural limitations; they see the glory of God. There is a famous saying often attributed to John Wesley: “I set myself on fire, and people come to watch me burn.”

Fire and Usefulness

How could a fearful and cowardly Peter be used by Jesus? Before Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter denied Jesus.

Matthew 26:69-70 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.”

After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and the other apostles were afraid of persecution and purposeless. They went back to their old life as fishermen. 

John 20:19 (ESV) "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.’"

John 21:1-3 (ESV) "After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will go with you.' They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing."

They needed something else. They needed the fire.

Acts 1:4-5 (ESV) "And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 'you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'"

Remember, they were already with the Holy Spirit within them. Jesus, on the occasion of appearing to them in the locked house, had breathed over them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

John 20:21-22 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

If a police officer is assigned to direct a massive crowd at a Fourth of July parade, it is not enough for him to have completed training, carry a badge, or hold the title of officer. He may possess the identity of a police officer, but to exercise authority effectively, he must also be clothed as one. The uniform visibly represents the authority behind him. People respond not merely to who he is, but to the authority resting upon him.

Scripture speaks of being clothed with power from on high, being baptized in the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit. This is not about receiving a new identity; it is about receiving divine empowerment.

The Holy Spirit within gives us life. The Holy Spirit upon us gives us power. The Spirit within produces character; the Spirit upon enables ministry. Just as the officer needs both his identity and his uniform, believers need both the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon them. God's work is accomplished not merely by who we are in Christ, but by the power of the Holy Spirit operating through us.

They needed special clothes for the great commission they were receiving. That is why we understand the covering, suiting the dressing of the Holy Spirit. Or, as the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire. 

Acts 2:1-4 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

In only moments after that event, the same Peter and the same apostles changed completely. 

Acts 2:14 (ESV) (Bold Peter) "But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: 'Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.’”

They were on fire. Fervent. Boiling. Fuming. And the result was amazing.

Acts 2:41 (ESV) (Three thousand added) "So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

The Fire Combination 

So the question now is how to keep the fire burning.

Every physical fire requires three essential elements to exist: fuel, oxygen, and heat.

Heat is the ignition source. It raises a material to the temperature where combustion begins. Fuel is any combustible material. Fire is essentially a rapid oxidation reaction—combustion. For combustion to continue, all three components must remain present simultaneously. 

If you want to quench a fire, it is just a matter of removing one of these elements.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (ESV) "Do not quench the Spirit."

Similarly, spiritual fire has a triad to sustain the fire within our hearts.

Faith, Hope, and Love

1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV) "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Just as a natural fire needs three elements. In order to keep the fire, in order to abide, one must keep the three. 

“abide” - μένω - Menō. to last, endure of persons, to survive, live, to remain as one, not to become another or different.

The fire within us requires faith, hope, and love. Remove any one of these, and the fire goes out.

They must all be deeply connected.

Faith and Love.

For me, God's love for us is the activator: Faith does not operate in a vacuum; it is activated by love.

Galatians 5:5-6 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

There is no trust if one does not know they are loved. Faith comes from first knowing and experiencing the love of the Father.

1 John 4:16-19 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

It is the love and faith that make us hopeful.

Love and Hope

Hope is the Sustainer: What determines whether a person overcomes trials and hardships is often whether they hold on to hope. Hope is just as essential as faith and love.

Romans 5:3-5 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Hope and Faith

Faith is a settled confidence that something in the future—something that God has promised—will actually happen because God will make it happen.

Hebrews 11:1-3 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

The unbreakable triad is established, and that is what flames our fire and fuels our ministry and a call.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) "remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

The key is what Paul said: abiding in His love for us. When we understand God's love, our faith is energized, and our hope remains steadfast.

My cup overflows

At least once a year, a pastor should pass by Psalm 23 with the church. Why? Because that is the Psalm that reminds us to whom we belong.

People today live with anxiety, insecurity, and fear of lack or danger. Because God is our good, faithful, steadfast shepherd, we can live without fear or lack, even in life’s darkest moments.

Know that we are not part of a movement or an organization. Some sort of membership club or religious sect. We are Jesus’ very flock.

This is one of David's Psalms that does not tell us the situation he was involved in ( compare with Psalm 51, 56, 59 or 142). These are historical prefaces, technically called a historical superscription in their opening lines. 

Charles Spurgeon said that David could not have written these words given his temporal or earthly circumstances, as his life was marked by great trouble, from his days as a shepherd to his time as a hunted exile, and later as a king beset by war and family tragedy.

Psalms 23 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

David, a former shepherd himself, writes not as a detached observer—but as someone who knows both sides.

He knows what it means to lead sheep… and he knows what it means to be one.

Jesus can be our perfect good shepherd because He is the Lamb of God.

He became like us

John 10:10-11 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

When God called Moses, he added Aaron to his ministry, because Moses never experienced what the people, as slaves, had suffered. 

However, our deliverer knows what it is to suffer. 

Hebrews 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

John 10:14-15 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Shepherding was not a clean, serene, or glamorous job. It involved a grueling, twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment of living in the dirt with the flock, fighting off wild animals, and guiding stubborn animals through hostile terrain.

I shall not want

Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

That statement changes everything.

David does not say, “The Lord gives me some help.” He says, “The LORD is my shepherd.”

This is personal. Not "a" shepherd. Not "the" shepherd in general. My shepherd. And because of that relationship: “I shall not want.”

This does not mean we never face difficulty. It means we will never lack what we truly need. It does not mean a life free from hardship, financial struggle, or physical pain. 

It does mean the Creator of the universe takes full, personal responsibility for the care, feeding, and protection of His flock.

He makes, He leads, He restores.

Psalms 23:2-3 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Sheep don’t lie down easily. They are anxious animals.

The work of the Holy Spirit today is to convince you about your righteousness, so we can lie down and be still.

John 16:8-11 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

• concerning sin, because they do not believe in me: it is “one sin”. Unbelief. That is the only sin that condemns a person to hell. Once you believe, that conviction is fulfilled.

- concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father: That is what the Spirit is working on us now. 

The Holy Spirit came into your heart to constantly remind, reassure, and convince you that you still possess the gift of righteousness through Christ—even when you make a mistake.

He wants to lead us to new levels of this revelation.

Romans 5:17 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

The shepherd provides all of that.

2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Unless we are fully convinced of God’s righteousness in us, there is no Psalm 23:5.

Psalms 23:5 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. cup overflowing. The very end of the Psalm, 

Notice the relation of John 16:11.

John 16:11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

How can you sit at a table in the presence of your enemies? Only if the Spirit fully convinced you that "the ruler of this world is judged."

He is the Restoration and Provision

The place of provision, restoration and rest is Jesus Himself.

Psalms 23:3 He restores my soul.

Life drains us. 

Sin distorts us. 

Stress exhausts us.

Comfort in the valley

Psalms 23:4 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

David does not say “…if I walk through the valley". He says, “…even though I walk through the valley". 

A devastating medical diagnosis, the grief of losing a loved one, or intense relational betrayal.

The rod in Psalm 23 symbolizes God's strength and protection, used to defend the flock from predators and to count sheep (Leviticus 27:32).

The staff represents God's guidance and love, used to direct and rescue wandering sheep, especially when they are trapped or in danger. 

A staff identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. Used for the care and management of sheep—and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or pigs - W. Philip Keller

This “valley” could refer to deep ravines where predators lurk, and shadows hide danger.

It represents anything that threatens us: Fear, loss, suffering and death. “I will fear no evil…”

Why?

Not because the valley is safe. Not because the danger is gone. “For you are with me.”

Did you notice the shift? Earlier, David said, “He leads… He makes… He restores…” Now he says, “You are with me.”

You are completely known, entirely forgiven, and eternally secured.

You do not have to earn the Shepherd’s love; you simply have to yield to it.

John 10:28-29 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

For most of us, it is in the valley that theology becomes personal.

Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The Hebrew word for "follow" means to actively pursue or chase down. How do "goodness and mercy" relate to the "rod and staff"? His rod points to His goodness. His staff points to His mercy.

His goodness pursues us; His staff pulls us close. 

You do not have to exhaust yourself chasing after God’s approval.

Psalms 138:7-8 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. 

God does not always remove the valley— but He always enters it with you.

“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The same God who corrects you is the God who comforts you.

A hospital hallway feels cold and overwhelming. Nothing seems to have changed about the situation… But once a close friend comes and stands close to us, everything feels different.

His presence changes everything.

God not only provides and protects… He stays with us.

My cup overflows

Psalms 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

He blesses us in the presence of enemies.

In the ancient Near East, hospitality carried profound weight. When a weary, dust-covered traveler arrived at a host's tent, the host would anoint their head with fragrant oil as a lavish sign of extreme honor, refreshment, and favor.

God treats us as His honored guests, serving us a feast of grace even while the spiritual battle rages all around us. 

John 10:9-11 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Spourgen also said, "The phrase, ‘my cup overflows,’ represents the pinnacle of the Psalmist’s experience. David realized that God’s grace provided an abundant, immeasurable, and excessive measure of blessing.

Why Some Cups Never Overflow?

Have you tried to fill a cup for someone who is constantly running? 

Doubt: Doubting God’s promises makes us uneasy. Makes us “Overfunctioners.” They feel that if they don’t "do it all" (or "fix it all"), things will fall apart. They are constantly running around, stressed, and exhausted. 

While being a “fixer" can be a positive trait, when it is driven by anxiety and leads to burnout when they try to dictate the outcome of every situation. 

The truth is that we don’t have control over everything, and powerlessness is a stressful trigger for many. So they hover, they interfere, they critique, and they take over tasks because they don't trust anyone else to do it “right."

Matthew 11:28-30 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Wrong Source: wealth, worldly pleasure, or fame. These are "leaky cisterns" that can never truly satisfy the human heart, which was designed by God to be filled by Him alone.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, He intentionally broke through deep cultural, religious, and gender barriers to reach a thirsty soul.

She was drawing water alone during the hottest part of the day. Jesus shifted their conversation from physical water to an entirely different dimension. 

Earthly "wells" of relationships, status, and material desires she had been pursuing would always leave her hollow and thirsty. 

However, Jesus did not condemn her. He showed her his true existential thirst, revealing that he knew everything about her and yet still offered her unconditional belonging.

John 4:10 "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.'"

John 4:13-14 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The invitation to worship the Father in spirit and truth is Jesus revealing Himself as the long-awaited Messiah.

The only one who gives us a life-giving fountain directly within our hearts.

She was looking to be loved. She tried five times. Her sixth partner was not even a husband. But Jesus came as the seventh, perfect one who eternally satisfies.

The woman completely abandoned her water jar, leaving behind the symbol of her old, exhausting cycles of lack.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Therefore, all the philosophical questions a man’s heart can ask, “Where do I come from? Why do I exist? Where am I going?” are ultimately answered in God. I came from God. I exist for His glory, and I will meet Him in eternity. 

Riches create an illusion of substance, but they leave the soul completely hollow because they cannot provide identity, purpose, or ultimate security.

Fulfillment is found not in what you possess, but in who possesses you.

John 7:37-39 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Envy: Comparing oneself to others or resenting others’ success creates a poison that prevents a person from enjoying what they have.

For those who truly trust in Jesus, the cup overflows. 

Possessing Christ means we possess all things. 

Romans 8:32 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

God Himself makes our cup overflow. God exceeds our prayers, our expectations, and our imaginations. 

The depth of His grace, the provision for our daily needs, the spiritual fruit produced in our lives, God’s gifts consistently surpass our hopes.

Ephesians 3:20-21 20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Today, you can hold your empty, dry life under the stream of divine grace offered in Jesus Christ. As you receive Him, you too will find that your life can be transformed into a vessel that overflows with His goodness.

Joy in times of unpredictable days - by Pastor Raph

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (17) Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, (18) yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (19) GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places

Habakkuk and the Psalmists made perfect biological sense when looking at the ibex, or mountain goat. When an ibex or mountain goat climbs a vertical cliff, its back hooves step exactly into the precise spot where its front hooves just were. It only needs two tiny rock ledges—fractions of an inch wide—to securely scale a mountain.

Habakkuk’s world was crumbling. God will give him the spiritual traction to stand firm on treacherous ground without slipping into despair. An ibex doesn't wait for the mountain to become a flat, easy plain; it is simply equipped to handle the cliff face as it is. God might not instantly fix our terrible circumstances, but God will give us the strength and agility needed to rise above them.

Every single human being was born into a natural condition of absolute spiritual bankruptcy. In our fallen state, we are completely unable to pull ourselves out of the pit of our own failures.

We only move forward by faith

Habakkuk 2:4[…] but the righteous shall live by his faith.

We should not speak what we see, but what we wish to see. The righteous live by faith because Christ lived a life of perfect trust on our behalf.

Imagine if Genesis began not with a declaration of authority, but with God looking out over the formless void, sinking into despair, and saying, "Wow, look how incredibly dark this is." If the Creator of the universe had merely agreed with the condition of the chaos, the earth would have remained empty, broken, and void. But God did not describe the darkness; He spoke into it. He commanded, "Let there be light,"

God lives in the dimension of faith. That is why Jesus is the author of faith.

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The physical principle that prevents you from pulling yourself upwards is Newton's third law of motion. It states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

We walk by faith, not by sight. 

2 Corinthians 5:7 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

So speak faith. Speak the gospel. Speak life.

There are people who think that, first, they should be filled with the Spirit, and then they would speak, pray and sing. But the order of God is the opposite. You speak first, then you will be filled.

Ephesians 5:18-21 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The healthy Christian life is a continuous practice of hearing, believing and speaking.

When someone is drunk on wine, the substance controls their speech, their steps, and their perspective. Paul says, " Don't let the world or your heavy circumstances intoxicate you into despair. Instead, let the Holy Spirit control your atmosphere.”Actively speak and sing—not just to ourselves, but to one another. When we speak the scriptures, sing hymns, and declare God’s praises, you will be filled.

Anxiety: the primary engine that burns life fuel.

Chronic anxiety is the primary engine that drives, sustains, and amplifies physical disease in the body (Satsangi & Brugnoli, 2018; Sheleg, 2026). The mind alters physical tissue; the connection is undeniable.

Anxiety triggers a constant flood of cortisol and chronic inflammation because the brain is stuck in an "uncertainty loop.”

It is anxiety that brings all sorts of fears and traumas.

Philippians 4:11-13 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

There is joy and contentment, a perspective and thankfulness that can fill our hearts more than anything that this world would ever give us.

Contentment doesn't mean you don't desire change or improvement; it means your inner peace isn’t held hostage by your external circumstances. The moment you say, "I am content right here," you pull the plug on the body's primary neuroendocrine stress response system. You signal to your nervous system that you are safe, cutting off the survival hormones that drive psychosomatic illness.

Contentment isn't found by changing the scenery, filling the barns, or fixing every problem. It’s found in a baseline relationship with the One who gives us the "hinds' feet" to stand firm on steep ground.

The emptiness that found love

Salomon experienced the banquet of pleasures a man can crave. Wealth, fame, power, sex (700 wives and 300 concubines), entrepreneurship, substance abuse and intellectual knowledge.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

No book in scripture exposes the emptiness of pure materialism quite like Ecclesiastes. King Solomon had unprecedented wealth, absolute security, and every earthly pleasure at his fingertips.

Song of Songs 6:3 3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies.

The reason why nothing the world could give satisfied Solomon is because we ultimately have a void of eternity.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Therefore, all the philosophical questions a man’s heart can ask, “Where do I come from? Why do I exist? Where am I going?” are ultimately answered in God. I came from God. I exist for His glory, and I will meet Him in eternity. 

Riches create an illusion of substance, but they leave the soul completely hollow because they cannot provide identity, purpose, or ultimate security.

Fulfillment is found not in what you possess, but in who possesses you.

Whether you are brought low or abounding, the true treasure is Christ Himself.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, He intentionally broke through deep cultural, religious, and gender barriers to reach a thirsty soul.

She was drawing water alone during the hottest part of the day. Jesus shifted their conversation from physical water to an entirely different dimension. 

Earthly "wells" of relationships, status, and material desires she had been pursuing would always leave her hollow and thirsty. 

Her brokenness was the evidence. But Jesus, when he pointed that out, he did not condemn her.

He showed her his true existential thirst, revealing that he knew everything about her and yet still offered her unconditional belonging and a covenant relationship.

By introducing her to a higher dimension of faith—worshiping the Father in spirit and truth—Jesus revealed Himself as the long-awaited Messiah who plants an unshakeable, life-giving fountain directly within the believer's heart.

She was looking to be loved. She tried five times. Her sixth partner was not even a husband. But Jesus came as the seventh, perfect one who eternally satisfies.

The woman completely abandoned her water jar, leaving behind the symbol of her old, exhausting cycles of lack.

"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.'" — John 4:10 (ESV)

Come to Jesus

What are you thirsty for today? Jesus is the answer in times of crisis.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Come to Jesus. It is not a matter of going to religion, rituals or ceremonies. The obligation of pleasing God in an absolutely perfect way. That is the law.

Matthew 11:28 MSG “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Despite us asking and expecting the blessing, not because of you but because of Christ.

The Shunammite Woman – Activating the Anointing

Juliana (Pastora)

Date:  May 10, 2026

Occasion: Mother's Day 

Happy Mother's Day! Today I want to share about a woman who perceived and

activated the anointing of God. I will be brief and cover this in four points.

For the men and the youth in the house: you can apply this to all areas of your

life — your workplace, your calling, your school, or whatever you are facing

right now.

The story of the Shunammite woman is amazing. She was not just a woman; she was

a mother whom God called. As Pastor Jaius mentioned, she could not have children,

she prayed, and she received a child.

Scripture references: 2 Kings 4 & 2 Kings 8

POINT 1 – HONOR THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:9–10

"She said to her husband, 'Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God

who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with

walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that

whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.'"

The Shunammite woman perceived that the prophet was passing by and prepared a

room for him. The prophet Elisha then called her and said:

"At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace your son."

(2 Kings 4:15–17)

And she conceived and bore a son.

Key truth: When you honor the presence of God and bring His presence into your

house, you release miracles — over your children, over your marriage, and over

the people around you.

The Four Furnishings and Their Meaning:

 BED → Rest. We are called to be women who walk in rest. Our minds race and

     overthink. We can only truly rest when we pray and have a daily

     devotional — stopping, reading at least one verse, meditating,

     declaring, and saying, "God, help me today."

 TABLE → Feeding on Christ. In Scripture the table always points to sitting

     with Jesus. Every resource, all wisdom, and every strategy you need

     has already been placed on the table by God. Ask, and receive.

     (Personal testimony: Feeling anxious before the end of the semester,

     the speaker prayed, declared God's victory, and received deep peace

     and rest.)

 CHAIR → Authority. You have authority in your mouth. Open your mouth and use

     it. Declare: "Devil, you are not allowed in my house. You are not

     allowed in my workplace. You are not allowed in my life."

 LAMP → Being led by the Holy Spirit. Be intentional in the presence of God.

Practical application — honoring the church:

Teach your children to honor the church. The way you speak about the church,

the leaders, and the pastors tells your children whether the presence of God is

important. They will always honor what you honor.

 • Children of athletes naturally pursue sports because they see their parents

  honor it.

 • Children of parents who honor the church and prayer grow differently.

 • Pastor's kids who see their parents speak badly about the church learn not

  to honor it.

Honor the church. Honor the leaders you walk with.

POINT 2 – INTERCEDE PERSISTENTLY (THE DEAD SON)

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:18–37

The son the Shunammite woman received died suddenly. She laid him on the

prophet's bed, closed the door, and went to find Elisha. Her husband asked why

she was going, and she answered simply: "It is well." Even in crisis, she

refused to speak death.

She grabbed Elisha's feet and held on. Gehazi tried to push her away, but

Elisha said: "Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress."

She persisted until Elisha came. He stretched himself over the boy — once, twice

— and the boy was restored to life.

Key truth: When the enemy comes against what God has given you, go back to the

source. Grab the feet of God and do not let go. Intercede with persistence.

Speak life, not death.

POINT 3 – KNOW YOUR IDENTITY

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:13

Elisha asked: "What can be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your

behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?"

The woman answered: "I dwell among my own people."

She was content. She knew who she was. She did not crave position or

recognition. She was grounded in her identity.

Key truth: Know who you are in God. You do not need to strive for titles or

approval. When you are secure in your identity, you carry the presence of God

with peace and authority.

Children's ministry testimony (Foster Village Life Group):

The speaker opened a life group for foster children while their foster parents

met. Rather than a complex message, God said: "Just tell them how I love them —

they are rejected."

She repeated: "You are loved. You are chosen. God chose you in the belly of

your mother. Jesus loves you."

A six-year-old boy, experiencing rejection for the first time, jumped into her

arms, gave her a kiss, and said: "Thank you for telling me I am loved."

Additional testimony (five-year-old boy):

A boy in children's ministry who struggled with self-control stopped the speaker

one day and said: "Pastora, I can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives

me strength." — Philippians 4:13. He was five years old.

The power of speaking identity over children cannot be underestimated.

Movie recommendation: "Beyond the Next Mountain" — a story of generational

faithfulness in missions.

Note on grandmothers:

Your words carry extraordinary power in your grandchildren's lives. Speak

destiny over them. (Personal story: The speaker's grandmother was the first in

her family to be saved through American missionaries. She always said: "You do

not belong to this earth — you are called, chosen, and loved." That declaration

shaped the speaker's life and ultimately brought her to the United States to

preach the gospel.)

POINT 4 – OBEDIENCE BRINGS MULTIPLICATION

Scripture: 2 Kings 8:1–6

The prophet told the Shunammite woman to leave her land for seven years because

a famine was coming. She was rich. She had her home, her belongings, her life.

Yet she arose and obeyed — without questioning, without complaining.

"So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went

with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years."

After seven years she returned. The king asked her to tell him about the great

things Elisha had done. While she was telling him, Gehazi confirmed her story.

The king then appointed an official for her and restored everything that was

hers — including all the produce of the field from the day she left until that

day.

"When the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official

for her, saying, 'Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of

the fields from the day that she left the land until now.'" (2 Kings 8:6)

Key truth: Obedience brings multiplication. What she gave up in obedience, God

restored with increase.

Let your children see you obey:

 • Say out loud to your children: "God told me we are going in this direction."

 • They learn to obey the Holy Spirit by first learning to obey you.

 • Give an instruction once. Train them to respond right away — because when

  the Holy Spirit speaks once, He expects immediate obedience.

 • Do not feel accused; you are training them.

Many of us struggle today to obey the Holy Spirit because we lacked practice

in obedience during childhood. You are building that foundation now.

CLOSING PRAYER

The speaker invited all mothers to stand for prayer, asking God to activate

this anointing over their lives across all four points:

 1. Honor the presence of God

 2. Intercede persistently

 3. Know your identity

 4. Walk in obedience

"God wants to bring multiplication in your motherhood. He wants to bring you

the right message. He wants to make you a woman full of the Holy Spirit — not

walking by your emotions or your soul, but walking by the Spirit."

KEY SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

 2 Kings 4:9–10 – The Shunammite prepares a room for Elisha

 2 Kings 4:15–17 – Elisha prophesies a son

 2 Kings 4:18–37 – The son dies and is restored

 2 Kings 4:13  – "I dwell among my own people"

 2 Kings 8:1–6  – Obedience and restoration

 Philippians 4:13 – "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

Voice-Activated Victory By Trenton Tombs

Sunday is easy. The worship is flowing, the message hits deep, and faith feels unshakeable. But Monday’s coming — and Monday is where faith gets tested. The real question isn’t how we feel in the pew, but how we stand when life hits back. This message is a practical and biblical call to carry the Word beyond the church walls and into the battles of everyday life.

Logos and Rhema. The Logos is the written Word of God — the Bible. The Rhema is the spoken, revealed Word — alive, personal, and active. The Sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6 is specifically called the Rhema of God, not the Logos. That means the weapon God has given us is not just a Bible on a shelf, but the Word declared out of our mouths with faith.

From Genesis 1, the Law of First Mention reveals that the very first attribute God shows about Himself is that He is a speaking God. He didn’t strategize in silence — He spoke, and creation obeyed. Since mankind is made in God’s image, that same creative power lives in our words. The Word is meant to travel from the mind, sink into the heart, and come out of the mouth — and it is only at that final step that real transformation takes place.

James 3 and the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 bring the message into focus. When the devil came against Jesus, he twisted words. And Jesus didn’t fight back with strength or strategy — He responded with three simple words: “It is written.” That is the model for every believer. The enemy is comfortable with Bible reading — he only fears the moment the Church learns to declare it.

Whatever test is coming this week, find the scripture for it, meditate on it, and speak it out loud. Trials are not meant to destroy — Romans 8:28 promises they conform us into the image of Christ. The gates of hell are defensive, which means the Church is always on offense. The weapon is ready. The victory is voice activated. Open your mouth and declare what is written.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Abiding and Multiplying

This week, I was reading the story of Samson. It is such a tragic story because you learn about this young man who had everything to be mighty and used by God in his generation, but instead, the plot follows Samson as he continually rejects the anointing on his life.

He was an anointed man from birth, but he allowed the immediate cravings of his flesh, such as hunger, sexual desire, pride, and self-reliance, to lure him out of God’s provision to make him a powerful and useful instrument to deliver God’s people from the oppression of the Philistines.

Judges 16:19-21 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

Because he leaned on his own flesh, he failed to stay under grace. He missed out on the fullness of what God wanted to work through him.

What is anointing

A simple magnifying glass alone cannot generate heat. But when you align it with the sun, it focuses that light to start a raging fire. 

We are the glass. We do not generate the power. The anointing focuses the Son of God through our lives, igniting supernatural multiplication in our families, our workplaces, and our ministries.

Once, a young man approached an elder and asked, "Brother, what is the anointing?"

And the man asked: "Do you see that ox grazing over there?" "Yes." "That is not the anointing." "Do you see that little bird sitting on the power line?" "That's not the anointing either." "But when you see the ox up there singing like a bird — that is the anointing.”

The anointing is when the Spirit of God moves in your life, and you do what you could not do before. It is when you say what you wouldn't say before — you are moved by a supernatural power.

That is the way the Lord wants us to live. It is the anointing of the Lord that makes all the difference. 

It is the anointing of the Lord. It is His presence. It is His life. It doesn't matter how we refer to it — it's all the same thing. It is the action of God's Holy Spirit.

χρῖσμα - chrîsma, khris’-mah - anything smeared on, unguent, ointment, usually prepared from oil and aromatic herbs. 

It is the root word for "charm". Over time, the term shifted to denote a more general "personal leadership magnetism.

But our charisma is something else, way more attractive and meaningful. It is the manifested presence.

Exodus 33:15-19 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” 

…

 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Moses recognized that without God’s presence, the Israelites were just a massive crowd of wandering former slaves.

Consider a blank piece of paper and a hundred-dollar bill. Physically, they are both just paper. But one carries the seal, the signature, and the backing of the treasury. 

God's presence is the signature upon your life. When you walk into a room, you do not walk in with just your resume or your natural limitations; you walk in carrying the weight of His abiding presence.

What makes us different is not our power, our morality, or our resources. It is God Himself going with us.

Jesus is our Anointing

Matthew 26:36 'Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”’

It is no coincidence that the night before Jesus went to the cross, He entered a garden located on the Mount of Olives—the garden of Gethsemane. 

To extract oil from an olive, the fruit cannot merely be plucked; it must be placed under a heavy stone and crushed.

Jesus was stepping into the ultimate press. He was entirely crushed under the weight of the sins of the world, absorbing the full penalty of our guilt so that we would never have to experience it. 

His crushing became our anointing. We possess the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit today only because Jesus was willing to be the olive pressed into oil.

He was pressed in the darkness so that the oil of the Holy Spirit's permanent power could abide in every born-again believer forever.

(Isaiah 53:5) 'But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.' 

The crushing was His; the peace is ours. 

The agony was His; the anointing is ours. 

Jesus endured in Gethsemane and on Calvary. The anointing He provides is entirely secure. The Holy Spirit now applies this finished work to us.

That is why we can say we have an abiding anointing.

You have an abiding Anointing 

Under the Old Covenant, human inability was and is constantly exposed. Remember, that is the very purpose of the law.

The law sets the standard, but it provides no power to meet it.

In the OT days, the Holy Spirit would come upon individuals for a specific task, like in the case of Samson. But then His presence would lift. They operated under temporary power.

But praise God, the New Covenant is completely different.

1 John 2:20 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

1 John 2:25-27 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. (everlasting, unending life)

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit does not just visit; He moves in permanently. 

The anointing abides—meaning it stays, rests, and makes its home in every born-again believer.

The anointing is not an emotional feeling or a temporary spiritual high; it is the permanent seal of the Holy Spirit over your life, marking you as Christ’s own.

That seal is a brand over us. It is a mark of grace upon your life.

Anointing makes us Priests and Kings

Anointing was the inaugural ceremony for priests.

Because of God's anointing, our identity is completely transformed. We are not just saved from hell; we are selected for a heavenly purpose.

(1 Peter 2:9) 'But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.'

The anointing is what seals and selects us as a holy nation and a priestly people. This is not a status we earn by showing up or trying really hard to be good. It is a royal identity gifted to us entirely by the grace of God.

When you are issued a passport from a powerful nation, you immediately gain the right of entry and the full protection of that government while traveling abroad.

You didn't build the country, but you enjoy all the benefits of its citizenship.

You also gain the antipathy, the aversion of the enemies of that nation. 

This anointing is your spiritual passport, guaranteeing your standing before the Father.

(Revelation 1:5-6) ’and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.'

Notice the past tense: He has freed us. He has made us a kingdom. 

Our foundation is unshakeable. You cannot lose your salvation, your anointing or your calling because you did not earn them; Jesus purchased them perfectly.

Under the Old Covenant, the priesthood was restricted to one specific tribe, and they operated in a limited capacity, subject to strict adherence to the law. 

Under the New Covenant, Jesus has unilaterally made us a kingdom of priests. We did not earn this title.

1 Samuel 16:13) 'Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.’

David received the anointing before he faced the giant, and this anointing is what empowered him to defeat the lion and the bear. In the biblical timeline, Samuel anoints David here in chapter 16, and the famous battle with Goliath takes place later in chapter 17.

1 Samuel 17:34-36 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

When David recounts killing the lion and the bear to King Saul, he is describing the supernatural strength he had already been experiencing as a shepherd since the day the Spirit of God rushed upon him.

David was a teenage shepherd. In the natural, he had no business fighting a lion, a bear, or a seasoned warrior like Goliath. But the Spirit of God multiplied David's natural ability.

The Holy Spirit takes our natural weakness and multiplies it with Christ's supernatural sufficiency.

God’s provision always precedes His assignment. 

David did not achieve mighty victories to earn the anointing; he was anointed, and that presence produced the victories.

We will win our battles even before entering them. The anointing that speaks victory.

This is of utmost importance: you need to have a testimony to fulfill what the Lord has placed before you. The bear and the lion are not comparable to the giant, but they were certainly battles David fought that gave him credibility before God. Our problem is that we want to go straight to the giants without passing through the bear and the lion... We want to start big, a fast-food generation, immediate and impatient. 

Many don't want to build anything in secret because who would know about David's victory over these two animals? No one, because he had built all of that in secret.

The change made possible because of the oil

When you are working with wood, one of the elements of attention is the hardness and stiffness of the wood fibers. You must anoint it, treat it before you start working on it. 

Think of a dry sponge. If you try to bend a dry, stiff sponge, it might tear. But when it is "soaked in the presence," it becomes completely flexible. 

Consider an engine without oil. It will overheat and could burn out.

Sometimes, because of the lack of flexibility in the fibers, the piece of raw wood that was meant to be a beautiful and useful tool, a piece of art, a structural element or a support pillar becomes useless and wasted when it breaks.

(2 Corinthians 3:18) 'And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.' 

Transformation happens by "beholding" Jesus. As we soak in His presence, transforming us into His image without us even being aware of the change.

The reason this happens to so many people in the church is the lack of anointing oil in their lives. They do not soak themselves in the oil of the presence, and when it is time to chisel the roughness of their character, instead of becoming more useful, they break. They leave the church, they leave the group, they become hurt and bitter.

(Hebrews 12:15) 'See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.' 

Bitterness is the sign of wood that has gone dry

Refuse today the path of Samson, and completely yield to the abiding anointing.

Step out in faith today. Trust that the Holy Spirit will multiply your limited resources and abilities for the Kingdom. 

Activate it.

Have you ever stared at a problem, a calling, or a crisis, and realized that you are entirely out of your depth? 

Our natural strength, our bank accounts, our intelligence, and our patience simply run dry. 

That is not the lack of anointing. It is the lack of its activation.

A few weeks ago, I went to a physiotherapist to deal with discomfort in my right leg. One interesting thing she did was test the strength of all my lower-body muscles to find where the discomfort came from. And from suprise, the problem was not with the strength of my legs. It was my lower back core. The way to fix it is to activate it through stretching and exercise.

How can you activate the anointing?

Ephesians 5:15-21 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 1

9 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

This anointing is not an abstract force. It is the very presence of God with us and in us.

The Holy Spirit never leaves. But the anointing — it is like fuel. You spend it, and you need to be filled again. If you were filled with the Spirit ten years ago and never again — now is the time to change that story. 

How do you expect to be led by the Spirit if the car has no fuel? And the fuel is the Spirit himself — it's the anointing of the Spirit — but you are the one who gets filled.

When you feel empty, remember that the Spirit lives inside you. The presence of God goes with you. He takes your little and multiplies it into something completely supernatural.

David prayed: "Lord, do not take your Spirit from me." Why did David pray that? Because he was in the Old Testament. Don’t pray that prayer anymore, because today you are under the New Covenant and you can no longer be separated from the Holy Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 6:17 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

This verb "to join" in Greek is "kolla" — glue. It means there is no way to become unglued from the Lord. It is an amalgam. What is an amalgam?

Epoxy it comes with two parts, one white and one gray. They are soft. If you press them, they are very flexible. But when you mix one with the other, they become solid as rock.

The people of the world, the Holy Spirit is around them. But now that you are born again, the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you — within you, in your very spirit. But there is still a third — let's say, a third stage

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

One thing is the Spirit within — another thing is the Spirit upon you. The Spirit within is regeneration. The Spirit is upon anointing.

But this believer still needs an extra experience with the Spirit — what we call the anointing. Many people also refer to the new birth as the anointing. That's fine — no problem, as long as you understand they are two distinct aspects.

The anointed life gives the victory over flesh.

Galatians 5:16-18 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.’

Even after justification is permanently secured by the blood of Jesus, the born-again believer still possesses the unredeemed flesh. This creates a continuous, internal battle. However, victory is to “walk by the Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit provides the supernatural power to overcome the flesh. Sanctification is the process of learning to stop relying on the flesh and start resting in the Spirit’s ability to apply Christ’s finished work to your daily choices.

Romans 8:5-6 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.’

The battleground is the mind. To set your mind on the flesh is to operate in self-reliance, trying to manufacture your own righteousness or fulfill your desires through natural human strength. But to set your mind on the Spirit is to fix your attention on the absolute sufficiency of God's grace and the reality of your new identity in Christ.

A debt-free life.

We all know the crushing, suffocating weight of debt. When you owe someone something you cannot pay, it dictates how you live, how you sleep, and how you see your future.

If you owe money to someone, their presence is uncomfortable.

If you come across an opportunity to travel or enjoy a restaurant meal and, by chance, you meet that person, shame will control you.

Debt is directly related to shame.

God desires to remove all spiritual shame from the believer and replace it with “double honor.”

Isaiah 61:7 7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.

The root of shame goes back to the Garden of Eden. Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (which represents living under the Law) opened humanity's eyes to their nakedness, producing shame.

Shame produces feelings of inferiority, guilt, and ultimately, fear. 

Shame prevents people from approaching God with boldness, stepping into leadership, or exercising faith to receive God's blessings.

This shame immediately leads to fear and fear to shame. 

I was talking to my niece Nataly, who is a sweet little girl, and she is afraid of dogs. We noticed that because yesterday we had my cousin’s dog around us for a family celebration. As people were trying to convince her that she did not need to be afraid of the dog, I noticed not only fear but also shame about that fear. It is a vicious cycle that pulls us down.

But the ultimate fear and shame is the fear of facing God, which is expressed by the fear of death.

The Bible teaches of the ultimate debt, the ultimate payment, and the absolute freedom that belongs to the born-again believer.

The Problem of sin

For centuries, humanity lived under a shadow of a debt it could not pay. We see the origin of this problem in Genesis 3. When Adam sinned, a fundamental fracture occurred in the human spirit. 

Genesis 3:8-10 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Mankind was plunged into spiritual death. From that moment forward, iniquity—a bent toward self and away from God—began to grow like a terrible weed, wrapping itself around the human heart.

From sin to iniquity. 

The spiritual degradation from a single, isolated act of missing the mark (sin) to a deeply ingrained, habitual pattern of inner corruption and willful rebellion (iniquity).

Imagine a car hitting a pothole. The tires stay functional, but the wheels suffer permanent damage. This impacts the suspension and handling, making the car bent and misaligned. The driver can still operate the vehicle but must remain alert to its tendency to drift sideways and veer outside the lanes. Constant vigilance is necessary because the car's usual straight path is compromised. 

Iniquity is essentially the tragic downward shift from committing a bad action to developing a twisted, hardened character.

From the fall in Genesis 3 to the problem of wickedness in Genesis 6.

Genesis 6:5 5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The problem of evil grew so dark that it created blindness to our own condition.

The human heart became so saturated with darkness that, without divine intervention, humanity was completely blind to its own depravity and utterly incapable of fixing it.

Jeremiah 17:9 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?’

The unregenerate human heart is not just broken; it is an active deceiver. It lies to us. It tells us we are good enough, strong enough, and righteous enough on our own. It masks our spiritual sickness with pride. 

(Mark 2:17) 'And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”’

I am reminded of a story about a grandmother who absolutely refused to go to the doctor. She used to say that every time she went to the clinic, she would come back with a new disease. In her mind, the problem was not her aging, decaying body; the problem was the doctor and those pesky lab results. If she just avoided the doctor, she could pretend she was perfectly healthy.

Isn't that the exact problem with the human heart? We run from the truth because we are terrified of the diagnosis. Many people refuse to allow the light of the Gospel to touch their lives because they know, deep down, it will reveal their true spiritual condition. 

John 3:19-20 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

We are examining the issue of sin, which in theology is known as Hamartiology. This branch studies the doctrine of sin, derived from the Greek word hamartia, meaning "to miss the mark." It explores the origin, nature, extent, and consequences of sin.

The Light is no longer a threat; it is a deliverance, it will bring relief. 

That is when sanctification starts. It is simply the Holy Spirit continually shining the Light of Christ into our daily lives, not to condemn us, but to apply the healing power of His finished work to our minds and actions.

Everything that has light grows and flourishes.

I talked to the pool maintenance manager this week. I asked how I could get rid of the persistent algae growth in my pool. He said, until Florida continues to be the Sunshine State, you can’t get away from growing algae. Because the light brings life, not death. 

The Mirror: Law

For a long time, there was no written law. Sin was a deadly disease, but it had not yet been codified into a legal framework. Then, God gave the Law to Moses. Why?

God gave the Law to reveal our desperate condition. Think of an MRI machine at a hospital. If you are sick, an MRI is incredibly useful because it provides a clear picture of the tumor. It reveals the exact nature of the problem. But an MRI machine has absolutely no power to cut the tumor out. It can only show you that you are dying.

(Romans 5:20) 'Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,'

The Law was never given to cure the disease of sin; it was given to diagnose it. 

We all went from being simply infected with sin to being active, willful lawbreakers. Yet, in His infinite mercy, God ensured that wherever sin was exposed, His grace would flood.

(Romans 3:20) 'For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.’

We see this when the rich young ruler came to Jesus. Jesus was using the law properly. 

Matthew 19:16-22 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The blindness was so great that, as it is still among the religious circles nowadays, the young man thought he was righteous because of his outward behavior.

I believe age is also a factor. Remember, the first to leave the challenge to cast the first stone at the adulterous woman if they were without sin was an elderly man. 

John 8:7-9 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

Jesus applied the true, heavy standard of the Law to the young man, revealing his absolute spiritual bankruptcy. 

20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Law was not given to bring righteousness; it was given to destroy our self-righteousness so we would look for a Savior.

(Romans 7:10) 'The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.' 

The Law was holy, righteous, and good, revealing God's perfect standard. However, because of the indwelling disease of iniquity, mankind was completely unable to keep it. Instead of bringing the Law diagnosed our fatal spiritual condition, provoked our sin into active transgression, and brought the legal penalty of death if used wrongly, it can be deadly.

The law was meant to completely destroy any reliance on self-righteousness, pointing out that life can only be found in God's grace and the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

Until Christ

(Galatians 3:24) 'So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.'

The Law turned our sin into literal transgressions; it gave the enemy a legal demand over humanity.

Pastor John Warton wrote in his book about Job.

Satan impugns the character of both Job and God by his accusation that Job only reveres God for the benefits he receives. Put another way, he is accusing God of buying Job's reverence with these benefits. This accusation is exactly in accord with Satan's evil nature and typical actions. Jesus describes him as a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). The Apostle John warns the future Church of his evil nature, calling him "the accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10), which is exactly what he did to Job."

Satan is an accuser.

Before the Law, we were broken; after the Law, we were legally guilty. 

Satan held the rulebook, pointed to our undeniable failures, and claimed a rightful, legal ownership over our eternal destiny.

Think of an X-ray machine. The radioactive element is what allows the machine to work correctly. In 1987, my city was the site of the most serious radioactive accident the country has seen in its history. 

All because of the misuse of one device that was meant to make a diagnosis, but it was wrongly used. You can research the accident, the Radiological Accident in Goiânia. It is often referred to as the "Brazilian Chernobyl" due to the widespread contamination with Cesium-137 teletherapy unit, which was stolen from an abandoned hospital site on September 13, 1987, and broken open, exposing the public to radioactive powder.

The Law is a mirror, not a cleanser. It was never designed to justify mankind or make us righteous through our own performance. Its purpose was to expose the deep-rooted sickness of our iniquity, making us fully conscious of our absolute inability to save ourselves and our desperate need for the finished work of Jesus Christ.

But then came Jesus.

Colossians 2:13-15 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The requirements of the Mosaic Law were violated. The 'debt' signifies the punishment owed for sins. We were all responsible for breaking the principles of the Law, we knowingly acknowledged, even if we were not directly under the law.

Before you could ever respond to God, while you were entirely dead in your sin, God made you alive in Jesus. He did not achieve this by ignoring the Law, but by fulfilling it.

The author of the hymn "Amazing Grace" was John Newton, a former slave ship captain who experienced a profound conversion and later became an Anglican clergyman and an abolitionist.

Newton was William Wilberforce’s spiritual mentor. Wilberforce experienced a profound spiritual conversion in 1785, and he seriously considered resigning from Parliament to become a minister. Confused about his future, he secretly went to visit John Newton.

Newton strongly advised Wilberforce against leaving politics. He convinced him that God had intentionally placed him in Parliament for a specific purpose: Newton told him, "I hope the Lord will make you a blessing both as a Christian and a statesman. How seldom do these characters coincide! But they are not incompatible."

Following Newton's advice, Wilberforce stayed in politics.

In 1833, the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act to free over 800,000 enslaved people across the British Empire. However, there was a massive obstacle: the slave owners held legal ownership over these individuals. The enslaved men, women, and children were entirely destitute. They had no money, no rights, and absolutely zero ability to purchase their own freedom. They were completely helpless to change their legal condition.

To permanently break this system while satisfying its strict "legal demands," the British government stepped in and took an unprecedented step. They took out a staggering £20 million loan—which represented 40% of the government's entire national budget at the time—to literally buy the freedom of every single slave.

The enslaved people contributed absolutely nothing to this payment. They could not earn it, they did not help finance it, and they did not have to prove their worth to receive it. The emancipator entirely absorbed the colossal debt, legally satisfying the rigid demands of the old system. 

The captives simply woke up to the reality that the impossibly high price for their lives had been paid in full by someone else, and their legal status had been permanently changed from "slave" to "free."

Jesus completely eradicated the massive debt that Satan held against us. By paying the penalty through His blood, Jesus completely stripped the enemy of his legal right to accuse us.

The absolute sufficiency of Christ’s work precedes any action on our part.

I was teaching this to our brothers in Pakistan. This modern-day slavery in the brick kiln industry is a widespread system of debt bondage (or "bonded labor") affecting millions. Despite being legally outlawed in 1988, the practice persists due to weak enforcement, extreme poverty, and social hierarchies.

Impoverished workers often take small "advance" loans (peshgi) to cover emergencies like medical expenses or weddings. Employers then manipulate these debts through high interest rates and a lack of transparency, making repayment nearly impossible. When a debtor dies, the debt frequently passes to their children or spouse, perpetuating a cycle of servitude that can last for decades. Families work 12 to 14 hours daily to meet a quota of 1,000–1,500 bricks, earning as little as $1.50 to $6 per thousand.

The verse says

Colossians 2:14 … the record of debt that stood against us

Record of debt — χειρόγραφον — (hairá-grafon) — A handwritten document, hand-signed paper that confirms the bond and the certificate of debt.

Satan held a signed confession of our spiritual bankruptcy, a massive, undeniable debt. 

Jesus was entirely without sin and had no reason to feel shame because there was no debt owed to Him. However, during His trial and crucifixion, He voluntarily endured the deepest forms of human humiliation—He was stripped naked, spat upon, beaten, and mocked. He absorbed this shame so that you would never have to pay it again.

Jesus took the legal document, absorbed the wrath it required, and nailed it to His cross, eternally stamping it "Paid in Full.”

A debt-free life

The enemy has no paperwork left to use against you.

If God has gone to such extreme lengths to cancel your spiritual debt, He desires that the believer live a debt-free life in finances as well. 

Financial freedom. Financial debt is a worldly system designed to mimic the spiritual bondage Christ already destroyed.

(Romans 13:8) 'Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.'

Your core identity is now debt-free in the heavenly places; you are called to manifest that freedom in your daily living.

A life burdened by financial obligations restricts your ability to freely serve, give, and advance the Kingdom. Owe nothing but love, allowing the freedom of grace to dictate their finances, not the pressure of lenders.

(Proverbs 22:7) 'The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.'

God does not want His children living in slavery to anyone or anything.

When we willingly enter into consumer financial debt, we subject ourselves to the authority and anxiety of a worldly master. 

It is time to recognize that financial stewardship is a vital part of spiritual maturity. 

Be aggressive in pursuing financial freedom, you break the chains of the borrower and step into the limitless provision of the Father.

Philippians 4:19) 'And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.'

His "riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Your spiritual and natural needs are met through His finished work. You do not need to live in financial or spiritual anxiety, but can rest securely in the Father's overflowing sufficiency.

(2 Corinthians 9:11-12) 'You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.'

We have inherited the unsearchable riches of Christ's grace. Your eternal debt has been nailed to the cross. The enemy has been disarmed.

Do not put the yoke of slavery back on your own neck, whether through legalistic religion or through suffocating financial debt.

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

The wisdom of grace: From Crisis to the Next Level 

A new light to see the crises. 

We often find ourselves in situations where the answers of this world fall short. I mean, what is the use of a PhD if you have terminal cancer? What do to when you can’t pay the bills? Or when you actually have the means to pay all the bills, you can’t bring your children back home?

When a truly impossible problem strikes, what do you see? What can make men go into a panic is meant to bring us to a new expectation of miracles.

1 Chronicles 12:32 32 And of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs; and all their kinsmen were under their The 

People in the world claim to be wise, intelligent and educated, yet they lack the answers to face life’s challenges (Romans 1:22). 

God has given His people wisdom and knowledge to help us maintain stability in an increasingly disoriented world, a world that seeks answers and solutions but simply cannot find them.

Isaiah 33:5-6 5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,

6 and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

There are many mysteries in your life, such as:

It can be really tough when you feel like you can’t fully understand or make your wife happy. Why is someone you love going through this condition? You might also find yourself asking, 'What’s going on with my business?' or feeling confused about why certain things are happening in your ministry. 

But remember, you're not alone, and there are ways to find support and understanding during these challenging times. 

The light from the church

The place to find light is within the church. This is more than a general “tap on the back” or a wishful “everything is gonna be all right” type of comforting words. It is real wisdom and insight.

A few weeks ago, a family talked to me on the verge of collapse. One single word, a thought of divine inspiration, was like a lifeline as they were completely out of the succumbing waters. That is the light that comes from the “ menorah”. 

(Revelation 1:20) 'As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.'

In biblical typology, the menorah represents the light of the Spirit within the Body of Christ. 

Before entering the tabernacle, there was a door; and before passing through it, what lay outside was the natural light of the sun. However, when one entered the tabernacle, upon entering the Holy Place, there was no longer any sunlight, for it was covered with four curtains. The only light there was that of the seven golden lampstands, the menorah, the light of the church, where you and I are today.

The light of the church provides a lifeline in moments of crisis where natural wisdom fails: it gives a mother the specific insight to speak to her child’s identity as a beloved of God rather than merely correcting external behavior; it offers an anxious businessman the revelation of God’s favor and supply to rest even when the market is failing; it provides a couple on the verge of collapse the supernatural power of reconciliation found in Christ’s forgiveness; it shields a believer from the cycle of addiction by unveiling their permanent righteousness in Christ; and it grants a suffering individual the assurance of healing through His wounds rather than their own merits. 

The light of the Spirit within the Body of Christ transforms every human demand into a divine supply.

The world may offer general answers, but the Lord’s answer is personal to you.

Have you ever considered the various parts of the armor of God? Ephesians chapter 6 describes the helmet of salvation, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We also see the belt of truth. But one specific piece is the breastplate of righteousness.

I believe Paul was observing a Roman soldier when he wrote that passage. He likely noticed that the breastplate had laces located on the soldier's back. This suggests that some of our spiritual protection—our steadfastness and endurance—is only possible when another brother or sister reminds us of God's righteousness in Christ Jesus. It is as if someone else must help clothe us with that breastplate.

What a joy it is to be part of the Body of Christ! Here, in the church and in the community, you will not stumble. You have the light, you will endure and prevail, and your vital spiritual organs will be protected by the breastplate of righteousness.

Personal wisdom

Have you noticed how people like to turn their story template into everyone else’s? Many in the world try to turn their personal success stories into a standard for everyone else. However, our template for real life is not your story—it is His story.

To one, the Lord may say, “Stop drinking milk,” but to another, He will say, “Drink more milk”. 

They may be very intelligent, they may even be doctors, but above all, one must have the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The world boasts in its own persistence, its calloused hands, and its resilient ability to strain against the current of a crisis. This is the exhaustion of the law, the system of the world, where progress is limited to the measure of human muscle.

When we were placed "in Christ" by God's grace, Jesus became "wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption” for us.

God does not want you to row; He wants you to raise your sails and give the testimony of the Ruach—the Holy Spirit—blowing the wind of His unmerited favor into our lives. 

When we stop relying on our own strength, the breath of His grace thrusts us ahead into our calling with a speed and ease that human effort could never achieve. Your testimony is not how hard you worked, but how far His wind has carried you.

In the Crises, Pray together

King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a mysterious, recurring dream that he could neither remember nor understand, leading him to issue an impossible ultimatum to his court. He demanded that his magicians and astrologers not only interpret the dream but describe the dream itself, decreeing that if they failed to reveal this hidden mystery, every wise man in the kingdom would be executed.

This decree placed Daniel and his friends under an immediate sentence of death. The Bible tells us that Babylonian sages entered a state of absolute panic. It was a humanly insoluble problem—human effort reached its limit.

But remember, that is the setting for God to manifest His supernatural power and promote His children through a divine revelation that no worldly intelligence could provide.

Daniel gathers his friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—to pray and seek God's mercy regarding the mystery (Daniel 2:17-18)

This is the first time we see Daniel and his three friends praying together. 

Daniel 2:17-18 17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel ("God is my Judge.") was named Belteshazzar ("May Bel protect his life”).

Hananiah ("The Lord is Gracious”) was named Shadrach ("Command of Aku" (the moon god)).

Mishael ("Who is like our God?”)was named Meshach ( "Who is like Aku?”) 

Azariah ("The Lord has helped.”) was named Abednego ("Servant of Nego" or Nebo, the god of wisdom/learning).

Daniel 2:19-21 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

Until then, prayers in the Bible were offered individually: Abraham, Noah and others prayed alone. This is the first mention of a united prayer in the Bible.

When you are going through struggles, seek out people who share your faith to pray with you. When two Spirit-filled people come together, the anointing is activated. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

That is why we need gatherings like this. Your anointing will be activated because of the brothers and sisters around you.

Prayer is powerful and changes circumstances! Are you unhappy with what is happening in your relationships or your marriage? Whatever it is, prayer changes things! Daniel knew this secret.

Daniel asks the king for time. He needed to pray. He knew that prayer would transform the situation. Prayer changes your body, your relationships and your future! 

Don’t set limits on God.

The Bible says:

James 4:2 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

God said to David: ‘Why are you taking another man’s wife? If my gifts are not enough, ask me, and I will give you more.’ I have given you your master’s house and wives, as well as Israel and Judah; if this was too little, I would have added more,” (2 Sam 12:8).

Do you know what this means? That you can ask God for more fulfillment, more intimacy, more satisfaction. Whatever it is, you can ask in prayer.

God takes care of everything. You can pray all day long. When the Holy Spirit reminds you of your daughter, pray for her. Pray as you walk; speak to God in a low voice.

The Holy Spirit had access to the most powerful man of the time, King Nebuchadnezzar. Even in his bedroom, the most private of places, the Holy Spirit put thoughts into his mind whilst he slept.

Did you know that God can put thoughts into your wife’s or your boss’s head whilst they are sleeping? God can say: “Promote this person, increase their salary.” God can do this, but sometimes you don’t trust God. Prayer changes things!

God has access to the innermost thoughts of the most powerful man, as was the case with Nebuchadnezzar.

Did you know that God can give you thoughts about the future? He may ask you to pray about something before it happens, because He who reveals mysteries (secrets) allows you to know what is to come.

Have you ever felt a strong need to pray for your family's protection? 

Before any struggles, the Lord warns us so we can learn to pray.

Pray for protection every day. Sometimes in a simple way, at other times, with intensity.

Not only a dreamer but an interpreter of dreams

Daniel 2:27-28 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

Daniel and his friends were promoted to the next level.

The interpretation of the statue in the king’s dream: The golden head: Babylonian Empire. The chest and arms of silver: Medo-Persian Empire. The belly and hips of bronze: Greece-Macedonian Empire. The legs of iron: Roman Empire. The toes partly of clay and partly of iron: the future empire of the Antichrist.

Daniel 2:46-49 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

Promotion comes with maturity

God’s stories often repeat themselves. Joseph was seventeen when he was sold into slavery in Egypt, but it was at the age of thirty that he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was promoted. David was just a boy when he was anointed by Samuel, but it was also at the age of thirty that he ascended the throne. There is a time of growing in Grace; God sustains us through the crisis of our seventeenth year to promote us to the next level at thirty.

Jesus began His earthly ministry at around the age of thirty (Luke 3:23). The perfect timing of God’s grace is coming.

Romans 5:2-5 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

God has a way of acting, and wise is the one who understands God’s ways, the way He acts.

Your crisis is a setback meant to destroy you, but it is a step for God's “much more.” 

Romans 5:9-10 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:15 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Romans 5:17 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Daniel and his three friends were promoted; Joseph was exalted. David was crowned. And Jesus promised:

John 14:12-14 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

One reason to trust

Imagine you are a high-stakes investor, and you decide to put every single penny of your life savings, your children’s inheritance, and your very home into one single stock. If that company succeeds, you are a billionaire. If it fails, you lose everything. You are homeless.

The Bible doesn't say Christianity is "mostly true" or "good for your morals." The Bible says it all hangs on one historical, verifiable, and undeniable hook: the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. If that didn't happen, we aren't just "mistaken"—we are fools.

1 Corinthians 15:12-17 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

You are fleeing a forest fire, and the only way to safety is across a deep canyon spanned by a single, narrow wooden plank. You have to carry your entire family across. If a single knot in that wood snaps, everything you love is lost. That is the intensity of Resurrection Day. We aren't betting on a "feeling"; we are betting everything on the historical integrity of that one Plank.

I know people who are very skeptical, to the point that if their mother says, “I love you," they begin researching to verify whether it's true or not. 

However, some people are very syncretic. Very easily persuadable. When I visit India, people have no problem listening to about Jesus. He is just another one in the pantheon of many deities.

Some believe in everything and anything and create their own definitions of good, evil, god, and demons. They are not seeking factual truth; instead, they construct their own version of truth. They know there is a truth, but they can’t say what it is or where it is.

Perhaps you are an agnostic—someone who believes that nothing can be known about the existence or nature of God, or anything beyond material phenomena. You claim neither faith nor disbelief in God. You are uncertain and therefore never commit to a particular issue. 

In all cases, whether non-believing or all-believing, you end up trapped in a reality that is fundamentally immoral, drunken, profane, and narcissistic, centered on self-absorption. That is ultimately a self-destructive life.

So, whether you are barricaded behind intellectual pride or simply acknowledging a 'historical Christ' that you never let into your heart, the outcome is a life centered entirely on the self. There is no moral framework or ultimate accountability; therefore, like Paul said.

1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:32 […] If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

But maybe you don’t need to wait till tomorrow to die. Maybe you are dead now.

You come home, and your kids hide themselves from you.

You may be growing your business, but it is at the cost of your marriage.

You may be legetimate a good mother that takes care of your child, but at the cost of your health and conscience.

The cross, the grave and the church are the continuous proclamation of the truth of the gospel. 

The good news is that Jesus can take all our mess and make a message. Can take our tests and failures and turn them into a testimony.

If the grave is not empty, your parachute backpack is empty.

 If you want to determine whether Christianity is true, and therefore whether every contrary worldview is false, you only need to answer 1 question:

Did Jesus return from the dead, or did He not?

That is the entire issue.

Why? Because Jesus made transcendent, messianic, and divine claims about Himself. He claimed to be the Son of God. 

John 10:30 I and the Father are one.”

The audience understood exactly what He meant, because they picked up stones to kill Him, saying that He, a mere man, was claiming to be God.

Anyone can claim to be the Son of God. But if someone claims to be the Son of God, dies, and 3 days later rises from the dead, that is powerful evidence that He was telling the truth.

That is why the resurrection serves as the cornerstone of the Christian faith. 

The E’s Easter.

Execution

Early

Empty

Eyewitnesses

Execution

Before there can be a resurrection, there must first be a death.

There is virtually no dispute among scholars, including non-Christian historians, that Jesus died by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.

Journal of the American Medical Association published an article concluding that the historical and medical evidence clearly shows Jesus was dead even before the spear wound was inflicted. 

We have not only multiple early New Testament sources, but also ancient non-biblical sources such as:

Josephus: Flavius Josephus, a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian, provides important non-biblical evidence for the crucifixion of Jesus in his work *Antiquities of the Jews* (c. 93 AD). He notes that Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to the cross based on accusations from prominent Jewish leaders.

Tacitus: a Roman historian and politician. He is widely regarded by modern scholars as one of the greatest Roman historians.

Mara bar Serapion: "Mara son of Serapion", was a Stoic philosopher in the Roman province of Syria. He is only known from a letter he wrote in Aramaic to his son, who was named Serapion, in which he refers to the execution of "the wise king of the Jews.”

The Jewish Talmud: It records the teachings, opinions and disagreements of thousands of rabbis and Torah scholars. The Babylonian Talmud contains limited, hostile references to a "Yeshu" (Jesus) who was hanged/crucified on Passover Eve for sorcery and leading Jews astray.

Even skeptical scholars concede this. As atheist New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann said, Jesus’ death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable.

His death on the cross can also reveal to you the Bible’s most important message. Maybe, like the centurion, you also can exclaim:

Mark 15:39 39 …“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Once you do that, then John 3:16 can speak to your heart.

John 3:16 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life

But because the stone has been rolled away, your "policy of morality" is a useless forged document with no value at the bank of heaven. 

So the first E is this: Jesus was executed. He truly died.

Perhaps you have come here today leaning on your own understanding, perhaps even feeling a sense of pride in a hardened skepticism.

But I must ask: is that intellectual distance actually a shield for your heart? Or maybe you are the person who readily acknowledges the 'Historical Jesus'—you’ve seen the evidence, you know the facts of the cross—yet that knowledge remains 'dead' because it has made no difference in how you live.

2. Early Accounts

We have reports that Jesus rose from the dead that originated extremely early, virtually immediately after His death. This matters because legends take time to develop.

Maybe you are the one who thinks that the resurrection is a legend that grew over 100 or 150 years.

The early creed

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 is an early Christian creed stating that:

Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. He appeared to eyewitnesses. This creed names specific witnesses, including skeptics and opponents whose lives were radically changed.

But what I like about this creed is verse 8. It is actually an invitation for anyone at any time in history to also see the resurrection and be born again.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Do you want to be born again? Press the reset button and start over. Receive a new nature and start a new walk of life. There is a way. May your eyes be open today so you can see the resurrected Christ. 

It is way more than a mental ascential, but it is a complete change of mind and heart because you receive God. 

So the second E is this: The resurrection proclamation is early—far too early to be dismissed as legend.

This tradition was formulated within months of Jesus’ death, no time for a legend. As a reference for comparison, the earliest surviving detailed accounts about Alexander the Great were written about 300–450 years after his life. Legends typically develop over approximately two generations (about 60–100 years). This is because eyewitnesses no longer need to be present or influential at that point.

What we are sharing here is not a fairy tale. It is not a development of a fictitious character like Superman or Spider-Man. This is history that can change your story.

For the disciples’ conviction that they encountered the risen Jesus, we have numerous ancient sources inside and outside the New Testament.

3. Empty

The third E stands for empty. Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and that tomb was found empty on the first Easter morning.

Luke 24:4-11 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men [angels] stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

Jesus was publicly crucified in Jerusalem. If the tomb had not been empty, it would have been very difficult for a resurrection movement to explode in the very same city where He was killed.

In that culture, women were not considered reliable legal witnesses. If the story were invented, the writers would not have chosen women as the primary witnesses. They would have chosen men to make the story more credible.

Jesus’ opponents did not say, “The tomb is not empty.” Instead, they said, “The disciples stole the body” (Matthew 28:11–15). They were not denying the fact; they were trying to explain it away.

Who could have taken the body? The Romans—since they wanted Jesus dead. Not the Jewish leaders—they also sought His death. Not the disciples—they lacked the motive, means, and opportunity.

The most plausible explanation is that Jesus was physically resurrected from the dead.

4. Eyewitnesses

The fourth E stands for eyewitnesses. Jesus did not simply leave behind an empty tomb. He also appeared alive in multiple settings over time, to individuals and groups, indoors and outdoors, by day and by night.

He was seen by more than 515 people (1 Corinthians 15:3–8).

These groups included believers, skeptics, doubters and former opponents.

People interacted with Him by talking, touching, and sharing meals.

John 20:26-27 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

He can also touch you today.

It is a historically certain that the disciples had experiences after Jesus’ death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ.

 Were these hallucinations? That explanation doesn't hold. A psychology expert said hallucinations occur in individual minds, not 500 simultaneously. Such a mass hallucination would be a greater miracle than the resurrection. The disciples suffered for their testimony, enduring deprivation and persecution because they claimed Jesus had risen. People may die for mistaken beliefs, but not for knowing something is false.

So the fourth E is this: There were eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus.

John 1:12 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Understand that you needed to receive the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased for you on the cross.

Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You can become a child of God today.

God answers prayers. Accept Jesus and see the transformation happen by grace through faith.

Your priorities will change.

Your character will change.

Your values will change.

Your relationships will change.

Your marriage will change.

Your parenting will change.