Tag: John 3:16

Passover Parallels

The more I study the Bible, the more I marvel at how seamlessly it weaves together God’s plan of deliverance for all people. The story of the first Passover in Exodus 11 & 12 includes so many rich symbols that point the way to Jesus in the New Testament. There are incredible parallels between the tenth and final plague in Egypt and Jesus’ blood that was shed to save humankind. For me, this magnifies God’s capacity to focus on vast plans and intimate details at the same time. Rather than trying to explain or interpret the similarities between the deliverance of the Israelites and the deliverance of all people from sin, I’m going to let the Scriptures speak for themselves. If you’re unfamiliar with the story of the first Passover, take a peek at Exodus 11 & 12 for fuller context. 

Death of Firstborn

“Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.” (Exodus 11:5)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

New Beginning

“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year…Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.” (Exodus 12:2 & 17)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17)

Lamb Without Blemish

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.” (Ex 12:3, 5-6)

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Saved by Blood

“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs…The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” (Exodus 12:7 & 13)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8-9)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

Jesus Celebrates the First Communion Using the Passover Meal

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover…

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”(Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29)

After the tenth plague, the Israelites walk freely out of Egypt and leave slavery behind. After Jesus’ death, everyone who believes in Him walks freely out of the slavery of sin. Click here and celebrate this incredible act of mercy and grace by listening to Micah Tyler’s “Walking Free.”

Post inspired by Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

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What Would You Say?

My college roommates and I have an annual tradition of meeting for a weekend away together. Over time, we’ve embraced certain rituals like enjoying leisurely meals and staying up late talking. Another tradition we love is choosing a favorite item to bring and share as a gift to the others. Last year I couldn’t wait to give them a book that impacted me significantly. As they scanned the table of contents, I was giddy sharing about all the ways I’d benefited from what I learned.

Maybe you’ve experienced a similar dynamic. When you find something beneficial to you, you’re enthusiastic about passing it along to others. Why is it, though, that we don’t always have the same exuberance when it comes to telling people about the good news of Jesus? There are many explanations, but I think one is that we just don’t know what to say.

In her Bible study 20/20. Seen. Chosen. Sent., Christine Caine highlights this by asking, “Could you walk someone through the truth of the gospel?” (page 151) She goes on to explain, “If the sole purpose of salvation is to go to heaven when we die, then wouldn’t it be more merciful of Jesus if, after He saved us, He took us home immediately? But we have a purpose to fulfill here on earth. We are the sent ones commissioned to go into all the world and proclaim His good news.” (page 152)

Her words echo Jesus’ teaching known as the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 18:19-20, NIV)

This reminds me of a young businessman named Bill Bright who heard the message of the gospel and began a personal relationship with Jesus. As his faith grew, he couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. Jesus’ words in the Great Commission compelled Bright to tell the good news to anyone who would listen. Eventually, he dedicated his life to sharing the gospel and to training others to do the same by founding Campus Crusade for Christ International in 1951. Now known simply as “Cru,” the ministry focuses on sharing the good news about Jesus on college campuses around the world.

Soon after founding Cru, Bill Bright realized that many believers were unable to communicate the gospel succinctly. So, using skills he’d acquired in the business world, he set out to write a clear and simple explanation of the good news that others could learn to share. As a lover of science, Bright decided to make a comparison between physical laws that govern the universe (such as the law of gravity), and spiritual laws that govern our relationship with God. He created a simple document called The Four Spiritual Laws that helped to communicate the gospel to non-believers. It also gave Christians a roadmap for sharing the good news of Jesus with others. If you’ve ever struggled to find the right words for sharing the hope of Jesus, Bright’s tool might be helpful for you to learn. Here’s an overview of it:

Law 1: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. 

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

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b

Law 2: People are sinful and separated from God. Therefore, we can’t experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Law 3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.

-He died in our place, paying the penalty for our sin: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

-He rose from death: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

-He is the only way to God: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6

Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Every person can receive Christ by faith by saying a simple prayer like this:

Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You and my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Bill Bright’s passion led him to share the gospel, disciple, and train thousands of people. Today, Cru has ministries in 5300 locations on college campuses in addition to ministries reaching a variety of other people groups worldwide.

Will you follow Bill Bright’s example and learn to share the gospel so you can participate in fulfilling the Great Commission? Ask the Holy Spirit to empower and lead you to others who are hungry for the hope found in Jesus.

For a deeper dive into understanding the Four Spiritual Laws, check out these four posts in my “Faith Foundations” series:  

God Loves You

The Problem of Sin

Jesus is the Only Way

Accept Jesus Personally

For more information on Cru visit their website.

For more inspiration, check out Bill Bright’s biography Amazing Faith

Christine Caine, 20/20. Seen. Chosen. Sent., Lifeway Press, 2019.

Faith Foundation #4: God Loves You

Sitting in the crowded front room of the houseboat, I listened intently as our camp director shared foundational truths with our young staff.  It was the spring of 1988 and I was at my first training weekend for a leadership position I’d hold later that summer.  Opening my Bible, I wrote the four key points our director shared inside the front cover. He emphasized that they were the most important and basic principles of our Christian faith and encouraged us to commit them to memory so we could share them with our campers.

Recently I returned from serving as a leader for our high school ministry’s annual summer camp. I found myself once again on a houseboat with that same Christian camp. I am almost 30 years older, but those same four truths were as relevant and fresh today as they were back when I first learned them.

They continue to stand as the foundation to our faith. Once we understand them and live like they’re true, we have a firm foundation that we can build on for the rest of our lives. Over the next few posts, I’ll highlight each truth as part of the Faith Foundations series I began earlier this summer. If this information is already familiar to you, use these posts to help you share with others that don’t know them.

Truth #1 God Loves You and has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

John 3:16 is so familiar to many of us that it begins to lose its impact. If that’s the case with you, stop for a minute and let the truth sink in deeper. God allowed His precious and perfect Son to suffer and die to save the world. He didn’t have to do it, He chose to. He knew it was the only way to make it possible for us to be in relationship with Him.  Some of us have heard this so many times that it no longer leaves us in awe of God’s grace and mercy. If that describes you, ask Him to reignite the joy and thankfulness in you that have grown cold.  And if you’re wondering why Jesus had to die for us then stay tuned–my next post will tackle that topic.

Sometimes it’s not easy to personalize this verse because it’s about the whole world. We forget that God sees each of us uniquely and individually.  Scripture tells us He knows the number of hairs on our heads and that He knew us as we were being formed in our mothers’ wombs. If you struggle to believe God loves you personally and intimately, try re-framing the verse in a more personal way: God loved me so much that he gave his only son so that if I believe in Him, I won’t die, but will have eternal life.

Because He loves us, God also has a wonderful plan for our lives. The gospel of John explains, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10, NIV) Living in a relationship with God is the only way to have the rich, full, abundant life we crave.  Many of us search for significance and fulfillment in other places, but the satisfaction never lasts. Only through a relationship with God can we find true meaning and significance that impacts us now and forever.

How would your life look if you lived every day like you knew you were loved deeply and passionately by the Creator of the universe? How would it impact the way you see yourself and interact with others? If you live like you believe it’s true, you will become a conduit for God to work in and through you. Why not commit this truth to memory so you can share it with someone else who needs to know it today?

For further inspiration, click on the link and enjoy Hawk Nelson’s song “Live Like You’re Loved.”

 

Three Responses to the World- What Love Is, Week 2

Navigating the divide between worldiness and godliness is tricky for followers of Jesus. How do we interpret Scriptures that condemn worldly thinking when we have to interact with people who embrace it every day?

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Frowning, I rifled through the clothes hanging in my closet. Despite the many things I had to choose from, nothing felt quite “right” for the occasion. My husband and I were preparing for an event with a group of people that often stirred up my insecurities. On the surface they seemed so flawless to me with their fashionable clothes, successful careers and beautiful homes. Any time I was around them I felt like an outsider pretending that I belonged.

After choosing an outfit that seemed marginally acceptable, I sat down to work on Day 5 in Kelly Minter’s What Love Is Bible study. Conviction pricked at my heart as I read: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17, NIV)

I thought about the people I’d be seeing in a few hours. Most of them had achieved great success from a worldly perspective, yet they knew nothing of God. They had no clue about what it meant to live for what lasts. I felt convicted realizing I’d been so busy preparing my clothes to fit in with them that I’d forgotten to prepare my heart so that God could use me to impact them.

Navigating the divide between worldiness and godliness is tricky for followers of Jesus. How do we interpret Scriptures that condemn worldly thinking when we have to interact with people who embrace it every day? I think there are three main ways Christians respond to this.

The Covert Christian

There is a contingent of believers that engages easily with non-believers in worldly situations. Sometimes they become so adept at fitting in, no one would ever know they held different beliefs than the rest of the crowd. Their reasons for doing this are varied—some are insecure and afraid to stand out, others don’t want to be labeled or judged, still others want to remain culturally relevant to show the world that Christians aren’t a bunch of weirdos. Some aren’t confident in their knowledge of Scripture or their ability to defend their faith and decide it’s just easier to stay quiet. And some just want to have fun and ignore deeper issues. (Most of my knowledge with this category comes from first hand experience.)

There is an appropriate time and place to be subtle in our faith. Developing a relationship over time and letting a person see Jesus in your life can be a powerful and effective witness. However, many covert Christians never reach this point because they’ve become so adept at blending in, no one sees anything different in them. For the “covert” approach to work effectively, it’s important to pray for the people in the worldly circles you frequent. If you’ve compartmentalized your faith and it only shows with your Christian friends, your unbelieving friends are missing out. Pray and look for opportunities to influence your worldly friends and acquaintances more than they are influencing you.

The Holy Huddler

Another contingent of believers chooses to remove themselves from the world and its influences as much as possible. They prefer to create a bubble of comfort that insulates them from anything they see as a threat to their faith. They spend time with only Christians doing Christian activities. They keep their kids away from any exposure to the outside world or people with views that differ from theirs.

While the Bible does call us to be “set apart, ” there is a problem when we take this mentality to an extreme. Our lives should look different when we follow Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid anyone who doesn’t know him. On the contrary, we should be seeking opportunities to influence them. John 3:16, perhaps the most famous verse in Scripture, tells us that God loved the world so much he sent his only son to save it. If God was willing to do this, then we need to follow his example by reaching out to the world. Holy huddles can be comfortable places to find rejuvenation when the world makes us weary, but we aren’t meant to remain in them indefinitely.

The Intentional Influencer

A Christian with this mindset has a healthy balance between pursuing godliness and impacting the world. They are growing deep in Christian relationships and continually being sharpened and challenged so they can engage the world effectively. They look at their involvements in secular activities as opportunities to develop relationships with non-believers, with the ultimate goal of showing them God’s love and leading them toward a relationship with him. Intentional influencers know they need to work in concert with other believers so they can use their different gifts to impact a community. They realize they need others to pray with them strategically and to partner with them for greater impact in the world.

Intentional influencers are living proof of Jesus’ prayer for all believers: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23, NIV)

 A Final Thought

Depending on circumstances, you may cycle through each of these perspectives at different times in your life. If one of the descriptions made you squirm with discomfort, take some time to pray and ask God how to respond.   Let him know you’re open to his perspective and that you’re willing to change with his help.

For some great examples of what it looks like to live a life of impact and influence for God, click on the link and listen to “God is On the Move” by 7enventh Time Down.

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