Category: Kingdom of God

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Jesus on the Cross

This week is Holy Week when we remember and declare Jesus Christ’s trial, crucifixion and resurrection. As we approach Good Friday and His crucifixion, I wanted to share the first chapter in my book, Journey of the Messiah — The Awakening. It describes not only the horror of the cross imagined from His perspective but also the ramification of His redemption to a lost world. Note: The book is written in the first person of Jesus, as if He is telling the story. It is from the author’s perspective and imagination.

Chapter 1: To the Cross, from the Cross

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

From the beginning, I knew My life as the Son of Man would come to this torturous end. It was the redemptive plan of God for man, before man was to be. This knowledge did not make My pain any less but added grief to My agony. The weight of the sinful guilt for man is a knife to My soul as the nails are to My flesh. I hang between heaven and earth, bridging the gap for all time and for all who come by faith to drink My blood and eat My flesh.

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The Tension of Balance

Imagine someone walking on a balance beam with a rope tied to each arm. On either side is someone holding the loose end of the rope. The two rope handlers’ job is not a tug-a-war but one of tension. The tension of the two opposing forces match each other to keep the person on the balance beam.

I have tried to apply balance to my life and encourage it in others. I have found that those who like to view themselves as radicals do not like the concept of balance. Balance sounds like compromise to the radical. I try to be very choosy on which mountains I am willing to die on; molehills are not mountains.

In our current world, everyone seems to be divided into two camps on many issues. Our country is divided into political, cultural, religious, and societal issues with very few clear balanced proposals. It seems that a line has been drawn in the sand and swords are drawn.

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Wars and Rumors of War

Wars are troubling and the rumors of war strike fear in the hearts of reasonable men. Jesus told four of his disciples as He sat on the Mount of Olives a few days before His crucifixion, “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7 NKJV).

In our broken and fallen world, war is easily predictable. Something was up when one of the first brothers, Cain, killed his brother Abel. The history of the world is more punctuated with wars as a long sentence is filled with commas.

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Who Am I and Who Are You?

God met with Moses at the burning bush on the backside of the desert. He told Moses about his assignment. Moses was not so sure if he was up to the task. I am sure he was not the last man to have questions concerning his qualifications.

Moses’ first question was, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exod. 3:11 NKJV). He wasn’t necessarily questioning God’s wisdom but questioning his own capabilities. It sounded like an impossible task. One desert shepherd confronting the most powerful leader in the world sounded more like a death-wish than a career change.

When God calls a person to such a task, the “who me?” question is a good test of humility. In the kingdom of God, those who think they are the perfect choice is a disqualifying attitude. If an assignment can be done with only a person’s talents, then it is not a kingdom job.

God assured him, “I will certainly be with you” (Exod. 3:12). That is the main thing we need to know. The great African missionary, David Livingstone prayed this, “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.”

Then Moses needed information about God when the people asked, “What is His name?” Even though the God of the Israelites was often known as the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob; the people had lived four hundred years in a land of many ‘gods’. “Who are You?”

God answered, “I AM WHO I AM.” A rough definition of this is The Self-Existent One. He is the Eternal One who has always existed and all that exists comes from Him. He is the Supreme One over all other entities whether in Heaven above, on the earth, or under the earth. The-Number-One is above all powers, principalities, and dominions. All are beneath Him. He has no rivals. When we go in the name of the Lord, the demonic horde sees the One who is with us! That ought to make someone shout!!

Back to the two big questions. “Who am I?” And to the Lord, “Who Are You?”
We are who He says we are. We can do what He has called us to do. He is the Great I Am. There is no one like Him in all universes that are out there. With Him, there are no limitations. He is boundless. He is All-Powerful. He is Ever-Present. He is All-Knowing. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

All you need to know in life is who you are in Jesus. Who is the One you make both Lord and Savior of your life. Now go! Fear not, He is with you.

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt

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Jesus: Born a Man for Men

The world lay in the sway of darkness, sin, and death. Man’s journey from the Garden was marked by a trail of death and tears. Each tomb was a reminder of every man’s fate. Death reigned in the world by a cruel master, Satan, whose very name meant “Adversary”.  The Hebrew prophets of old had prophesied approximately seven centuries before of a coming Messiah who would save and deliver.

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Good Intentions

I remember in the late 1990’s having good intentions about door-to-door visitation. I, along with some fellow ministry workers, knocked on every door of a nearby city’s government housing projects. We had good intentions but nothing tangible resulted from it. Maybe one person visited our church but no new converts. I know we encouraged a few people, but we never saw a harvest of our efforts.

I learned that building relationships is more effective than cold-calling.

Churches and mission organizations are full of good intentions. We have to be honest and ask ourselves the question. Are our good intentions bearing fruit or do they just make us feel better about ourselves? We often learn by trial and error.

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Christian Martyrdom

Most of us have read accounts of religious martyrdom in historical books and the Bible. Few of us have witnessed it with our own eyes. Recently, we saw Charlie Kirk killed at one of his events. Some would argue that this was a political hit, not a religious one. Whether you loved or hated him, he was an adamant Christian who never minced his words.

The original Greek New Testament word for martyr is the word ‘martus’ pronounced [mar’-toos]. Its basic meaning is witness. A martyr is a person killed for his witness.

It is estimated that over 70 million Christians have been martyred since Jesus Christ himself was martyred on the cross. Most of those have been in the 1900s under fascist and communist rulers. Depending on the historian, some estimates say that since 2000 there has been an average of 100,000 per year. Martyrdom is not just in biblical times but also in relative modern times.

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