The STAND Podcast

Education in America is in a sad state. That is especially so with higher education, colleges and universities.
Traditional education, at every turn, is being challenged, reduced, or eliminated and new educational subjects take hold. Places of higher education have become breeding grounds for radicals, revolutionary tactics, and rebellion against authority and the rule of law. Witness the takeovers and the tents, the camps, and the rabble rousers protesting, and especially exhibiting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic speech and conduct. Ironically, many of these protestors are not even college students, but rather so many paid troublemakers, paid by individuals like George Soros, and entities run by him and his cronies. They stir up hatred. They make unbelievable demands upon the administration, alumni groups, and faculty, and among other things, they demand that the universities sever all ties with the state of Israel and embrace the policy BDS, Boycott-Divest-and otherwise stop all relations with Israel and the Jews.
These rabble rousers are pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel and the Jews, calling for justice on the one hand for starving and displaced Palestinians without ever mentioning the killings of Hamas, the hostages taken and still held, and the barbaric conduct of Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and other Arab nations which hate Israel and the Jews. Secular education has changed and may never be the same.
In addition, there is now an assault by the Biden Administration on CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. Joe Biden, unbelievably our President, purports to be Christian and Catholic and sits back, says nothing, and of course does nothing as DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Secretary Miguel Cardona goes after these Christian schools. They, thank God, refuse to toe the line, walk the liberal walk, and refuse to endorse or support the gay agenda, the attack on the family, parenting, and especially marriage, and of course abortion, all of which the Biden Administration favors and which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION supports.
Cardona and, unbelievably so, congressional representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat (of course) from Connecticut are the attack dogs in the lead. Said they:
“WE ARE CRACKING DOWN NOT ONLY TO SHUT THEM DOWN (CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES) BUT TO SEND THE MESSAGE TO THEM TO NOT PREY ON STUDENTS.”
The allegations they make are that these universities “lied to students about the cost of education and their programs.” Of course, there is nothing specific, no facts involved, nothing really to refute except this horribly prejudiced, biased generalization, the suit being brought by the Federal Government against the great Christian Universities, Grand Canyon University and Liberty University, incidentally America’s two largest Christian institutes of higher education. I do suppose more will come but these so-called allegations are so minor, so frail, so fact-less and so obviously biased that they are almost laughable. But then again, so much of the conduct of our Federal Government under the Biden Administration is just that. I do wonder how any Jew, true Jew, or any Christian, real Christian, could ever vote for Biden or the democratic party that supports him and these absolutely absurd, prejudiced, anti-American views and policies. What a world.
Grand Canyon University is the largest Christian university in America and a good one. President Brian Mueller describes these allegations, and the lawsuit which followed including the fine, as “ridiculous.” Not stopping there, Cardona and the DOE went after Liberty University and accused them, in a $37 million dollar fine, of “over alleged under-reporting of crimes.” Unbelievable. Of course, there were no facts, nothing specific, but only these biased, general allegations, really nothing more than anti-Christian at the core.
Said President Brian Mueller:
“It's interesting, is it not, that the two largest Christian universities in the country, ours and Liberty University, are both being fined almost the identical amount at the identical time.” Now, said Mueller:
“IS THERE A CAUSE AND EFFECT HERE? I DON’T KNOW, BUT I KNOW IT’S A FACT.”
Again, hear the words of Cardona and representative DeLauro:
“WE ARE CRACKING DOWN NOT ONLY TO SHUT THEM DOWN BUT TO SEND A MESSAGE TO NOT PREY ON STUDENTS.”
Cardona and his ilk want not only to fine these great Christian universities, but to actually close them:
“TO SHUT THEM DOWN!”
There really can be nothing more anti-Christian than such statements and such actions by this liberal, woke, radical, Joe Biden government and administration. Again, how can any true Christian ever vote for Biden or anyone who supports the policies he does? Can you?
Said Jon Schweppe, a conservative spokesperson:
“The Federal government’s education agenda is punishing schools that do not conform to their progressive ideology. It is time we took a stand against this egregious abuse of power.”
Not so, Mr. Schweppe. It is far past time we the Christian people took a stand against this anti-Christian bias, this woke ideological bias, and got rid of them, the evil doers. It is time we voted them out of office, them and the one who appointed them, namely Joe Biden.
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY (GTU) has as its motto that its university is:
“PRIVATE, CHRISTIAN, AFFORDABLE.”
It stands apart from universities across the country that are facing declining enrollment or unenrollment and the students who wish to attend GCU are only increasing. The decline in enrollment is especially severe at universities which are indoctrinating students with radical politics. They are also failing to defend the American Constitution and rule of law and especially the First Amendment with regard to freedom of religion and freedom of speech among others.
The Goldwater Institute (GI), a conservative group, wrote the following:
“So why then are the Feds targeting GCU, a popular university that seems to be doing everything right? That’s exactly what we’re going to find out.”
President Mueller said that no matter what the Federal Government does, “it has had zero impact on anything that we’re (GCU) doing.”
Mueller went on to say:
“The enrollments are just continuing to grow. The morale (of our students) is very high in terms of our faculty and staff. The campus is extremely vibrant. The students absolutely love this place. They’re extremely loyal to it and so we just keep marching through it.”
Amen, Christian brothers in education, march on, fight on, stand up as soldiers of the cross, and of Christian education, and stand for the excellence in education which GCU has championed all these years. Never compromise and remember the words of Winston Churchill:
“NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!”
So, GCU President Brian Mueller asks for prayer. Pray for them and the great Liberty University. But do more. Perhaps you can give. You can surely write your Congress person and make sure they know about this biased, grossly unfair attack on these Christian universities and Christianity generally, and ask them to intervene. By the way, don’t bother writing to Biden and Company, for that is a letter which is a waste of time and will never be read.
The attack on Liberty University and Grand Canyon University is just typical of the anti-Christian attitude and activities which are permeating our society in America, and so much of the world at large. Yet another reason, my fellow Americans and my fellow Christians, for us to stand up, put on the armor of our Lord and our faith, and:
FIGHT THE FIGHT OF FAITH.
The battle is here in so many different ways and it is time, aggressively and consistently to respond, to make certain that evil men like George Soros and so many others who are determined to destroy America and Christianity with it, do not prevail. Christian education is absolutely essential today, especially with secular education declining and in such disarray, more so every day. I ask, along with President Brian Mueller, that you render your full support, encouragement, prayers, and even giving to GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY and as well LIBERTY UNIVERSITY. They stand for truth, for real Christianity, and they stand for real, solid, education in every other respect. In this world of ours, they are the best!

He, the man who finds a good wife finds a good thing, so says the scripture.
Any such man is blessed of the Lord when he finds the RIGHT woman and, in love, takes her as his wife. The life of any man is made complete, richer and fuller, when he shares life with the right wife.
Solomon, the King, knew the value, the blessing of a good wife. The crowning joy of a woman-wife was to be MOTHER, and the husband-father rejoiced in the son or daughter who began the family. But both before and during mothering, that woman-mother remained individual, unique, special in and of herself. This right mother-wife, daughter of the living God, was a woman-wife of noble character. She was moral, faithful, trustworthy, a woman of her word. That kind of woman was worth far more than rubies, far, far more.
Her husband, blessed and fortunate, had full confidence and trust in her. He was proud of her, rejoiced in her strengths and her family influence and all with whom she came in contact. She was a valuable human being.
She brought good, love to her husband and her family, and to all with whom she came in contact. She was a woman of love and charity and so easily loved in return.
Solomon then says that this wife of noble character worked eagerly with her hands. She was productive, not idle, contributing to the good of her family. She provided food for that family of hers and made certain as wife and mother that her family was properly clothed, fed, and protected. She was a woman who could earn, and as a merchant, frugal and sensitive to the value of money, she could like a merchant engage in trading for the profitability of herself, her efforts, her husband, and her family. Her trading, her doing business said Solomon, was PROFITABLE.
She cared for the poor. She always extended help, love, comfort, and succor to the needy. In olden times, she with her husband were always welcomed and respected at the CITY GATE, the place where business and legal matters were conducted.
This very special woman was a person of strength, enduring whatever came, and always with grace and dignity. She had no worry for the future, she thought little or nothing about tomorrow’s problems, and with a happy spirit she could laugh at the days to come. She was positive in all things.
This good woman, constantly learning, was filled with wisdom and she spoke with wise words. She taught her family, her children, and FAITHFUL INSTRUCTION WAS ALWAYS ON HER TONGUE! She was responsible for and carefully carried on the business and the affairs of her household. She was never idle. Always busy in the work of a woman and a wife and joyfully so. She made the household a happy place in which to live, and her husband and her children were so very grateful for this God-given woman. So much so that all called her blessed, knew how special she was, followed after her spirituality, and praised her, blessed her among themselves and to all others. To her husband and children, her household, she was the best of all women, one of a kind, beautiful in the eye and the heart of the beholder. They knew, this household did, that there were many other noble women who did noble things, but for them, their mother, his wife, was the best, the very best of the best.
Her beauty came from within, from a character adorned by the Holy Spirit, radiating joy, happiness, and positivity. Her life spread blessings. No matter what she looked like, she was beautiful to all who knew her.
She was a woman and a wife who believed deeply in God. This woman of today had found that deep and rich personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and his love in her was spread to all others. Scripture tells children to honor their father and mother, and to obey their father and mother, and a mother like this was both easy to honor and obey. She was a lifetime asset for her family, and especially her children.
So, Solomon concludes:
HONOR HER FOR ALL THAT SHE HAS DONE.
HONOR HER! Praise her, at home and everywhere and to everyone. Any woman like this, or even close to all of this, is more precious, more valuable, of more blessing than all the rubies and all the precious gems in the entire world.
Any man who finds a woman like this and marries and takes her as wife, finds a lifetime asset more precious than gold, so says Solomon, so says the scripture, so says the great God Jehovah, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the creator of all men and all women.
HE THAT FINDETH A GOOD WIFE FINDETH THE BEST THING IN LIFE!

It is here now, this spiritual fight and the preliminary stages of the battle rage.
The fight is with an enemy stealthy, sly, and determined. The enemy is an evil force, hateful, and determined to win this battle. It plots day and night to do just that.
We, God’s people, are in this fight, and it must be with all our might. This enemy, the army of Satan, has every weapon possible available in its arsenal. It is an enemy determined to wage war with conservative America and Christian America in the political arena. It will use every governmental power possible in the fight.
It will pervert everything religious, especially true Christianity, to spread doubt and fear.
It will control culture and seek to change customs, beliefs, priorities, and terminology.
In this era of post-truth (no truth), the LIE prevails, and the enemy will use that viciously. Mankind will find it extremely difficult to know the truth which makes us free as Christians and conservative Americans.
The enemy will use hate, viciously hateful themselves, but accuse people of faith of being hateful.
This vicious anti-Christian enemy has and uses every weapon possible. But, my fellow Christians, they the enemy do not have the greatest weapon of all.
WE DO. WE, THE CHRISTIANS, DO!
And that weapon, which can never be defeated, is none other than the greatest force, the greatest power in this world, no less than:
LOVE! LOVE!
We, the believers, fight the fight of faith with love. With God. For we are told from childhood that:
GOD IS LOVE.
God loved us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Mythological even comical to the enemy, but the ultimate reality for us who believe.
So that, in this vicious spiritual battle against the enemy, Satan himself and his legions, we the Christian opposition:
SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
We have on, in the battle, the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. We fight evil with what is right. We have from head to toe the armor of LOVE. No Weapon of the enemy can pierce that armor.
We carry with us at all times the SWORD OF THE LORD. It bristles, it gleams with righteousness, and with love, and with truth. Even with this armor and carrying the sword of righteousness, we can run the race and win that race against the enemy. The power of love is just simply unbelievable, a weapon which can never, ever be defeated.
We have no fear of our enemy, none at all. We look evil in the face and we say:
I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!
We know, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength that the love of God in Christ:
CONQUERS ALL!
So that, even if any of us would lay down our life in the service of our Lord, and in the fight for our faith, we know that our Lord, our captain, our Savior, and His remaining army, will ultimately win the battle. We will never be afraid of, nor will we lose to, this Evil Enemy. The love of God in the fight of faith can never be beaten, NEVER!
We his people look forward to the time when:
THE POWER OF LOVE WILL REPLACE THE LOVE OF POWER!
Then this world and this evil enemy will know defeat even as the LOVE of Christ will win this war of faith and peace like never before and will reign like never before.
That really is the only way this enemy, Lucifer’s Legions, can ever be defeated. LOVE, the ultimate weapon, is the only force which can defeat the Anti-Christ and everything thrown against the Christ and his people, and it will, it definitely will, not only defeat the enemy but win the battle and ultimately:
TRANSFORM THIS WORLD.
The Love of God in Christ is so powerful.
The Love of God in Christ is eternal. It is the only thing we can carry with us when we die. Love makes the end so easy. Even on the battlefield of faith, if we die, love lives on, love lives long and eternal and it alone abides eternally along with faith and with hope.
But the greatest of these, the greatest of all powers in this world, the weapon which will ultimately destroy the enemy is none other than:
LOVE.
So, we love our enemies when they persecute us, so says the scripture. We bless them, and we do good for them, our enemies, when they do the opposite to us. For we know that:
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR BUT OF POWER,
AND LOVE, AND A SOUND MIND. WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
So, when the enemy comes after us with every weapon possible, we fight back with the only weapon we need:

This world of ours has little joy, real joy. Perhaps there exists some sort of superficial happiness, but transient and really unfulfilling, but little more.
It seems that so much of our world is sad, hopeless in feeling, even hateful. Our world is angry, antagonistic, so very jealous and greedy, negative in so many ways.
I wonder, are you afraid, feeling uncertain and insecure, perhaps even from time to time hateful and angry, untrusting, are you? I wonder sometimes, how much of the joy of Christianity, rejoicing in the relationship with Jesus Christ, in possession of a thankful heart, the promises of the Son of God have been lost as the wiles of the devil seem to permeate this world.
The carpenter of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God, told us quite plainly that He came not only to forgive but to bring us who believe His JOY that our lives may be full, full of that joy. How tragic it would be if once we have met him, and believed in Him, that the joy of our relationship with Him should be tarnished, even eliminated by the ever-growing hateful things in this world.
And more. REJOICE, said He, and even more:
BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD.
Let gladness permeate your heart, your mind, your emotions, your attitude, your entire life. Be happy, no matter what. For not only are you forgiven but you are born again into a brand-new life of joy, happiness, and rejoicing! I wonder if you take time every day, EVERY DAY, to rejoice, rejoice in Him and for the life you should have now, and you will definitely have hereafter. Do you?
The Apostle Paul tells us to give thanks, GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING, the good, the bad, the average, the day-to-day, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, thanks to God for His unspeakable gift. Do you? The strongest possession any Christian can have is a thankful heart.
And our Lord says that we should love our enemies. Is there anything harder to do in this world than that? When someone identifies as an enemy, comes at you, does you wrong, hurts you or ones you love, is there anything harder than to love that person? But, the love we have for Jesus Christ never fails, transcends everything, is stronger than anything and it is always there, always. Our God is love and we his people should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, even if that neighbor is our enemy so says the scripture. That essential principle, that basic tenet of Christianity, that emotional command, is the hardest thing for any Christian to do, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, IT IS THE MOST REWARDING! We should never accept the wrong, but we should always love the wrongdoer, thus saith the Lord. To carry a grudge, to return hate with hate, to get even, to make a wrongdoer pay, works havoc on the believer, even more so than the evildoer. Be glad, be happy says our Lord when you are persecuted for His name’s sake, when evil comes after good, and never forget, NEVER that ultimately:
GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN!
Even, says HE, if you weep now, you will laugh sooner or later. YOU WILL LAUGH, you will be happy. Never forget that. You will laugh, you will be happy as David says in the Psalms, even as our Lord laughs at the wicked. Full belief in the love of God in Jesus Christ can do nothing but make one, the believer, be glad, rejoice, be happy and LAUGH!
The smile, the facial smile, the real smile is a rarity today. The heavy heart makes for a sad face. The happy heart, the loving heart produces a cheerful face as Solomon tells us in Proverbs. Our Lord confirms that when he tells us that we should:
BE OF GOOD CHEER!
Life is short, so very short, and any hour of any day spent glum, sad, angry, jealous, or hateful is simply the waste of a part of THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE! The spirit of the loving God is at the ready to help, to remind you of this part of your life which you are wasting. Be glad, says the spirit of the living God, and rejoice, and always remember, says the Lord:
I AM COME THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL!
I AM COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!
And more. James tells us that the happy heart breaks out in singing, singing songs of love, praise, and joy. David confirms in the Psalms when he tells us to be glad and sing for joy. Even if you can’t carry a tune, sing anyway. Sing songs of praise every day, let your heart sing, be cheerful, be glad, be happy, and never let any part of this sad world, this world hateful, angry, jealous, and itself without joy, bring you down. NEVER!
When the rich man met the Lord Jesus Christ, He sold everything he had, and he did so with JOY. Nothing mattered to him but the joy he found in Jesus Christ. Never forget, my fellow Christians, that a cheerful heart is good medicine. It heals like nothing else, and also remember the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs that:
A CRUSHED SPIRIT DRIES UP THE BONES!
Avoid at all costs the dry bones of Ezekiel. Every day, even all day, you can live with the joy, the happiness, the rejoicing that our Lord provides, which is only a taste of that JOY TO COME!
So, in everything give thanks. In the testings, the trials and tribulations, the sicknesses, the losses, the betrayals, the hateful, the persecution, give thanks, be grateful, for our Lord who never left the Apostle Paul when he suffered in the dungeon all alone, will never leave us. The key to claiming that promise, says the Apostle Paul, is to give thanks:
GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING.
And that is especially so when the trials, the tribulations, the persecutions, the hurt and the pain are the worst. When life is at its worst, our Lord is at HIS BEST.
Now abides safe in Him, hope in Him, and the love because of Him. Never let go of a cheerful heart any hour of any day. That is what the Lord of the abundant life wants for YOU!

Do you tell your spouse the truth? ALWAYS?
That would be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, do you?
When you communicate with spouse or children, or any family members or friends, or even in the workplace, or church, or social gatherings, do you tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth all the time? ALL THE TIME?
And, do you expect others to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when they communicate with you, do you? To tell the truth always, all of it, to everyone under every circumstance, is an extremely difficult task, if not impossible. Our communication, our cultural exchanges, our personal expectations are difficult, partial at best, and seldom if ever contain the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. More often than not, we leave out or add in. We communicate Half-Truths. The definition of half-truth is that only about half of that is true, if that. So often, we communicate with the so-called WHITE LIE. Interesting, is it not, how we give colors (black-white-gray) to falsified communication? The truth, knowing and communicating the truth, is a difficult process.
Perhaps it is a journey to know, believe, and communicate the truth. No matter, it is the obligation, the duty, of a Christian to be truthful, to know and communicate the truth. THOU SHALT NOT LIE (bear false witness) say the commandments and affirmed by our Lord. When we communicate with others in word or deed, it must be with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to the very best of our human abilities. That is especially so in family circles. The lie sets an example, a very bad one, especially in family circles, with spouses and children. If a parent expects a child to tell the truth, then that parent better tell the truth as a matter of course, regularly and all the time, and without exception.
Pilate, the governor who passed judgment on Jesus, asked the age-old question, perhaps one of the most important questions (issues) ever asked:
WHAT IS TRUTH?
He had his answer from Jesus of Nazareth, who told him bluntly and point blank:
I AM THE TRUTH. I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!
That message was for all of us. Jesus told the world of that time and all of us since, that he was ONE WITH THE FATHER, in other words, God himself. That was either the biggest lie of all time, or the most profound truth, one or the other. But, said He, that is the ultimate truth and to know exactly what Jesus was, who He was, was the ultimate spiritual and divine truth. Do you know that and do you believe that?
But what is the definition of truth? It is extremely difficult to define. Truth is based on fact, that which really happened. It is reality, truth is, unvarnished. It is what actually happened, what was accurately said, things not subject to interpretation or question. Truth is moral, good, and right. It is honest and reliable. Truth, real truth is not subject to question, doubt, or interpretation. It comes from the deeds and the words of an honest person. It creates no doubt.
The exact opposite is the LIE. Amazing, is it not, how the lie pervades our culture, our society, our government? Our political world, worldwide and especially in America, is corrupt, knows not the truth, cares nothing about the truth, and in fact boldly proclaims that we live in the day and age of:
POST TRUTH.
Our leaders, almost all know more than mere politicians, power, money, and fame- hungry individuals seem to care little or nothing about the truth. They lie to us with impunity. Many pastors do the very same thing by perverting the Word of God, watering down hard scriptural truth, and failing to set the truthful and moral example which this world of ours so desperately needs. The lie, the lack of truth, pervades business, even the medical world, education, and in fact almost every aspect of our society. The lie goes on in both word and deed. Hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another, seems part of our everyday life. We exaggerate, and we compromise. We would rather be liked than tell the hard truth or stand up, tall and strong, for what we believe. We seem to have little regard for the conspiracy factor, that we may be equally guilty of not dealing with the lie, the false, the hypocritical, when it is our spiritual duty to do so. The journey to know, believe, and tell the truth is long and difficult indeed, is it not?
So often, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, straight and without exaggeration is unpopular and such a person is often disliked. Recall how hated Jesus of Nazareth was when he confronted, challenged, and convicted so many with the message of the eternal gospel. But he boldly proclaimed himself to be the truth and he told all humankind that to know Him (Me) was to know the truth and that truth would make any believing person:
FREE.
Free from guilt, free from sin, free from inhibitions, weakness, and anger, FREE! And that freedom would give us courage, courage to stand for the truth so that we would not be ashamed or afraid, or anxious, or intimidated. Rather, we would be confident, actualized, energized, and filled with the Holy Spirit who would give us the words, structure the beliefs within us and make us the new creatures our Lord intended, his disciples who would joyfully pursue the journey of truth lifelong. That same Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, would govern our conscience, structure our mind and our thinking, and live inside as a warning system. That same Holy Spirit would be our guide, our leader in:
KNOWING THE TRUTH.
That very same truth which would make us free.
So, the answer to Pilate’s question WHAT IS TRUTH? Is provided in a nutshell by our Lord. Jesus said:
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.
To know him, really know Him, is the only real way to really know THE TRUTH. As you grow in the knowledge, belief, and love of your Savior, you come to know the truth in the most ultimate and satisfying way, and HE is the end goal of our ultimate journey in the search for truth. The more He lives within your heart, the more you know the truth. There is nothing more wonderful in life than to live the life of truth. No matter this world, the lie of Satan which seems to pervade everything, and almost everyone, you can know the truth, and that truth, that ultimate truth, is contained in two words:
JESUS CHRIST.

Do you believe that the Resurrection happened?
That a man, Jesus of Nazareth, actually rose from the dead, do you? We celebrate this unnatural, God – motivated event, the greatest in human history next week. But again, do you actually believe that this Resurrection, physically, bodily actually happened?
The Apostle Paul says that if you do not believe, then your faith is in vain. That is, if this Resurrection never really happened, Christianity is predicated on a false premise, no better than any other so called religion and in fact maybe worse. Unless Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He was no more than a good moral teacher, and perhaps more magician than miracle worker and by no means the Savior of the World. Again, the words of the Apostle Paul:
IF CHRIST BE NOT RISEN
YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN
But he did. So we believe, and in fact base our lives, our future fortunes on this miraculous event. But Christian faith is based on:
THE EMPTY TOMB.
Witnesses saw him. They touched him. They heard him speak. They dined with him, another supper after THE LAST SUPPER. They listened to him, heard his voice and believed. They saw an ascension. They felt the power of God the Father in his person. And if ever there was doubt, it was gone. And all who believed could say with the Apostle Paul:
FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST!
The power of this Resurrection consumed them, became them and out they went to testify, to witness, boldly proclaim, never the same again and wishing the same for others. The power of the resurrected Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit produced a movement among mankind never before and never like it again. They went, these empowered believers:
INTO ALL THE WORLD TO PREACH THIS GOSPEL
to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. But to all men and women everywhere.
But think of this man, this carpenter from Nazareth whose ministry was a short some three years before his Crucifixion. He was a worker of MIRACLES. He, the God – man, was possessed with power over nature. He commanded the seas, he raised the dead, he healed the sick, he restored sight but all of that, miraculous as it may be, was not enough.
He was a great teacher, endowed with divine wisdom. His teachings, those parables would live ‘til the end of time. He brought a special divine wisdom. But that was not enough.
He introduced a new social order. John the Baptist came fasting but HE came eating and drinking. He came that our joy, the happiness of the new believer should be full. That life in HIM should be merry, abundant for the earth was his and he gave it to us. But that was not enough.
Some who came before him did these things. And so, for him to be special, one-of-a-kind, GOD WITH US, there came the trial by heathen men. Then came THE CRUCIFIXION, that horrible, brutal, excruciatingly painful death on the cross and the shedding of all that innocent blood. There had to come that event of NO GREATER LOVE. For we were taught in that Crucifixion that there is no greater love than that a man or a woman should lay down his or her life for someone else, for a friend. THAT WAS NECESSARY, the shedding of the blood of this innocent man for the REMISSION of all sin. The Crucifixion, this supreme redemptive act was absolutely necessary for without it, all that HE was or did was not enough.
The blood of a sinless man must be shed in remission of the sins of sinful men.
Even he, on that cross, felt forsaken even as we at times do. But this radical, lifechanging event was absolutely necessary in order to change the course of human history, to change the nature of all mankind. Think of all that the next time you partake of the wine and the bread.
I often wonder about this man, this carpenter from Nazareth. Sinless was he, so we are told and believe, but a man nonetheless. I wonder about his humanity, what he looked like, how he acted, his personality, his ability to laugh and cry. We know he wept but we can only assume he laughed, because he loved the joy of life. We know his heavy heart and enlightened mind, his teachings serious and weighty. But surely he laughed, saw the humor in life and in mankind for his teaching parables can often be ironic or even sardonic. We can perhaps believe that even as he loved mankind, surely he laughed at their hypocrisy and pretenses.
Was he, I wonder, subject to headaches, or on occasion a stomach upset. Surely he was tired. We were told he could be angry which means he ran the gamut of human emotions. I wonder how often he bathed or who may have trimmed his hair. I wonder how he prayed in all those private moments when he was alone with his FATHER. I would trade any of the four gospels for a recording of his thoughts and words in private, with his disciples, in prayer, comments on sunsets, or howling winds, or even the sporting events of the time. How wonderful it would be to know more about this MAN, this carpenter from Nazareth who was crucified for the sins of the world.
But then he died. And the earth shook. The sun hid its face. One Joseph of Arimathea took his dead body and laid it in a tomb, over and done for every man before or since.
But not this one. For then came the third day:
EASTER.
The greatest day in the history of mankind. RESURRECTION DAY. UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE. And so we celebrate Easter and we who believe in the Resurrection say boldly to all mankind:
HE IS NOT HERE
HE IS RISEN!
The natural man receives not these things of the Spirit. They are folly, mythological, just flat out untrue. From dust you came, says this natural man and to dust you will return and there will be no more. Not so, says the carpenter from Nazareth, the resurrected Christ of Glory, NOT SO. Even as I rose up from the grave, SO WILL YOU! Those who believe in me will live with me eternally. You are wrong, natural man, dead wrong for you have failed to understand or believe in the greatest event in human history. But the natural man continues to say that CHRIST IS NOT RISEN, and the natural man laughs at Christians and with a look in the eye boldly says:
YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN!
Ah, but not so says the Christ of Glory. I am by the power of God alive and I have triumphed over death and the grave. And so will you if you believe in the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ of Glory. It is as the philosopher and theologian Pascal said the supreme wager in all of life:
Do you believe in the resurrected Christ or not?
You will make the wager of a natural man or a spiritual man. You will BELIEVE or you will not.
Do you believe, do you believe in that Resurrection? If you do, and you should, then your faith is not in vain.

Up the carpenter went to Jerusalem, a very special man soon to be crucified and then, in mighty triumph, wondrously resurrected from the dead.
He dined with his disciples, a last loving supper with them to celebrate his body and his blood. The communion, the meaning of the Living Christ had begun.
They found him, the Romans and the Sanhedrin did, they tried him, found him guilty although no man so convicted had ever been more innocent and sentenced him to death, the cruelest and most brutal death possible, a public crucifixion.
They nailed him to that wooden cross. Ironic is it not that a man who lived and worked with wood died on wood.
But before he died he uttered unforgettable words:
MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
WHY?
Stunning, shocking words, almost impossible to believe. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of Glory, the SON of the Living God believed that this God the Father had forsaken him! It is impossible to know how he felt, how awful that death must have been for him. For, in that crucial moment, when worlds collided, when heaven and earth met in a tumultuous and cataclysmic way, when the most powerful earthshaking event in all of human history was about to take place, the one whose life was taken so that he could give life to all others felt forsaken! He felt abandoned by the God who sent him for this mission. He was in that sense like us, a man, a human being with emotions and feelings as we have. On that cross, he was like us.
And it was in that dark moment as though God had departed, forsaken this man. It might well have been that this holy God could not look upon the ultimate and tragic event. For on that cross, in the blood and body of that person, in that death unto sin were in fact the sins of the world, all of them and all of ours. Perhaps God had in fact withdrawn until that ultimate act was finished and when done, there would be propitiation, remission, which would take away the sins of the world. Perhaps the agony, suffering and meaning of that event needed to occur all by itself.
Our Lord knew what would happen. He knew what he would have to do, what God required him to do, what his mission was. And yet, he asked as a man:
LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME
Saying, in effect that he could only wish that he would not have to go through this monstrous ordeal. But then came the realization, that eternal realization that it was not up to him, whether or not this fate, this mission would go away and he uttered the ultimate words of submissions:
NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL BE DONE, FATHER
This crucifixion I endure because you would have me do it.
And so our Lord, the carpenter who made living things from wood was to die on a deadly wooden cross. He would die in pain, excruciating pain, in agony, awful agony. He would die exposed physically, body naked and mutilated and subject to ridicule. He would die with ultimate humiliation, mocked by so many. He would die blood, sweat and tears everywhere, the worst possible death the Romans could deliver. And all the time innocent, guilty of:
NOTHING
Small wonder he said:
LET IT PASS, PLEASE LET IT PASS!
And so he died, the blood, the remission for our sins, for us complete. But, on that third day came the most miraculous, wondrous event this world of ours has ever known. There came on that third day the resurrection, the back-to-life of Jesus Christ, our living Savior and the Prince of Glory. From that brutalized dead body of a carpenter came the resurrected and risen Savior of the world. The power, the ultimate universal power of God Almighty at work.
The tomb where he was buried was empty and that is the CRUX of Christianity. If Christ be not risen, says Apostle Paul, then our Christian faith is in vain, worthless. Of all men we who believe in a Christ not risen are most miserable. Then we are of all men deceived and spiritually deranged. Christianity says Paul without the risen Christ is worthless. Yet it seems so difficult to believe. Coming back to life after death is just simply not humanly possible. Except that, ALL THINGS are possible with God, all things including the resurrection of the dead. But the tomb was empty, no body found, as witnessed 2,000 years ago by three women Mary, Mary Magdalene and Salome. They came to this tomb of Joseph of Arimathea to anoint the body of the crucified Christ only to find the messenger of God, an angel who pronounced the three most important words for every believer in the risen Christ:
HE IS RISEN
Go and tell, the disciples, and Peter, and start the spread of that Gospel, the good news to all mankind the world over. Hallelujah and praise the Lord.
So we sing on Easter Sunday:
CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY!
HALLELUJAH!
Let us sing with praise and worship for that man tried and convicted, crucified, dead and buried was in fact, hallelujah, raised from the dead, resurrected by the power of God, eternal life in him and because of our belief in him, eternal life for us.
We know, we believe that Christ is risen and we who are Christian are one with him. We pray that the love and forgiveness of the Christ of Calvary shall be the portion, the salvation of all mankind even as we sing in praise now and for eternity:
CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN
HALLELUJAH!

That, says the scriptures, THE CROSS is an:
OFFENSE.
The meaning, the thought, the application of the cross is indeed an offense to the NATURAL MAN. That is, the man or woman who has no belief in Christianity. This natural person, man or woman, is offended by the notion of the cross. In fact, this anti-Christian person is offended by anything about the cross, including the blood of Jesus Christ.
For Christians, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, was the act of the son of God who laid down his life for mankind, for the sins of man and woman, and without, says the scriptures, this shedding of blood there is:
NO REMISSION FOR SIN.
None at all.
But the concept of sin generally and the need of humankind to accept that propitiation for sin is offensive, even mythological. Some critics, atheistic, even go so far as to call the crucifixion and the shedding of blood:
BARBARIC.
They go back to the Old Testament, to the very book of Genesis, where there was a sacrifice of an animal, the shedding of that animal’s blood as atonement, remission for sins, declaring that to be barbaric as well. But, again, for Christians, without the shedding of blood, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, there is no remission for sins, none at all. Sin and blood, and of course crucifixion, say the natural man and woman, is ridiculous mythology and stokes the passions of these anti-Christians in this day and age, perhaps as never before.
But sin, the coming short of the glory of God is indeed a reality. In fact, it is everywhere in deed and in heart. Evil is a reality, and there really is no cure for it, except ONE! And that is the saving grace of our Lord clearly manifested to us at Calvary, Golgotha, THE CROSS. Thank God for the cross and Christ!
Jesus of Nazareth was tried before Pilate, and the verdict was:
I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM!
But the mob cried out:
CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!
Pilate, politician that he was, honored the tradition of the time, to release a prisoner to them and Pilate chose Barrabus over Jesus, so much for justice.
To Calvary, he went. Weakened as he was, Simon of Cyrene was conscripted by the Romans to carry the cross of Christ and the Golgathan drama began. Nails were driven into his hands and feet, and there he hung, suffering, parched with a terrible thirst, the crown of thorns on His head causing his blood to drip and his spirit to yearn for the end. He felt all alone, even abandoned by His Father, as he took upon himself the sins of the world, of you and me. In that lonely state, he cried out:
MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
But then, mercifully, it was over. And his parting words were:
IT IS FINISHED!
That ultimate act of redemption was accomplished once and for all, for all mankind, for you and for me. There were those at the time who saw the event, witnessed the horrible act of Roman crucifixion, and watched the innocent Jesus of Nazareth suffer. They witnessed his body taken down from that cross, and the man Joseph, wrapping it in fine linen and laying the precious body of Jesus Christ in that very own and special tomb.
That was Friday, but then came Sunday. On the third day, this son of the living God, with the power of God, rose from the dead, and accomplished the greatest event in human history:
THE RESURRECTION.
Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph or’e his foes. He arose the victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign. Blessed are we, by the millions and millions, who have never seen but who believe, nonetheless.
BLESSED ARE WE!
And we are indeed, for Gentile and Jew, anyone for that matter, all humankind, can have the incredible benefits of the crucifixion and the resurrection, a life of reconciliation here and life eternal there. Death is destroyed, for there now is no more death. We who believe will live eternally with Him so that the life we now live is redeemed, cleansed, and forgiven by His BLOOD. And we will be raised like HIM in our very own resurrection morning to know HIM and to live eternally with HIM.
Thank God for that third day. Life here and now is one of joy, unspeakable rejoicing, praise, worship, and thanksgiving because of this great offense, the cross of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.
So, my fellow Christians, on Easter Sunday and every other day, may we praise God for Jesus of Nazareth, and:
THANK GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT!

Hollywood is increasingly finding Jesus - and the results could be profound.
Those are the words of Billy Hallowell, writer for the interesting publication THE WASHINGTON TIMES.
Finding Jesus in the world of Hollywood can always be suspect for such a finding may be superficial and could be the finding of a Hollywood Jesus and not a Biblical Jesus. Nonetheless, it can be hoped that the real Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ of Glory is what is being discovered by Hollywood and Hollywood-ers and that the corrupt culture of Hollywood, and the entertainment business generally, may in fact, at least to some extent, be:
BORN AGAIN.
What a blessing that would be, would it not?
Coming out of Hollywood and the entertainment world, says Hallowell, is an “agonizing stream of debauchery and hedonism.” Indeed, it is, and if that stuff is not aggressively anti-Christian, it at least cares nothing about morality, much less Christian values. Perhaps there is a revival of some sort in Hollywood, and maybe the entertainment world and business generally, and we who believe in the real Jesus Christ can only hope that such a revival and Christian enlightenment can be based on strong and solid biblical truth, fostered by the Holy Spirit, and result in real transformation, not only of the individual but the industry itself. How good that would be.
We can only hope and pray that the so-called stars, actors and actresses who wish to be famous by the tens and tens of thousands, can indeed have a real born-again experience, experience real salvation, and bring to the entertainment field the love, charity, and sense of forgiveness which only true Christianity can offer. That and only that would really make a difference. And I for one do pray that that is the Jesus which this so-called new Hollywood is finding. If so, the results could as Hallowell says, really be profound and work for real change in what is probably otherwise a god-less industry.
Our culture does indeed reel with division, hatred, mistrust, and anger. If we can find leaders, men and women of character, faith, and real morality, that indeed would make a great difference in our once-great country.
So many of these actors and entertainers have indeed achieved fame, notoriety, and of course money, and the more of that, the less it seems of meaning and value. So many actors, entertainers, sports figures, and personalities of all sorts, keep looking and hoping until there is a real finding of the ultimate happiness, Jesus of Nazareth. Faith and belief in Him, the salvation provided by Him, is the ultimate answer, the ultimate happiness, and it would be wonderful indeed if the entertainment world would find the REAL HIM.
One of the problems the people in this industry face is that the Call of the Christ echoes loud with a summons to not be of this world, but to be transformed. To be a real Christian says the scripture, is to be in the world but not of the world. Hollywood inhabitants do not seem willing to place their all on the altar, to be willing to give up fame, fortune, money, power, influence, and stardom to follow the babe of Bethlehem and the carpenter of Nazareth. But that is evidence of real faith and that is the only way that their lives can be transformed and the industry in which they live itself can be transformed.
Recently, Hollywood has produced some very interesting Christian respectful and Jesus-oriented movies and other products of a higher moral order. What example is the film:
JESUS REVOLUTION.
To the astonishment of Hollywood executives and businesspersons, that film was a box office hit, drew strong reviews, and made very good money. That, said Hallowell, sent “shockwaves” through Hollywood.
Then there is also the TV series:
THE CHOSEN
that is cinematography well done, copy and storylines which are in virtually every way biblically authentic, and well watched by millions of viewers. If such programming does in fact honor Jesus Christ in a real and uncompromising way, thank God and thank Hollywood. That would mean more of this programming being produced and made available. If that in any way spreads the gospel and results in the salvation of souls, again PRAISE THE LORD. Hallowell firmly believes there is a real revival in Tinsel Town and he may be right.
Now comes our celebration of Easter, the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Lord, the real Jesus, and I for one do hope and pray that anything which comes from Hollywood which in fact respectfully and lovingly represents the real biblical Jesus would be of enormous value to our angry, hate-filled, and divisive country at this critical moment in time. Jesus states clearly that HE is the way, the truth, and the life. It is HE who has come to give us life more abundant, that our joy might be full, that our rejoicing may be great in Him and that true and real happiness can only be found in Him. Amen. Amen and I hope you feel and believe the very same way, do you?
Hollywood has always been ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, perhaps even anything too moral, never acknowledging the fact that this gospel is the power of God unto salvation and the only force in this world which can really transform in a fundamental and eternal way the lives of human beings. If anything, ANYTHING in Hollywood can be changed, born again, and its self-produced change for the better, may God be praised. We should pray indeed that Hollywood and its inhabitants, the actors and actresses of the world, continue on the path to find the real Jesus so that indeed as Hallowell well states:
THE SPIRITUAL RESULTS CAN BE PROFOUND!

What a joy it is to be a Christian, a real Christian. A biblically based Christian. A Christian who believes as a life-long credo:
FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITH
AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES,
IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD
NOT OF WORKS
LEST ANY MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD BOAST.
That, my friends, is the real gospel, simply put as the real gospel is. The grace of God is almost undefinable, without boundaries, limits, magnificent, perhaps the chief characteristic of God the Father Almighty.
The faith that saves NONES, is a simple one as well. It is faith just like that of a little child. Children, the strongest evidence of what faith means, loving, trusting, hopeful, single-minded, uncompromising, and unconfused. That is the kind of faith by which salvation occurs and lasts a lifetime. What a shame that child-like biblical faith is challenged, so often not preached in the pulpit, and is exactly what the NONES need and are undoubtedly looking for.
I have little confidence in surveys, surveys of any kind, the best a survey can do is highlight an issue, a problem, a way of thinking, but when sampling the opinions of a few hundred people leads to conclusions drawn sometimes for millions, the inadequacies and inaccuracies of those conclusions are painfully evident. Now comes the most recent Pew poll.
The more educated those NONES were, those who are so-called atheists or agnostics, that is the more intellectual the none-believer was as a result of education, the more it seems they believed in themselves, their own thinking, their own determination of truth, and ultimate values (if any) and the less they were willing to accept the absolute truth of any religion, and especially the gospel of Jesus Christ. The educated were more critical. They were especially critical of religious institutions, churches, denominations, and what they termed overly zealous religious people, whatever that means. These NONES thought the pulpit was weak, pastors compromised, and the power of the message missing. In many cases, they were probably right about that, but instead of looking around that, or deeper into the truth of the gospels, they simply wrote off religion and any concept of salvation, especially salvation by grace and faith. Rather than the God and the Christ of the Bible, these so-called educated NONES
constructed their own version of GOD, which had little or no relationship or similarity to the God of the Bible. They chose for themselves what they wanted to believe and discarded the rest. They happily acknowledge the fact that we live in the age of POST-TRUTH, the end of the age of absolute truth and the end of any kind of formal religion with claims to such a truth. These new NONES were part of the WOKE generation and they relished their easy god and their very own made-up religion. They embraced the fact that this new wokeness had strong elements of Marxism and although anything from the pen of Marx was totally contrary to the truth of the gospel, incorporated those Marxist generalities into their religious thinking and beliefs. Nothing could be more anti-Christian, REAL CHRISTIANITY and it is nothing more than a brand new and powerful insidious way in which the powers of evil attack the powers of righteousness and those with simple, child-like, bible-believing faith approach their beliefs.
Paul reminds us that these end times will bring forth many false teachers, false beliefs, compromises to the real gospel, and challenges to the concept of salvation by faith through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is happening big time, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians. Avoid it and them like the plague.
Many believe that the church has become infected with theological liberalism, woke-ism, even Marxism, all of which denied the resurrection, the bible’s authority, miracles, the virgin birth, and salvation by faith. Reconstruction and redefinition are the new rages with regard to religion generally and especially and hurtfully, the very real and wonderful Christian church. As one theologian said:
‘MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS HAVE GOTTEN DISILLUSIONED WITH CHURCHES, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND PASTORS WHO ARE CLEARLY ABANDONING THE BIBLE.”
What people want, and especially the NONES, is truth, loving truth. Searchers for this loving truth, this real truth, want more than anything:
AUTHENTICITY.
The real, the real gospel. Real truth, uncompromised. So many in this generation hunger for faith, hope, and love, all of which are the essential components of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To know HIM is to know Truth, absolute truth. And there He is, ready to be known, accepted, and believed in. What an opportunity to present the gospel to this incredibly compromised, needy, day and age.
David Closson, of FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL, said the following:
WE DON’T NEED TO DRESS THE GOSPEL UP. WE DON’T NEED THE LIGHT SHOW, THE ROCK BANDS. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL (AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO BE SURE). AND IF CHURCHES AND CHRISTIANS REALLY PUSH INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES, I THINK THEY WOULD FIND A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE READY TO HEAR THE GOSPEL AND TO RESPOND TO IT.

Amen. Go ye into all this generation with the power of the gospel, the real gospel, and watch, you just watch the real results, the saving results which will be produced by your life and your testimony by:
THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD ALMIGHTY!