GREENE STREET LETTERS: Good Friday

Friday, April 2, 2010

Good Friday

Today is good Friday.

The day that is celebrated as the crucifixion day.
The day Jesus was offered as a sacrifice for the sin of the world.

Hard to imagine that something so pure and holy, Jesus' blood........

could pay for all the evil and nastiness.........

the hatred and hurt.....

everything wrong in the human heart.

It is hard to imagine that everything about the crucifixion was so that I could enter into relationship with God. IT was my sin that separated me from Him. He could not look upon me or interact with me because He had set a standard and was not about to lower it. Instead, He paid the price so that I could be brought "up" to His standard.

It was the shed blood of Jesus that paid the price.

Hebrews 9:22 reads: In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

We go back even farther in Scripture and we find in Leviticus 17:11----For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar. It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.

You won't here much in churches today about the blood of Jesus.
There will be a lot of messages this weekend about Jesus' death.

About the cross.

About the tomb and resurrection.

But you will not hear many who speak of the blood of Christ.

It is this blood that was given willingly by Christ, this perfect....sinless....pure....and holy blood that covered the sin of the world.

It has lost none of its power.
The blood is still at work today.

It brings forgiveness where there is confession and repentance.
It brings healing where there is brokenness and sorrow.

It brings freedom where people are in slavery and bondage.

It brings life from death.

It is the blood of Jesus.

Please don't let this weekend fall into just another weekend.

Don't let your church service or gathering be just another meeting.

Prepare yourself to meet with Jesus this weekend.

Prepare yourself to receive from Him what ever it is He desires to give you or tell you.

Embrace the truth of the cross............that death could not defeat Him.

That the power of sin has been broken and the devil is a defeated foe.

HE IS RISEN!!!!!
mb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Good Friday

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD