Tag: christianity

Posted in theology

Debunking Myths: Women and Preaching in Christianity

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Below, Spot the flaws.

I wrote two days ago about the celebrity grandmother ‘Bible teachers’ who were adept at crafting a conservative persona on social media contrary to the lives they were actually living.

They had to craft their outward picture (in hypocrisy) because firstly, when they started out the faith was much more conservative than it is now. They could not openly say they were preaching or having a career at the office. They had to say they were ‘speaking’ and only occasionally because they were stay at home moms. They had a ‘ministry’ not an all-consuming, busy career.

Secondly 40 years ago there was not as much social media as there is now. Back in the day there was only TV, newspapers, and radio.

I wrote an essay in 2018 saying this push of preaching to men was going to be a problem:

Beth Moore has a lot to answer for in normalizing women preaching/teaching to men

I also said so two days ago that the evil example of these grandmothers in the faith (Moore, Shirer, Meyer, Caine…) during the last generation is a problem:

The Double Life of Christian Influencers: Beware of hypocrisy

So, a couple of days ago a woman whose handle is Cia Cloud, put up an Instagram story and a TikTok talking about the “romantic heart of Jesus”. The short video is below and here is the transcript:

@heyitscia

For the person struggling with with settling. #love #christian #jesus

♬ original sound – Hey it’s Cia

After you’ve experienced the romantic heart of Jesus, you cannot go back to casual dating. I got out of a relationship a while ago, and when I did I asked the Lord can you teach me what it’s like for You to be my husband? And before you get weirded out, it’s because the church is known as the Bride of Christ, and He’s the groom. I wanted to know what it felt like to truly be pursued so that I knew what to look for in a future relationship. Let me explain what God does so you don’t settle. I wish more people understood that God wants to romanticize your heart. He wants to win you over. He created you to delight in pursuing you. He is the ultimate pursuer. We just get distracted. The other day for example, the Lord told me he was going to take me out to lunch…”

She went on with two more examples of how Jesus spoke to her and shortly afterward the minor things he allegedly said came true.

No. But what can we expect when young women of this generation have had such an evil example for decades, with no rebukes coming from the grandmother preachers’ denominations?

It was sad to see the comments asking how to hear God like she does, one woman saying “because for me he has been so quiet”.

Let’s spot the falsities in her speech:

Falsity #1. “Jesus is my romantic boyfriend”. No. John Gacinski on Twitter replied to the person who had posted Cia’s video-

John Gacinski, @johngacinski: “God wants to romanticize your heart” No. Jesus wants us to surrender to Him and serve Him. He wants us to be born again so we can be worthy vessels in His house. He’s not wooing us like some twenty something who’s desperate for a girlfriend. I’m so tired of this “Jesus is my boyfriend/homeboy” trash.

Notice Cia said “I wanted to know what it felt like” not ‘what does the Bible say?’

Falsity #2. “He speaks to me directly.” No. The canon is closed. He spoke through His word as Hebrews 1:1-2 says. Justin Peters has a rebuttal to the ‘still small voice that speaks to me’ error.

Falsity #3. “Prophetic words given directly to me are coming ‘true’. No. Stop looking for signs and omens and back dating what you thought you heard in the ‘voice.’ Just live your daily life according to the word.

Falsity #4. Needing an experience rather than what His word says. The people followed Jesus when He spoke good things, and they clamored for the signs and miracles. But when he spoke hard things, they drifted away. Turns out they were only following Him for a show. The walk of faith begins and ends in the word of God, which will never pass away.

Falsity #5. He pursues with uncertain outcome rather than sovereignly electing (He “wants to win you”). Jesus is not wishing and hoping and wringing His hands hoping you come to faith as He chases you. He elected His people from before the foundation of the world and at the fullness of each elected person’s time, they are given the grace to repent and come to Him. (Ephesians 1:4-6)

This problem of prophetic words, still small voice, romantic boyfriend Jesus issues are not all the wicked grandmothers’ fault. Seminaries are doing their best to pump out women preachers rife with false doctrine. Witness Cia Cloud:

I am sad for her future because she is standing on sand building a house of sand

These nextgen women don’t even hide it anymore, not like the other false female preachers did in the 90s and early 2000s. They are ‘out’ as preachers. Immodest ones, at that. Apparently Cia attended Liberty University.

But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet, says 1 Timothy 2:12. See also 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Ephesians 5:22-24 among other verses that clearly state what the woman and wife should do and not do.

If you have a teen or young adult daughter, I feel for you. Keeping the false doctrines at bay is difficult. Just as you put one doctrinal fire out, another pops up. I want to encourage you moms, grandmoms, young ladies, that if you stay in the word, Jesus will keep you on the center line of his doctrine. Guard your heart, keep your eyes on Jesus, stay in the Word.

Pastor Owen Strachan has some wise advice for women (men too, but I’ll post the women’s here) on what to do and what not to do.

You notice none of those pieces of advice say chase after signs, listen for a small voice, ascend the pulpit to preach, or treat the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE like a wooing, weak boyfriend.

Stay strong, ladies. Jesus will come back and He will raise us up. He will address the false doctrine and the people who promoted it. Meanwhile, be a pillar, upholding His precious true word.

When our sons in their youth are like growing plants, And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace, Psalm 144:12

Posted in theology

Understanding God’s Jealousy: A Biblical Perspective

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Reading this by Michael Reeves from his book “What does it mean to fear the Lord?”

That large-heartedness is actually the overflow of a tender-heartedness toward God. It means that those who fear God have to use another much-misunderstood word—a jealousy for God. Such righteous jealousy should not be confused with selfish envy: it is a love that will not let go of the beloved or make do with substitutes. As God the Father is jealous for his beloved Son, and as Christ is jealous for his bride, the church, so too those who fear God find in themselves a loving jealousy for God. Adoring him, they cannot abide his glory being diminished or stolen. False teaching will distress them, not because it contradicts their views but because it impugns him. Self-righteousness becomes loathsome to them because of how it steals from the glory of his grace.

Actress and TV personality Oprah Winfrey was raised in church and knew the Gospel (presumably) but one little word set her off on a trajectory downhill to perdition. She was put off by the verse in Exodus 34:14,

—for you shall not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—”

She didn’t want to follow any God who was jealous of her. She said such a statement didn’t “feel right in my spirit”. She wanted “more than doctrine.”

Isn’t that where it all starts, ‘wanting more’ than the eternal word God already gave? Going on feelings rather than digging in to His word?

Source: https://youtu.be/sGCxCz2Q5Nk?si=WJTOUKO-Hv5zVHl_

Of course Oprah’s is a total misunderstanding of the verse. If only she’d asked the question, ‘what does it MEAN to be a jealous God’ maybe she wouldn’t have made a false god for herself.

But people who are not saved look for reasons NOT to submit to God. They are unwilling to take up their cross. They do not count the cost. They want to retain their pride, or come to God on their own terms. They are stiff-necked with a bias confirmation- they use their weak excuses to confirm that ‘I knew all along God was a fraud.’

But deep down they know the opposite. Romans 1:18-20 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

God is not jealous OF us, He is jealous FOR us. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him not for His benefit, but for ours.

Are you in fellowship with Jesus today? He who put on the flesh of man, came from glory to live the sinless, righteous life we could not? Then die for our sins so as to absorb God’s wrath for the sinful ones like us? This is an incredible thing, the most incredible plan, event, and doctrine in all the universe. Believe it today and repent, casting your sins upon Jesus and asking for forgiveness of them. He will forgive and you will be blessed by the protection of a God who is jealous for you.

Posted in theology

The Double Life of Christian Influencers: Beware of hypocrisy

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Social media, man. What are you gonna do? It is a blessing, a curse, a minefield, reality, unreality. It is a window into the world that allows the Gospel to propagate, and it offers the sinful multiple ways to be hypocrites.

We’ve seen the rise and hopefully fall of the “trad wife” phenomenon, the microbakery revelation controversy, and tons of influencers who turn out to be totally fake just out to get your money. They weren’t living the life they said they were living, they weren’t experts in the thing they claimed to be experts in, or their entire persona was AI generated with an account full of bot farming and paid commenters in order to inflate numbers. There is a LOT of money to be made! You have no idea how much.

From the article, How influencer cartels manipulate social media: Fraudulent behaviour hidden in plain sight

Influencer marketing has become a key part of modern advertising. In 2023, spending on influencer marketing reached $31 billion, already rivalling the entirety of print newspaper advertising. Influencer marketing allows advertisers fine targeting based on consumer interests by choosing a good product-influencer-consumer match.

Phew. Glad you’re a Christian where at least the online persona you’re following is safer. Right? RIGHT?!

Nope.

The hypocrites, the fake information, the unrevealed truth, the sly manipulation, their curation of only what they want you to see, the lack of authenticity, is also rife within the Christian community.

There are many false teachers, something we are not surprised at because God’s word repeatedly informs us of the danger. We must be wise but innocent, trusting but verifying, testing all through the purity of God’s word.

The ladies listed below claim to be focused moms and wives, some saying they are stay-at-home mom, but all have busy careers, small children at one time while they were in the throes of their careers, and teach errant doctrine in one form or another. They’re all hypocrites. They put one face on social media but are actually living a different life than the one they curate to the world.

To write exactly why they are hypocrites here and give the examples and proofs would make this blog novel length. I’ve included links of each woman if you care to see the examples of why they SAY they are a submitted wife and mother but really are not. Each one is violating one or more tenets of the Bible by their life and their doctrine.

Raechel Myers (founder of She Reads Truth).
Diana Stone (formerly writer for She Reads Truth, conference speaker, magazine founder, writer for newspapers and periodicals, world traveler).
Joanna Gaines (HGTV star of Fixer Upper, author, CEO of myriad corporations all named Magnolia Something).
Priscilla Shirer (author, speaker, preacher, actress).
Beth Moore (author, novelist, speaker, preacher, celebrity panelist)

These women by now after decades of teaching false doctrine and living an unbiblical life are the grandmothers of ‘ministry’ – AKA career. They were the trailblazers, showing the young women coming up how to do it. How to curate an image. What to say to keep the conservative segments of the faith off your back (pssst, say you’re ‘speaking‘ at a church, not preaching!) Actually, they have been at it so long that an entire generation of women have grown up seeing their lifestyle and hearing their doctrine and have internalized and normalized it.

They showed us how to carefully curate an image, they proved it was possible to live a double life, they walked the line between authentic and inauthentic.

Ladies, I have two points here. First, test everything, not only doctrine, but life too. If a woman claims to love Jesus and be a family mom, but is CEO of a dozen corporations, is on TV, authors books, goes on book tours, does interviews, sells real estate…is she living the Titus 2 motherly life in Waco that she claims? It does NOT stand to reason. Ladies, think. What they say and what they do must match up. Test their life.

Secondly, social media is only a tool. As with any tool, it is neutral. It can be used for good like a hammer pounding in a nail to hang beautiful art. It can be used for ill as a tool that murders someone. It’s the same with ALL social media. It can be used to edify with scripture or to comfort, or it can be used for slander or propagating false doctrine. It can be used to present a false picture of someone’s life.

Be wary about what you see from a Christian leader on social media. We think the best of people but we also accept that deception comes in many forms.

Hosea 14:9, Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But wrongdoers will stumble in them.

Further resources:

Just a few days after I published this essay warning about people identifying as Christians but leading double lives online vs real life, we read this sad tale of the once well respected J. Brandon Meeks, AKA No Jesuit Tricks, who spun tales of living in the south so well written he gained a huge following. His declarations of being a thelogian in residence and earning an advanced degree in Scotland discovered to be patently false (at least the Ph.D from Aberdeen U was false, maybe the rest of it was too). He had a huge online presence, but was lying about a lot of it. In real life, the situation was sadly…worse. Here is the story-

The Talented Mr. Meeks

Posted in theology

Worshiping the Creator: A Reflection on Faith

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s the day most of us get to go to church. For some who can’t, they listen or watch the livestream. It’s a day when we worship together, considering who our God is and why He is worthy of worship.

I saw this 3 minute video posted on Twitter by Amy Spreeman, and I watched it. I connected with God initially by his attribute of Creator. Paul appealed to God as Creator when witnessing topagans-

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; (Acts 17:24 NASB).

Please enjoy watching this video, and ponder the fact that He made all this. And didn’t make only her but all 8 billion people on the planet, each with unique DNA, and all the people before her, and after.

Posted in theology

That’s a Wrap! My year on Spotify and WordPress

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Sixteen years! Next week as of January 9th I’ll have been writing daily on The End Time for 16 years. There are 6,764 essays here. On my other blog The Quiet Life it has been intermittent, but I founded that personal blog 3 years earlier, so, 19 years.

After 2006 other social media came along beyond blogs, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and so on, so I absorbed them into my posting routine too.

The End Time blog is my main ministry though. My goals are to present solid theology, to refer women to credible ministries for further exploration, and to present thoughts about our faith that ultimately exalt and honor Jesus. The public square is marvelous for getting the name of Jesus out there and to share doctrines from a trustworthy source.

When podcasting became a thing I added that to the list. My main goal is to get good theology and resources into the hands of women, many of whom are busy moms. If they can listen to content while driving, cooking, or folding, instead of having to stop to read it, all the better. So The End Time Blog podcast was born.

Spotify keeps an annual analytic they send to creators at the end of the year. This year I stopped in May for a few months as I regrouped from WordPress and Spotify’s divorce, while I looked for another podcast platform to record on. So a good chunk of my analytics were impacted during the pause. Even with not having podcasted for a full quarter, the stats look good. So…thank you!

Apparently according to Spotify’s algorithm I am a Trendsetter personality:

They define the Trendsetter personality this way: “Like a true trendsetter, you have your finger on the pulse, publishing often and keeping it short and sweet. You love sharing your stories with your listeners.” Women have commented to me that they like short podcasts- some because it’s nice to intersperse with others’ longer podcasts, or just because they prefer short for various reasons. Most of my podcasts are under 15 minutes.

New listeners are coming in, so that’s good. Even with not promoting it and having stopped for a few months!

What was my top episode? Well, now there’s a story. If you follow me on Facebook and especially on Twitter you know I post rebuttals, warnings, and frequent criticism of Lori Alexander The Transformed Wife of godlywomanhood (and her husband too). Her ministry is damaging and unbiblical. I like being her gadfly, (to annoy through persistent criticism). I know that criticism is her kryptonite. Husband Ken hates it, too. They are unteachable, arrogant, and have thin skins- not a good look for people claiming to be Christians and teachers of others.

However, Lori has a huge following, I mean it’s near the million mark, so that means her damage goes far. Her false teaching goes far. If even one woman goes away from Lori through anything I post, I will have had a satisfactory day.

So what was my all-time 2024 podcast episode? Lori Alexander, red flags of a false teacher, and the whole counsel of God.

THAT’S why I persistently criticize Lori Alexander’s ministry. There are many women out there who think Lori’s output is biblical who would benefit from a wake up warning call, others who are seeking answers to niggling issues that their conscience or Bible study raises about her “teaching” or her behavior, or other ladies who just need confirmation of their own discernment that Lori’s output is not OK.

Other top blogs in 2024 included another discernment essay titled, Beth Moore’s divorced daughter was married this weekend. A consistent top read essay on this site year after year is the one I did comparing two divorces of celebrities in the faith that I wrote in 2016- Summer White and Melissa Moore, titled Two divorce cases: Summer White and Melissa Moore. White is the daughter of theologian James White and Melissa is Beth Moore’s daughter. So it stands to reason that Moore’s daughter’s remarriage this year also garnered a lot of interest.

Inevitably, when I write discerningly about a teacher’s lifestyle or her family I receive lots of comments along the lines of ‘It’s not your business!’ Oh, but it is. If a teacher is teaching publicly in a public ministry, the Bible tells us that their home life, behavior, and character are part of the qualifications for assuming the authority of teaching. (1 Timothy 4:16, Titus 2:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:27, James 1:21-22).

The Alistair Begg issue (when he told a grandma it was OK to attend her gay grandson’s wedding) was also a well-read, top essay this year. So were the perennial top 10 essays I’ve written in the past but always land in the top 10 or 15, about Joyce Meyer and David Jeremiah.

A few non-discernment essays were also in the top 10, such as A Day in the Life of a Shepherd, an essay about the glory, one about the tree of life, and the like.

I’m happy that anyone reads anything I write. Discernment seems to be needed, and since the Spirit gave me that as one of His gifts of the Spirit, I am happy to employ it. I’m not embarrassed by discernment. I’m also happy when a women reads anything else I write about, and I do write about other topics besides discernment, such as natural history, biblical history, people in the faith (in the Bible or outside the Bible).

My personal favorites are the series I published on “A Day on the Life Of…” and the series on “Little Known Bible Characters” especially the one I researched and wrote about Eutychus (the young man who fell out of the window). That was a fun one to look into.

These are the essays I wrote about “A Day in the Life Of”-

A Day in the Life of: Introduction
A Day in the Life of: A Professional Mourner
A Day in the Life of: A Fisherman
A Day in the Life of: A Potter
A Day in the Life of: A Scribe
A Day in the Life of: A Shepherd
A Day in the Life of: A Tanner
A Day in the Life of: A Seller of Purple
A Day in the Life of A: Concubine
A Day in the Life of: A Roman Centurion

The blog and the podcast are small potatoes compared to a lot of others, but I’m content, because this is what the Spirit has ordained. In truth, I’m still working full time and I do not believe I could keep up if the blog and podcast grew more or expanded faster. I’m not on a “speaking circuit”, the podcast is really small, the blog isn’t a brand, it’s not slick, and to younger eyes the graphics may even look uncool. I’m just an old lady who loves her Savior and writes stuff because that is the way I process concepts. It’s all OK.

When a lady messages to me that she has gone away from this or that false teacher, or has grown thanks to the resources I offered, or just enjoys the writing, it is my reward. I’m grateful for another year here at The End Time, and all glory goes to Jesus.

Posted in prophecy, Uncategorized

Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 28, Resurrection of central importance

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We are coming toward the end of our look at the life of Jesus through scripture. The first section of His life was seen through verses focused on prophecy, arrival, and early life.

The next section of verses looked at Him as the Son, second person of the Trinity.

Continue reading “Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 28, Resurrection of central importance” →
Posted in theology

Prata Potpourri: Bible Plans, how to read your Bible, Ditching a Plan, and more!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

With the New Year upon us, many people are either finishing a previous Bible reading plan and perhaps looking for a different one for next year, or starting one for the first time. There are a lot of plans out there!

I’ve done several myself with I enjoyed. I liked the M’Cheyne plan, the Professor Horner plan, a plan my seminary friend devised where the Bible is read from the aspect of when each book was written (Job was 1st).

This suggestion from Answers In Genesis for how to start reading your Bible is a good one. Read Genesis 1-11, then Exodus 20, then…well, you’ll see in this 45-second video outlining a plan to get started. Facebook: https://fb.watch/wKhCxZU7qw//
Youtube: https://youtu.be/W-GPBmUVkoE?si=O8opzCfsHKxpYdf4

How to Eat your Bible: A Simple Approach to Learning and Loving the Word of God, book by Nate Pickowicz. Nate is a pastor in Gilmanton Iron Works, NH, plowing hard New England ground. He is the author of several books, including The American Puritans with Dustin Benge. Here is a synopsis of the book:

If you’re feeling distant from God, could it be because you’re ignoring His Word? But maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe the long books and strange names feel overwhelming. Maybe you just don’t like reading. Whatever the case, How to Eat Your Bible will help you cultivate an appetite for life-long study of God’s Word. Find practical guidance for overcoming the hurdles that have kept you from making Bible study a regular part of your life...

Post-Its and Bible study go together like Mac & cheese

John MacArthur has an article on How to Enjoy Bible Study: “There’s nothing I enjoy more than studying the Bible. Yet it has not always been that way. My real passion for studying Scripture began when as a college student, I made a commitment to explore the Bible in earnest. I found that the more I studied, the more my hunger for Scripture grew. Here are three simple guidelines that have helped me to make the most of my study time.”

Ligonier lists 20 Reading Plans for 2025, saying, “To grow in the knowledge of God and to live in light of His truth, it’s important that we set aside focused time to study His Word.”

Michelle Lesley has listed a huge variety of plans with a short synopsis of each and links to each. Worth checking out. Bible Reading Plans for the New Year.

Pastor Jacob Abshire has an essay on Why I Ditched Bible Reading Plans with reasonable cautions and personal experience. Some people don’t connect with a ‘plan’ and that’s OK. This time of year one begins to see lots of talk about plans and you might be feeling guilty if you’re not on one. Don’t be. You can absolutely create something for yourself. As long as you’re reading progressively and steadily in some kind of structure, you will grow.

Abshire, while ditching a standard plan, absolutely advocates for reading the Bible. He devised a way to read it that was comfortable to him, and shares the specifics. His approach is kind of like the G3 “Six Ribbons” plan in Michelle’s list above.

Why I Ditched Bible Reading Plans

If you start the year with a Bible Reading Plan and find it’s just not for you, that is OK too! Don’t wait until 2026 to begin a new one. Meeting with God every day is a blessing, so just read, or pick a new plan, or devise one yourself.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

Advent- Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 24, Attributes- His Omniscience

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We have been through a section of verses that show Jesus’ life in His earthly ministry. We’ve seen Him as servant, teacher, shepherd, intercessor, and healer.

Now we look at His attributes. Today- Omniscience.

thirty days of Jesus day 24

CARM.org: The sovereignty of God: His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence
Omniscience is an attribute of God alone. It is the quality of having all knowledge (Isaiah 40:14). God knows all things possible as well as actual because He has ordained whatsoever will come to pass according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). He does not need to experience something to know about it completely. 

Ligonier: Scripture and the Two Natures of Christ
The historic Christian understanding of the person of Christ is that He is one person who possesses two natures: a divine nature and a human nature. Each nature retains its unique properties, and the two natures remain distinct, though inseparably united in Christ’s person. Thus, according to His divine nature, as the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God is omniscient, omnipotent, and so forth. According to His human nature, the incarnate Christ needs to eat food to survive, grows in knowledge, and so forth.

GotQuestions: What does it mean that Jesus is omniscient?
Despite the condescension of the Son of God to empty Himself and make Himself nothing (Philippians 2:7), His omniscience is clearly seen in the New Testament writings. The first prayer of the apostles in Acts 1:24, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart,” implies Jesus’ omniscience, which is necessary if He is to be able to receive petitions and intercede at God’s right hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thirty Days of Jesus Series-

Introduction/Background

Prophecies:

Day 1: The Virgin shall conceive
Day 2: A shoot from Jesse
Day 3: God sent His Son in the fullness of time
Day 4:  Marry her, she will bear a Son

Birth & Early Life-

Day 5: The Babe has arrived!
Day 6: The Glory of Jesus
Day 7: Magi seek the Child
Day 8: The Magi Offer gifts & worship
Day 9: The Child Grew
Day 10- the Boy Jesus at the Temple
Day 11: He was Obedient
Day 12: The Son!
Day 13: God is pleased with His Son

The Second Person of the Trinity-

Day 14: Propitiation
Day 15: The Gift of Eternal Life
Day 16:  Kingdom of Darkness to Light
Day 17: Jesus’ Preeminence
Day 18: The Highest King
Day 19: He emptied Himself
Day 20: Jesus as The Teacher
Day 21: The Good Shepherd
Day 22: The Intercessor
Day 23: The Compassionate Healer

His attributes

Posted in encouragement, holy, Lamb

Be ye reconciled to God

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:7-8)

The Sacrifice of Isaac is a familiar chapter to most Christians. We study it in Sunday School, it’s taught in VBS, we read it familiarly as mature Christians, our eyes having passed over the verses many times.

But sometimes the gravity of the moment just grabs you and won’t let go. The Father DID provide the Lamb for the sacrifice. The grandest, most beautiful, most terrible moment in all of history or ever shall be, was the death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

Ambassadors have all the authority of the sending nation behind them. As Christ’s ambassadors, we have all the authority of heaven behind us!

Sometimes just thinking about how Jesus died for us and absorbed the wrath that was rightfully due me, is overwhelming. Sometimes thinking of how despite my craven sinful nature, God cleaned me and forgave me. Sometimes thinking of the fact that God uses me, a poor clay vessel, for His glory, is just too immense for my mind to absorb.

The Christian journey is sometimes not easy, and it is always demanding, but it is also the most joyous and entrancing life a person could ever imagine. If you have not turned to Jesus for forgiveness of your sins, sins that incur the wrath of a Holy God against you every minute of every day, please do it. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth split history. The event divided the world into two paths. One is narrow and leads to everlasting life. The other path is broad and many find it, and will descend to hell for everlasting wrath.

The Father did provide the Lamb. And He is exalted.

The Lamb Exalted
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:11-13)