Happily Ever After

Most fairytales end with the line "...and they lived happily ever after." Many people believe that this is how the life of a Christian should be characterized after accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior. I've know people in the past that would comment "there must be sin in the camp" when others would face difficult times or trials. As I continue to study the life of the apostle Paul its painfully obvious that a life free from conflict isn't part of God's plan. I've come to the conclusion that perhaps the converse is true....if your life is smooth sailing, perhaps you are not where you need to be in your spiritual journey.



Matthew 7:14 states "Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” This suggests to me that the way of a Christian will be filled with obstacles, isolation, and incomplete vision.

What the bible does promise is the following:
• God has a specific plan (Jeremiah 29:11)
• God provides a "flashlight" (Psalms 119)
• God provides power (Acts 1:8)
• God provides armour and weapons (Ephesians 6:10-17)

The Empty Tomb

The title of today's post, "The Empty Tomb", is not likely a new revelation to many. The resurrection of Jesus has long been a central tenet of Christian theology. However, with the recently published documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," many may question the validity of this precious believe.



As I mentioned in "The Journey from Tarsus" post, I've been studying the life of the apostle Paul. I've been simply amazed at how entrenched the Pharisees had become in legalism. So much so that they could not recognize the very presence of the Messiah who was promised in prophecy by Moses. The gospels are filled with numerous accounts where Christ confounds the Pharisees as they try to apply religious legalism to the ministry of Jesus. The Pharisees, as Stephen points out in Acts 7:1-39, had become stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears. Their regimented life stlye and adherance to the legalistic doctrines that they and their forefathers had established led them to try and silence Christ and his disciples.



The last miracle performed by Christ, the resurrection of Lazarus, was "the straw that broke the camels back." Caiaphas, high priest of the Sanhedrin, and many other Pharisees sought to and were successful in having Jesus crucified. Of specific interest is that after his death Caiaphas and the Pharisees went to Pilate requesting that Roman guards be sent to protect the body of Christ.



Matthew 27:62-65



The next day, the one after Preparation Day,the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said,`After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the bodyand tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. 



This brings me to the point of today's post and the associated revelation I had. Considering the following points:

• The Sanhedrin and Pharisee's were concerned for the security of Christ's body
• Their desire was to silence the teachings of Christ and the christian "movement"
• Persecution of Christians documented throughout NT as Christianity spread

The Sanhedrin and Pharisees, who went to great lengths to have Christ crucified would have expended significant energy in locating the body of Jesus. What better way would there have been than to simply produce the body of Christ - effectively silencing all that Christ had accomplished. The fact is they were not able to find his risen body. Today, some 2000 years later, the secular and religious opponents to the message of Jesus continue to try and find the body of Christ.....

So today I have two conclusions:
1.) The Tomb IS Empty
2.) If they truly want to find Christ, I have his exact location:

The Journey from Tarsus

Over the past several months I have really developed a desire to learn more about the Bible. Perhaps in a future post I'll share more about the past few years of my life and how it has been almost stagnant in spiritual growth. Through the circumstances surrounding the birth of my 2nd child, where my wife and I saw God's mighty hand in action, I realized that I needed to invest more time and energy into my relationship with God.



Having not been raised in a christian home, I struggle with not really knowing how to study the Bible. To complicate matters, the ministers/teachers at most churches I have attended assume that those in the audience have a good foundation for spiritual understanding. The realization that I needed better, more focused, teaching led to significant changes in my family's lives. This included the desire to find a new church more geared to developing the spiritual foundation and understanding of it's members. Although this was not an easy decision, looking back it was certainly the correct one.



I recently came across the website for the Two Rivers Church (http://www.2rc.cc) located here in Knoxville, TN. After navigating around their website for a while I discovered that the pastor (Brad Brinson) made his sermons available for download. Further, in most cases, he also provides an outline to follow along with the message. After listening to several of his sermons regarding the topic of prayer, I came across a series he taught in early 2006 on the book of Ephesians (written by the apostle Paul). I found the series of sermons so fascinating that I committed myself to doing an in depth study of the life and ministry of Paul.



This weekend I visited the Cedar Springs Bookstore (http://www.cschristian.com/e/home.asp) to see what, if any, study guides or resources were available to assist me. I chose a study created by Beth Moore whom my wife says is an incredible teacher, based on several past studies she has completed. The title of the study is "To Live Is Christ: The Life and Minstry of Paul." (http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/eshopping_product_page/0%2C%2CM%3D201079&I%3D0767334124%2C00.html?R=779590)



The 10 week study begins with the assumptions made by the author regarding what the childhood of Paul must have been like. Tarsus is the city where Paul was born....thus, let the journey begin towards a better understanding............

What is a Prodigal Pig?

THE PRODIGAL:

According to Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." I, of course, am no exception to this fundamental principle. The amazing fact is that despite the seemingly endless ways I have failed him, he forgives my transgressions.



In Luke 15:11-31 Jesus shares the parable of "The Prodigal Son." The story represents what God has done for each of us through the gift of his son Jesus. The Father has given each of us our inheritance - eternal life. John 3:16 states that "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."



During the course of our lives, we often end up in a place where we never wanted to be....In isolation from the creator and lacking the inheritance of eternal life. Romans 6:23 confirms that "the wages of sin is death." Therefore, we, in someway must reestablish communion with our heavenly Father. Jesus, through the way of the cross, provided this avenue.



I, being a prodigal son, love the words of Ephesians 3:16-19 as it sums up my desire for each of you. I desire that you may know the extent to which God loves each of us and that you understand that the provision of forgiveness has already been made. We just have to accept it in our hearts....thus, the focus and desire for maintaining this blog.



THE PIG:

Well, I love BBQ! Perhaps that is a slight understatement. A coworker recently commented that my personal modo seems to be “No Pig Left Behind.” I believe it is more accurate to state it as “No BBQ Left Behind” as I equally enjoy beef, pork, chicken, etc.

In my mind there is a great correlation between a spiritual journey and good BBQ. Good BBQ is only achieved when it is prepared "low-and-slow." My spiritual journey, like BBQ, has been a process that has taken time to fully develop. So, this blog will focus on what I consider to be biblical truths, my passion for BBQ, and the love I have for my amazing family.