Sunday, March 22, 2009

A Journey's Beginning...

As we grow up, we hear a lot of stories. Some that make us laugh, some that make us cringe, some that make us joyous, and some that make us saddened. I think the greatest story ever told, and many of you will agree, is that of Jesus. And nothing is as poignant than his death on the cross. Many of you have heard this story told time and time again, yet rarely do we hear it in its most defined detail.

Some of you may be familiar with crucifixion, and some of you may not. It is quite possibly the most horrid form of torture known to man. The sheer amount of energy need to lift the body up in order to breathe is humongous. And while that happens, the nails driven into the body begin to tear and rip the bones from ligaments, muscles and other body parts. In some instances, in order to speed up the process, the guards would break the victim's legs, giving him no way to push up to breathe. To be hung on a cross is said to be a curse from God...And even before the crucifixion, the torture that victims would sustain may have even been to great for them to even make it to the cross. The cat-o-nine-tails would rip, break and tear the skin away from the victims back, exposing vital organs and sensory nerves...

Why am I talking about this? Many people believe that the death of Jesus is the sugar-coated version we hear as a kid. Its not. Far from it. The death and execution of Jesus was the bloodiest, most grotesque sight and event in all of human history. So horrible, that because of the event, we now how the word "excruciating." And yet it is here that the greatest victory of all was won. Jesus defeated death, sin and Satan, all in one fell swoop.

But what exactly does the cross mean? We all know that because of Jesus' death, our sins are forgiven. But what were the actual consequences of the event? That's what I'm going to be exploring over the next 13 weeks. I'll be looking at what Jesus is to us, the average Joe, and how we can see and apply this in our lives. It's called "Death By Love." I hope you can join me for this journey. Its going to be one exciting journey.

Check this out weekly for the next installment.

Nexus

"Let Him be the Nexus in your Life..."

-Reference for the series is from the book "Death By Love: Letters From The Cross" by Mark Driscoll. I implore you to get this book...after the series is over of course!:P

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