Good news…

“It started off small, rolled and rolled, then all of a sudden not just your immediate circle of friends are on it but loads of people are, and they’re all evangelizing about why you should be on it too.” (cite)

You would think this was a conversation between two Christians describing a revival of the Gospel.

But it’s not.

It’s a blog-techie describing the explosive growth of Facebook through word-of-mouth excitement. The social networking giant has recently attained a record-breaking 500m users.

People need something infinitely more to be excited about than social networking… being reconciled to a holy God is the greatest news that they’ve ever heard (or never will hear).

iphotogenic:

the loophole

In 2 Chronicles 30:18, there were many at the Passover meal who “had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than described.”

Then Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God,” and the Lord healed them. Grace!!

It is not ritualistic worship that God is deeply concerned with (even in the OT), but the direction of a heart that longs for Him. God is more concerned about your hard heart being raised, and your will bowing down than the hands and body that easily do the same.

But when your heart longs for God, your body tends to follow suit. However, with religious ritualism, your heart refuses, and your body tries to compensate.

As important as Jesus’s life, teachings, kindness, and miracles were, 34.25% of the four gospels are about His death and resurrection.

(This is a combined average of all four gospels, with some containing way more than others. For example, almost half of John is about the cross and resurrection).

THE POINT: The New Testament revolves around the bloody death of Jesus on a cross. And so should our lives.