BCoop

Jesus seeing Judas on Sunday morning

In 1986, the American Medical Association published an article titled "The Physical Death of Jesus Christ". It details the entire process of Jesus' trial to His death on the cross. In Luke 22, before Jesus is arrested, it is written that He was in great distress & sweating blood. Although rare, it is recognized as Hematidrosis, a condition caused by high levels of stress. At the time, the crucifixion was considered the worst death for the worst of criminals. But this is not all Jesus faced. He endured whipping so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. He was beaten so horribly that His face was torn & His beard ripped. A crown of thorns, 2-3 inches long cut deeply into His scalp. The leather whip used to flog Him had tiny iron balls & sharp bones. The balls caused internal injuries while the sharp bones ripped open His flesh. His skeletal muscles, veins, & bowels are exposed, causing major blood loss. Most men do not survive this kind of torture. After Jesus was severely flogged, He was forced to carry His cross while people mocked & spat on Him. Crucifixion was a process meant to instill excruciating pain, creating a slow & agonizing death. Nails as long as 8 inches were driven into Jesus' wrists & feet. The Roman soldiers knew the tendons in the wrists would tear & break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support Himself to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the courage...Jesus endured this reality for 3 hours! The Gospel of John writes that after Jesus' death, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear & blood & water came out. Scientists explain that from hypovolemic shock, the rapid heart rate causes fluid to gather in the sack around the lungs & heart. The accumulation of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called a Pericardial effusion & the lungs is called a pleural effusion. To the world, Christianity is as foolish as it can get. They believe it's for the weak. But when you are confronted by the reality of the cross, it's clearly not a pretty sight. It is brutal & horrific. This is the weight Jesus carried. The weight of the sins of the world, all so that we can live. God's wrath is fully satisfied in Jesus. This is what it took. Repent & believe! Jesus is “God among us” in the flesh. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus loves you so much that He went through this spiritual and physical punishment for your sins and mine. Jesus is the LORD, Almighty God, Everlasting Father. Thank You, Jesus.

Luther: “The rich and divine bridegroom, Christ, marries this poor, wicked harlot, redeems her from all her evil, and adorns her with all his goodness. Her sins cannot now destroy her, since they are laid upon Christ and swallowed up by him.”

Dear Protestants, Your Bible lacks 7 canonical books, removed by Martin Luther and John Calvin as “Apocrypha”. Protestants often quote Saint Jerome to justify this removal. Saint Jerome later changed his mind about the 7 deuterocanonical books in obedience to Pope Damasus. His famous quote from the Helemeted Preface (quoted daily by Protestants) doubting the 7 deuteros dates from 391. Nine years later he wrote that he had submitted to the Catholic position and rejected his private opinion. Can Protestants please drop their fan fiction that Jerome was a Proto-Protestant? Later in life (in Against Rufinus around 402 AD), he defended the Church's judgment on the 73-book canon saying, "What sin have I committed if I followed the judgment of the churches?"

The advice is to not “push religion” on your children. Harvard followed 5,000 kids for 14 years. Teens who attended church weekly were: 18% more likely to report high life satisfaction 18% less likely to suffer depression 33% less likely to abuse substances Psychologists say religion provides three things nothing else replicates together: meaning, structure, and belonging. Obama’s Surgeon General spent years warning about a youth mental health crisis driven by loneliness, loss of purpose, and lack of community. Secular isn’t neutral. You will raise your child with someone’s values. The only question is whose. (Via Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2018)

For the first time ever, we are gathering in two stadiums, making room for more students than ever before. Not just expanding our space, but expanding our faith for what God wants to do. We are calling a generation to live for what matters most – the name and renown of Jesus.

“I trusted in Him not just in the good, but in the bad [this season]. I understand that suffering is good for us, as followers of Jesus. I’m taking that into my next route in [pastoral] ministry - Just leading people by example, as a servant, like Jesus was.” - High Point Guard Chase Johnston after their loss vs Arkansas Johnston was wearing a “Jesus Wins” shirt too 👏

Wesley Huff: "Jesus condemns moralism... if Jesus is nothing but a moral example, then you can save yourself and you don't actually need a Savior."