I meant to post on this Friday night, right after I saw the movie while the imagery was still fresh in my mind. I didn’t get home until about ten o’clock, after a busy day. I am not sure it would have come out coherently anyway.
Friday night I went to see “The Passion of the Christ”. All I can say is WOW!! As a conservative Christian I sat there watching what my lord and savior did for me. I watched as Jesus was beaten, flogged, teased, refused access to his family and friends, and then finally nailed on the cross. Tears fell down my cheeks as I thought of the sins I had committed in my life. In my faith we believe that Jesus took on all this brutality in life so that we wouldn’t have to after we die. Man’s sin separates him from God (Romans 3:23, John 3:16) We believe that Jesus died on the cross so that we might spend eternity with him in heaven, rather than spend an eternity in hell paying for the sins we committed in life.
His plan is extended to everyone, and is simply this:
(1.) All people have rebelled (sinned) against God. The Bible says, ” All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
(2.) The price of rebellion and sin is high. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
(3.) God loves us in spite of our rebellion (sin). The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
(4.) Repent, turn toward God, and have your sins completely taken away. The Bible says, “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3: 19)
(5.) By God’s generosity (grace), you receive His free gift (eternal life) through faith which is also from God. The Bible says, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
(6.) Confess Jesus and believe that He was raised from the dead by God. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
(7.) Call on (pray to) the Lord and be saved. The Bible says, “Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Whosoever means anyone can ask God for forgiveness of sin and turn from sin and follow Jesus.
If you choose Jesus, call out to him and pray:
“Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I know You died on the cross for me. I now turn from my sins and ask You to forgive me. I invite You into my heart and life. I trust You as Savior and will follow You as Lord. Thank you for saving me, Amen.”
On the political side of this movie, I still don’t understand the controversy over (sic) “The Jews killed Jesus.” In the movie, and in the bible the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and turned him over to the Romans (they were considered gentiles). That was the political reality of the day. In Gibson’s movie, the Romans (Gentiles) were the ones who beat him, mocked him, and eventually crucified him. Both political entities had equal roles in his crucifixion.
It is my hope that despite the politics that have been injected into this movie that God will use it to his glory. I pray that people can look past the politics (make no mistake, the anti-religious left doesn’t want the truth of this movie to be seen. The lefties in Hollywood did everything they could to prevent it from being released) and lies and see what Jesus did for us that day nearly 2,000 years ago.
2/26/2004
I, as usual am a little behind the tide of outrage. I have been very busy the last couple of days, so I have not had a chance to post on this. That being said, I feel I need to say something about this. Recently the “pastor” of “Loving way Pentecostal Church” had this statement posted on the billboard in front of his church:
“The Jews killed Jesus…Settle”
The statement was posted in reference to the controversy revolving around Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ”. Last night, after a protest composed of both Christian and Jewish people, the “pastor” pulled down the divisive post on his billboard, but the controversy over Gibson’s movie rages on in the media.
Satan will use every distraction he can to prevent the message of God’s salvation from reaching the world, whether it’s “The Jews killed Jesus” , “There’s too much violence in the movie”, or the odd views Gibson’s father holds on the horrible atrocities perpetrated against the Jewish people during the second world war. The Jewish people did not kill Jesus. He chose the cross to pay the price for our sins. This sacrifice was part of a expression of love for all people, so that we may spend eternity with him.
I hope that people who see this movie will see the truth through all the trash. Christians and Jews do have theological differences, but we do share a common belief in the living God. We should not let those in the media and on the left drive a wedge in a relationship founded on a belief in a God who loves us all.
2/22/2004
This morning on “Meet the Press” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who in my opinion is a RINO (Republican In Name Only) made the statement that he does not believe that raising taxes on his constituents is the right thing to do because the tax payers shouldn’t have to pay the price for lawmakers who cannot control their spending. I whole heartedly agree.
The governator got himself in trouble with me when he referred to himself as the collectinator. His job as collectinator would be to collect federal tax dollars to bail his state out of it’s financial crisis. These federal funds would come from not only Californians, but from every taxpayer in America. This seems a little hypocritical to me considering his earlier statement regarding lawmakers who cannot control their spending. Does he not know where the federal government gets it’s dollars, or does he just not want to raise taxes on his constituents because it would be a bad move politically. I think it’s the later.
This is attitude is becoming more and more prevalent among our state politicians recently. We can spend without regard to budget or income; we can mismanage how we run our “business”; and the federal government or U.S. taxpayers will bail us out of our “financial crisis”. I think Arnold had the right idea to begin with. We as taxpayers should not have to pay the penalty for lawmakers who cannot control their spending. The full transcript of Arnold’s interview with Tim Russert can be found here.
2/20/2004
Mr. Kerry fumbles the ball again…. Days after John F. Kerry criticized President Bush for his Daytona 500 appearance, this bit of news comes out. Although it appears the media will give him yet again another pass. Here is the text of kerrys’ criticism of Bush.
John F. Kerry [2-16-04]…. “We don’t need a president who just says, ‘Gentlemen start your engines, We need a president who says, ‘America, let’s start our economy and put people back to work.”
Here is the text of Senate Resolution 253 which Kerry reportedly co-sponsored:
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 253
To recognize the evolution and importance of motorsports.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 29, 2003
Mr. CAMPBELL (for himself, Mr. KYL, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. BAYH, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. EDWARDS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. STABENOW, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. REID, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. DOMENICI, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. NICKLES, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. WARNER, Mr. ALLARD, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. LUGAR, Mrs. CLINTON, and Mr. MILLER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
November 20, 2003
Considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
To recognize the evolution and importance of motorsports.
Whereas on March 26, 1903, an automotive race was held on a beach in Volusia County, Florida, inaugurating 100 years of motorsports;
Whereas 100 years later, motorsports are the fastest growing sports in the country;
Whereas races occur at hundreds of motorsport facilities in all 50 States;
Whereas racing fans can enjoy a wide variety of motorsports sanctioned by organizations that include Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), Grand American Road Racing (Grand Am), Indy Racing League (IRL), International Motorsports Association (IMSA), National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR), National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and United States Auto Club (USAC);
Whereas the research and development of vehicles used in motorsports have directly contributed to improvements in safety and technology for the automobiles and motor vehicles used by hundreds of millions of Americans;
Whereas 13,000,000 fans will attend NASCAR races alone in 2003;
Whereas fans of all ages spend days at motorsport facilities participating in a variety of interactive theme and amusement activities surrounding races;
Whereas motorsport facilities that provide these theme and amusement activities contribute millions of dollars into local economies;
Whereas motorsports make a significant contribution to the national economy; and
Whereas tens of millions of people in the United States enjoy the excitement and speed of motorsports every week: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes the evolution of motorsports and honors those who have helped create and build this great American pastime.
Calendar No. 395
Although his Senate website claims Sen. Kerry co-sponsored S.RES.253, and the government’s legislative database includes his name in the list of co-sponsors, it appears that he did not sign on until November 21, 2003, the day after the resolution passed the senate. A staffer for Senator Ben Campbell, the resolution’s sponsor, could not explain the date discrepancy.
2/19/2004
This is exactly what I was talking about in my earlier piece on Diane Sawyers interview with Mel Gibson. Why can’t the anti-religious left take the movie at face value instead of reading in some crazy conspiracy that people are trying to indict the Jewish people in Christs’ crucifixion. It is truly a shame that a movie meant to portray Christs’ love for us is being twisted in this way.
Hat Tip: Guy
2/16/2004
I recieved this in the form of an e-mail, I thought it was interesting:
Bush Covered It!
You know, it is easy to forget the ‘promises’ that Bill and Hillary made while
in office. It strikes home when it is listed like this:
After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured 1000;
President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and
punished.
BUSH COVERED IT!
After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military
personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and
punished.
BUSH COVERED IT!
After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and
injured 200 U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible
would be hunted down and punished.
BUSH COVERED IT!
After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured
5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible! would be hunted down and
punished.
BUSH COVERED IT!
After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S.
sailors; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and
punished.
BUSH COVERED IT!
Maybe if Clinton had kept his promise, an estimated 3,000 people in New York and
Washington, D.C. that are now dead would be alive today.
BUSH TOLD THOSE FIREMAN — THEY WOULD HEAR US TOO!
And, now that Bush is taking action to bring these people to justice, we have
Democrats charging him with being a war monger…
AN INTERESTING QUESTION: This question was raised on a Philly radio call-in
show. Without casting stones, it is a legitimate question. there are two men,
both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap software and gives
billions of dollars to charity. The other sponsors terrorism. That being the
case, why was it that the Clinton administration spent more money chasing down
Bill Gates over the past eight years than Osama bin Laden?
THINK ABOUT IT!
It is a strange turn of events. Hillary gets $8 Million for her forthcoming
memoir. Bill gets about $12 Million for his memoir yet to be written. This from
two people who have spent the past 8 years being unable to recall anything about
past events while under oath!
Sincerely, Cmdr Hamilton McWhorter USN(ret)
First of all, let me apologize for not blogging in a while. I would use the same old tired excuse of “a lot going on”, but honestly it has been a major case of writers block…. Now onto business.
I am watching CBS’ Diane Sawayer, and her interview with Mel Gibson. She had a panel of “experts” to combat Gibsons answers. There are two ideas that come through the whole interview, and Gibson does a wonderful job of expressing them, they are:
1) We are all children of God.
2) He went through the brutality of the crucifixion to re-open the gates of heaven for us.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-19) their action separated man from God. Jesus, God’s only son was sent to redeem mankind through his death on the cross. Gibsons movie simply depicts the brutality of what Jesus Christ went through, what God sent his son to do, what we deserve for our sins.
The crucifixion, while definitely brutal, is a love story. God loved us enough to send his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die on the cross (John 3:16). Gibsons’ movie, from what I’ve heard, is an accurate depiction of the crucifixion according to the gospels, and therefore is a love story as well. It’s not about who crucified Christ, it’s about what he did for us. It’s not anti-Semitic, or any of the other hundreds of labels the anti-religious left will put on it. I encourage everyone to see this movie. I, like many of you, have for the most part sworn off Hollywood and their radical left views, but I have heard many people that are Christians, and people that I respect say after seeing this movie, that they fell in love with God all over again. They fell in love with him again after seeing in living color what he went through so that we can be with him for all eternity. I want that, I want to fall in love with God all over again. I’m going to see this movie.
Finally, I believe that God spoke to Gibson through his Holy Spirit, and this movie is a result of that. It is my prayer that God will use this movie in a mighty way in my life, as well as the lives of many others.
2/7/2004
From the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation discussion forums:
Harold K.
Junior Member
Posts: 12
Religious thread
I try to be a good Christian, but sometimes I have lapses in faith because I don’t think about God as I should. This usually happens when I have other problems such as GBS. This is when my focus shifts from my faith.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that since my open heart surgery several years ago and now since onset of GBS, I have thought more about my mortality, naturally. I wonder about the afterlife. It is a complete mystery to me. That may be the way God wants it, because if it wasn’t a mystery, we would not need faith. I know Jesus was resurrected and went to heaven, and I know Paul said that if there is no resurrection for believers, then there is no reason for us to believe because there would be no reward.
But I just wonder what it’s like. Will I recognize my father and other family and friends? There is supposedly no sorrow in heaven, so will I not miss the family and friends that I leave behind on earth? I believe there is an afterlife, but don’t have a clue what it’s like. And I think about it a lot.
Would some of you who have a faith stronger than mine, who may be closer to the Lord or understand these things more please post what your ideas on heaven and the afterlife are. Thanks in advance.
Oh death, where is thy sting?
Harold K.
Good questions Harold. I to wonder what it will be like, I do know one thing. God promises us there will be no more pain, tears, or sorrow. Boy, I look foward to going home!!
Rev. 21:4 (NIV)
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
2/2/2004
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. (Philippians 4:6-8 NIV)