Christian Metamorphosis - How Christ Transforms Our Lives

Why Did Jesus Choose to Come to Earth?

1. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth to deeply connect with us, empathize with us, and show us how precious we are to God. He came to show us the TRUTH about God's character, to heal us and to free us from the lies we have believed about both God and ourselves.

2. Jesus came to earth to bear our burden, pay our debt, stop the spreading of our "sin" disease and free us from our captivity under the devil.

3. Jesus came to earth to lead us out of the "wilderness" of a purposeless life and and teach us how to live the empowered life God created us for.

4. Jesus came to earth to reconcile us to God and one another and to restore our true identity as image-bearers (children) of God.

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What did Jesus accomplish on the cross?

1. On the cross, Jesus became our SCAPEGOAT. Out of his great compassion for us in our sordid and lost state, He took the "blame" for all the abuse we have suffered and all the pain we have inflicted, whether intentional or not. Jesus chose to become the answer to our outcry that says "I want blood!"

2. On the cross, Jesus PAID OUR DEBT to both God and one another. In a court of law, we stood rightly accused, by the devil, before God because of our choice to neglect our relationship with God and live disconnected from Him. The ripple effects of that one choice have contributed to lawlessness, a lack of love, self-centered living, and the hardening of hearts. Jesus silenced the devil's claims by paying our debt with his life and fulfilling the law of restorative justive.

3. On the cross, Jesus was victorious over the powers of darkness and disarmed them by exposing their lies about God character. Jesus took back the authority that mankind had given the devil at the fall. He also removed the devil's power over us and opened a new pathway through which we can have direct access to God.

Did God Abandon Jesus on the Cross?

Despite being told differently and having only half-verses (only a portion of Psalm 22) shown to us from the Bible that would suggest otherwise, the Father of Jesus did not abandon Him at the cross.

Psalm 22: 1 - "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

Jesus drew our attention to this psalm while he was on the cross. He wanted us to reference it and study it so that we would understand what was happening to him and not lose heart. After pouring out his heart to the Father in prayer and wrestling with what was happening to him as he "FELT" the distance we feel from God (due to the weight of our sin and brokenness), he concluded the following.

Psalm 22:24 "For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help."

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Why is humanity so full of violence and hate?

It began with a small seed - a lie. The devil planted a lie - seed of distrust about God - in the lives of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He made them question their worth to God while also appealing to their desire for power, which God had just granted them! They chose to embrace the lie and believed the worst about God instead of talking with God about the serpent's statements. Their pride was evident in how they handled this situation and it resulted in them giving their power to the devil and distancing themselves from God. Making this choice to function apart from God instead of in relationship with Him planted the "sin toxin" in their lives and this spiritual disease has spread to all ofhumanity. Learn more about this sin disease.

With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God - Skye Jethani explores the narrative of the Bible to show that we were created to be with God, and that restoring this connection is his mission. Instead of life over, under, from, or even for God, what leads us into freedom and restoration is life with God.

Dreams and Visions, Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World? - What would you do if Jesus appeared to you in a dream? What if He came to you in a vision and told you to follow Him? What if these visions continued for over thirty days? Would you believe? Would you put your trust in him? Would you devote your life to him?

The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People - Imagine being able to read through and understand the major themes of the Bible in only 31 weeks? Max Lucado and Randy Frazee of the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas have created a way for you to do just that! Get the "big picture" of the TWO stories in the Bible: the Upper Story (God's multi-dimensional perspective) and the Lower Story (our linear perspective on earth).

Healing the Gospel: A Radical Vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross - Did Jesus die in order to appease a wrathful God's demand for punishment? Does that mean Jesus died to save us from God? How could someone ever truly love or trust a God like that? How can that be called "Good News"? Healing the Gospel challenges the assumption that the Christian understanding of justice is rooted in a demand for violent punishment, and instead offers a radically different understanding of the gospel based on God's restorative justice.