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Why Did Jesus Take on Flesh?

Jesus in Manger

At the center of this and every Christian season is the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  This mysterious bundle of joy is none other than the eternal Son of God who took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  That’s the very thing we celebrate here at Christmas—the enfleshing of the Son of God, the incarnation.  He was sent on a mission from the Father to save sinners, and one of the absolutely necessary things Jesus had to do to complete His mission was take on a flesh and blood body just like we have.  But, why was that so crucial?  Why did Jesus take on flesh?  The Bible gives us at least ten reasons.

5 Evangelism Principles on the Way to the Seller of Purple

We Southern Baptists are a Great Commission people.  It’s in our denominational blood!  As we come into the state convention season of SBC life, we will undoubtedly be challenged again and again to share the gospel, sHaRe tHe gOsPeL, SHARE THE GOSPEL!  Indeed, I welcome that clarion call from Scripture because it captures the heart of God and needs to be sounded again and again, but the Bible doesn’t simply tell us to share the gospel.  It also gives us principles for how to share the gospel.

One of the richest places to gain some vital principles for sharing the gospel comes from Acts 16.  There were find the history of Paul preaching the gospel in Asia Minor and Europe on his second missionary journey, which led him to a seller of purple named Lydia.  Five principles of evangelism jump out to me there in vv. 1-15 as Paul is heading for a divine appointment with this lady.

Train Your Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord: An Encouragement to Catechize

The greatest responsibility of Christian parents is to train their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6.4). This responsibility is also to be one of Christian parents’ greatest joys. Certainly, we have found this to be true. Recently our hearts were blessed as our 5-year-old son led us in the Lord’s Prayer before bedtime; and then we were blessed even more because our 3-year-old daughter insisted we do it again but with her in the lead. They both did a great job. What a joy that was!

Child with Bible

Training our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord doesn’t just happen through an hour of Sunday School a week, which never equates to an hour of teaching anyway. It’s truly a 24-7 thing. We are to be instructing all the time, which is beautifully captured in the Lord’s command to us in Deuteronomy 6.4-9:

Yes, Indeed, God Loves “Gays”

“Why doesn’t God love gays?”  That was the question a teenager asked on a recent Wednesday during our youth ministry time.  To be honest, the question was sort of out of the blue since the discussion was on the return of Jesus, but clearly it was on the heart of at least one, if not many, of the teens there that night. …

Calvinist Coexistence, Bob Hadley Says “No!”

Most folks outside of Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, FL, where Bob Hadley pastors, probably don’t know who Bob Hadley is. That’s not a put down because most folks outside of West Main Baptist Church in Alexandria, TN, where I pastor, don’t know who Ben Simpson is. Bob Hadley and I are like the great majority of pastors in the world:…

Wednesday Is for Worship: “Christ Is Risen”

It’s the third Wednesday after Easter, which means we are still in the church season of Eastertide (the fifty-day season of Christian celebration from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday).  My friend Trevin Wax recently wrote about this very important church tradition that I honestly had never really thought about.  He wrote: By Thanksgiving, radio stations will be playing Christmas music non-stop. In…

Our High Priest Was Rejected by the High Priest

On this day, we remember that sometime between sundown on Thursday and and sunrise on Friday, Jesus was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities.  The sad irony is that the eternal High Priest who is Jesus Christ was rejected by the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas. 57 Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the…

Wednesday Is for Worship: “I Will Rise”

Today is Holy Wednesday, the Wednesday before Resurrection Sunday.  On this day, Jesus was in and around Jerusalem teaching, but undoubtedly He had Friday and Sunday in the back of His mind.  On Friday, He would be killed by man as they nailed Him to a crucifix and momentarily forsaken by God as the sins of the world were imputed to Him. …

Wednesday Is for Worship: “Your Great Name”

What an awesome day it is to praise the Lord!  May we do it until our dying breath!! Today’s worship song is one of the most moving songs I’ve heard in a while.  Not only is it beautifully orchestrated, it also is full of biblical truth.  I’m talking about “Your Great Name.” Written in 2008 by Krissy Nordhoff & Michael Neale and…