Salvation and Stuff

Even though the usual cold weather had set in on the eve of Lupercalia, Octavia was determined to sleep well. Thoughts of the coming festival put a smile on her face as the young woman warmed her body under the blankets. She still lived with her parents basically at the center of Rome, near Palatine Hill. And Palatine Hill just happened to be at the center of the upcoming annual celebration.

Lupercalia had not only been a tradition that Octavia had grown up observing, but one that her family, and indeed most of Rome had celebrated every February for centuries.

But this year was special in that Octavia had really matured into a young beautiful woman. Her body had developed and her mind was not only more aware of the opposite sex but at times preoccupied with it. Before this time without her parents approval, Octavia could really only look on at the events and watch the older women run around and flirt with the other young men, hoping that one of the Luperci, (the group of Roman priests who administered the good luck lashing) found their body to strike.

You see, after the priests sacrificed some goats and dogs to Lupercus, (the Roman goddess of fertility), they’d cut the skin of the goats into long strips. After smearing goat blood on their foreheads and then removing it with milk, the priests would then grab the ribbons of goat hide and run around laughing, whipping any female within range. While all the women obviously wanted to be touched by the goat hide turned to playful whip, no woman wanted to look desperate and run towards the priests, but away from them. It was like an innocent game of boys and girls chasing each other, where the girls acted like they didn't want to be pursued, but really enjoyed it, while the boys likewise feigned being burdened by running after the girls but were themselves, loving it. The women wanted to be lashed with the goat skin because it was legend that it would help them become more fertile - if the woman was already pregnant it was a sort of added blessing for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. In reality, only a few really believed in this consecration of fertility whereas most just wanted to have fun and potentially find a mate - even if it was just for a night or two. That was the other part of Lupercalia - the men would randomly chose a female’s name from a jar and be paired up with them for the remainder of the celebration. Few couples stayed together for the whole year.

All of this celebration was made even more provocative by both the priests and women being somewhat scantily clothed. Octavia had heard stories from her grandparents that when Lupercalia was observed in their day, the priests were actually naked, but as time past, for whatever reasons, full nudity had become unpopular. It probably had something to do with Rome officially changing from pagan to Christian worship over a hundred years ago in A.D. 380. Nonetheless, Octavia had her outfit picked out and ready to go - the perfect mixture of concealing and revealing. Although she had tried it on numerous times in the weeks before, Octavia fell asleep imagining what she’d look like with it on tomorrow among all the other girls in the crowd.

As the sun rose, so did Octavia - a bit earlier than normal. The excitement of the upcoming day, was difficult for the young woman to hide. It was the morning of February 13th in the year four hundred and ninety-six - the first of the three day celebration and excitement was in the air. That is, until Octavia overheard her father talking to her mother in a hushed voice. They knew Octavia was desperately looking forward to Lupercalia, so they both looked a bit dumbstruck when their daughter abruptly approached and asked what they were talking about.

Her father, at least with some grace then preceded to inform his daughter that Lupercalia had been essentially cancelled - outlawed would be more correct. Unbeknown to everyday people, the Pope had been trying to do away with pagan practices for years now. Rumors that Lupercalia was going to be banned by Pope Gelasius the first had briefly circulated years ago - but nothing materialized and they were forgotten as fast as they were spread.

Before Octavia could voice her disappointment and anger her mom quickly interjected assuring her that the Feast would still happen. The name was just going to be changed and some of the rituals involved. It would now be celebrated on the fourteenth of February and be called The Feast of Saint Valentine.

The Feast of Saint Valentine? This is going to be a Christian celebration now? Why? And who was Saint Valentine? And Can I still wear my dress? These questions filled Octavia’s mind.

Throughout the day, Octavia learned through her mother who seemed more keen on Christianity than her father, about this Saint Valentine. He had lived over two hundred years ago in a time when anyone who called themselves a Christian was systematically pers...

MAIN TEXT:

Ephesians 2:8-10, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

SUBTEXT:

Matthew 5:16, In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

James 2:26, For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Colossians 3:23-24, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Hebrews 13:16, Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Galatians 6:9, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Titus 2:14, Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

SPONSOR:

COMMUNITY RENEWAL - Community Renewal invites the whole body of Christ to take the whole Gospel ​to the whole city in order to demonstrate "our good works and glorify our father who is in heaven.”

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Three Crucial Truths That Support the Resurrection

1. The Tomb of Jesus was Empty.

PLACE - Preached in Jerusalem / Jesus’ tomb was never venerated as a shrine

PEOPLE The Jews believed the tomb was empty / The tomb was discovered by women

TIME - Early account of the resurrection

2. The lives of Jesus’ Disciples were radically changed after the resurrection.

The disciples and many others had real experiences with a resurrected Jesus.

The disciples before and after the resurrection

The martyrdom of the disciples

3. The Church began and grew with the resurrection of Jesus as its central message.

The genesis of the church

The continuing growth and spread of the church

The personal testimony of Christians then and now.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. What does this study tell us in regards to the rather popular but poorly supported theory that the divinity of Jesus was essentially invented by the church hundreds of years after the time of Jesus?

2. It is easy to relegate the promise of eternal life and our resurrection to the unknown of the celestial future. But how, if at all, do you suppose the resurrection of Jesus applies to your daily life in the here-and-now?

3. In John 11:25-26 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Besides personally answering Jesus’ question, try to explore these words giving particular attention to the words “who lives and believes in Me”. It seems most people are aware of what it means to “believe” in Jesus but maybe not “live” in Jesus. Are they the same - similar - different - opposed...etc.?

CONTRIBUTORS:

I am adapting my notes from an article by John Piper - https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection. This is a good article that summarizes and encapsulates much of the larger work available mainly from Habermas, William Lane Craig, J.P. Moreland, N.T. Wright, Josh McDowell, Hank Hanegraff and more.

TEXT:

Main Text: John 20:30-31

Sub Text: Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:19

Books: 1. The Case For Easter by Lee Strobel. 2. The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3) by N.T. Wright. 3. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona. 4. The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus during the Deist Controversy, by William Lane Craig.

SPONSOR:

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Charles - Part 1

Charles Templeton was born October 7th, 1915 in Toronto Canada. With four other siblings in the midst of the depression, the family learned to adapt on meager wages. Everyone in the family had to do their part. Young Charles, picked up drawing and was quite talented at it. So, after failing to pass the 9th and 10th grade, he pursued his knack of drawing sketches, hoping that someone might find value in his work and purchase them. Charles was pleasantly found right - the 17 year old artist was hired onto the Toronto Globe as a sports cartoonist.

Overnight, the teenager was making good money and was thoroughly enjoying his job. Charles found himself in the very midst of the sports news world, and everything else associated with it. Notoriety, late night drinking, and fawning women were all bonuses. He would later write about this time in his life, “To a boy in his late teens, it was the best of all possible worlds.”

But after four years, the underbelly of his envied job and lifestyle began to show. Returning home one morning at 3:00 a.m. from a party, the young man feeling quite depressed looked into a mirror. He didn’t like the reflection. As he walked to his room his mother heard him in the hallway and called out to him. She talked to him about her own faith in Christ.

Charles would later write about this event: “As I went down the hall, I was forming a prayer in my head, but as I knelt by my bed in the darkness, my mind was strangely vacant; thoughts and words wouldn't come to focus. After a moment, it was as though a black blanket had been draped over me. A sense of enormous guilt descended and invaded every part of me. I was unclean. Involuntarily, I began to pray, my face upturned, tears streaming. The only words I could find were, "Lord, come down. Come do[wn]. Come down. . . .”

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Billy - Part 1

At this same time, in the United States near Charolette North Carolina, Billy Graham had just graduated from high school. As he struggled through school being the son of a Dairy Farmer, his graduation was a feat that many questioned. And while the young man had grown up in a godly and Christian environment he had just made a personal commitment to Jesus during a revival two years earlier, under the preaching of Baptist evangelist Mordecai Ham. Like his future friend and preaching partner, Charles Templeton, Billy was also convicted by his sin and his need for forgiveness. That night at the diner table, Billy stopped to inform his family that he had been saved that day.

While he first enrolled at Bob Jones College in Cleveland Tennessee, since it was closet to home and less expensive than Wheaton, he quickly felt the school too legalistic and rigid. So, after only one semester, and racking up nearly enough demerits to be kicked out, he transferred to Florida Bible Institute. And it was there in 1937, that Billy would begin to preach.

Having become mentored by the academic Dean of the school, John Minder, Billy joined him to attend a Baptist conference in Palatka Florida. When Minder was asked to speak that night to a small church of Baptist preachers, he politely declined saying that Billy would be pleased to preach in his place. So, with no real choice in the matter, the 19 year old awkwardly preached for the first time - it was a mixture of four different sermons he had memorized from Moody Press. He would later remember that the sermon was very “Raw”.

The next few years in Billy’s life would be transformational. He was baptized on December 4, 1938 in Silver Lake, Florida, ordained to the ministry in a Southern Baptist church a year later, and graduated from Florida Bible Institute in 1940. And so began his humble and long journey into becoming one of the most influential evangelist in America. But there was another great evangelist being formed in Canada - and the two were soon to meet and unite their passion and calling to preach the truths of the Bible to a world on the brink of another World War.

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Charles - Part 2

By this time, Charles had left the Toronto Globe to enter the ministry and to give himself fully to the preaching of the gospel. He had evangelized all over - Michigan, New York, Indiana, Illinois, and even further south, probably very close to where Billy was himself beginning his career as a preacher. Charles had met his wife in Grand Rapids Michigan and the couple was married 6 weeks later. But soon after in 1941, in the midst of starting a new church with his new wife, Charles read a number of books written by famous secular authors. And for the first time in his short life as a follower of Jesus, his faith in the veracity and miraculous claims of the Bible was challenged. But Charles soon stuffed these troubling questions behind the su...

Irena Sendler rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. This devotional will explore Irena's life and the rich example we find in her example of embodying the truth that God's love becomes all things to all people.

1 Corinthians 9:22,23 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

Visit the sites below to listen to the sermon, Love Becomes and find out more about the Journey Church in Tucson.

Love Becomes Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADMTg4B7ho8

Journey Church Website: https://www.journeyefc.org/

Journey Church Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Yh-RYbPYXjSIjns7PIw0w

Mayer, Jack, Life in a Jar, The Irena Sendler Project. Long Trail Press, Middlebury, Vermont, Second Edition March 2011.