WORD From The Woods 


1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 12-17
    “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
    “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”


    There is less than two weeks left until Christmas and as we prepare for the celebration of our Savior’s birth, I think it’s important to stop and think about the resurrection and what it really means. Without discussing the resurrection of Jesus, there’s not much  point in celebrating Christmas at all. As the apostle Paul put it to the Corinthian Christians, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” In light of Paul’s words, it’s important that Christians proclaim the truth, that the Christ of Christmas had the power to lay down His life and the power take it up again, demonstrating that He is God in human flesh. God alone is the only one who could ever accomplish what needed to be done to bring salvation to sinful mankind. If each and every one of us had to to die to pay the price for our sin we would just die and stay separated from the love of God forever. But, when Christ died to pay the price sin in our place, He broke the power of death by walking out of the tomb on the third day, forever victorious over death! I don’t know why we always wait until Easter to talk about the resurrection, it really is the most incredible part of the true Christmas story! As you gather together with family and friends to celebrate, share the whole Christmas story with them. The nativity scene is only the beginning, it’s what that baby laying in a manger came to do that really matters.


God bless, have a great week and Merry Christmas! -Terry-




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WORD From The Woods
    Last week, we talked about keeping Christ at he heart of CHRISTmas and the significance of who the Messiah really is. This week, I’d like to look to Matthew’s account of the Christmas story and another word that he used for Jesus. As Matthew records, this baby was the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of “Immanuel.” The word Immanuel means “God with us” the ultimate self-revelation of God to mankind. Jesus Christ was and eternally is God incarnate, He is literally “God in flesh.”


Matthew 1:21-23
    “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).”
John 1:1,14
    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
    “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Philippians 2:5-11    
    “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”


   The clear teaching of scripture is that in the incarnation, Jesus was fully God and fully man. He existed as the perfect unity in one person of both a divine and human nature. Paul beautifully expressed the incredible truth of the incarnation in this passage from his letter to the Philippian church. As the only sinless man to ever die a sinners death, Jesus Christ, Immanuel, was the only person who could sufficiently atone for the sins of the world once and for all! Without both natures, it wouldn’t have been enough. His sacrifice was sufficient to provide redemption for the sins of mankind. He did what Adam and every one of us since then could not do.
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV)
     Christmas is now less than 3 weeks away. As you prepare to gather with family and friends to celebrate, remember the first and greatest Christmas gift of all time, who is Jesus Christ, Immanuel!


God bless, have a great week and Merry Christmas! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


    Over the next few weeks, as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas holiday, I’d like take take a look at the true heart of Christmas. This week I’d like to look at the familiar passage in Luke’s Gospel about the birth of Christ.


Luke 2:1-21
     “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”


   This passage is probably very familiar to most of us. It’s often read on Christmas Eve with family and friends sitting around the Christmas tree or shared in a Christmas Eve service by the pastor at your local church. If your like me, it brings back warm, wonderful memories of my childhood and the excitement and anticipation of waking up Christmas morning to open presents and spend the day with my family. These are all good and wonderful things, but as much as we try, as Christians we still very much buy into the selfish commercialism of the Christmas season. Somehow we think if we just read a story about the birth of Jesus and put a Nativity scene on display that we are keeping Christ at the center of it all. But, I’d ask you to really examine your heart and seek God to see if Christ is really at the center of your heart this Christmas season. The word Christ is thought by many in this day and age to simply be the last name of Jesus, but it was a term that held awesome life changing meaning for the people at the time of His birth. The word Christ is the greek rendering of the Hebrew word Messiah, it means anointed one. The Christ of Christmas is the long awaited Messiah who fulfilled all the types and shadows of Old Testament prophecy. God’s people had been waiting for the coming Messiah for thousands of years. Ever since Adam and Eve chose to break their relationship with God by rebelling against Him in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been plagued by a life of perpetual sin. The only hope of restoring that broken relationship and having eternal life with the Creator was though the promised Messiah. As we spend the next few busy weeks preparing for Christmas, please take the time to make sure your family and friends understand the significance of who the Christ of Christmas really is and truly keep Him at the center of it all. Giving gifts is a great way to communicate the love that God gifted to this broken world through sending His Son. The evergreen trees that we decorate with lights and display in our homes are a symbol of Christ, who is the Light go the world and the only way to everlasting life. Don’t let another Christmas pass without using it as a way to point your family and friends back to Christ, the true heart of Christmas!


God bless, merry Christmas and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
  
    I shared this last year, but I think it’s good to remind ourselves again, where we came from as a nation as we’re preparing to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this week in the USA. I hope that you keep a heart of thanksgiving to our creator for all the blessings He has given to us. Thanksgiving is not about "turkey day" and football, though those are wonderful things for us to enjoy and be thankful for. The Thanksgiving holiday should be about honoring the Lord God above all else. Here are a few Psalms of thanksgiving, followed by President Washington's proclamation of thanksgiving. I hope that, wherever you are gathering with family and friends this Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving, you will consider reading Washington’s proclamation to everyone you are with. Most Americans today have never even heard of it, and it’s a great way to point us back to our Christian heritage!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-


Psalms 69:30 (ESV)
" I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving."


Psalms 106:1 (ESV)
"Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!"


Psalms 138:1-2 (ESV)
" I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word."


   President Washington declared the first national day of Thanksgiving in 1789.  He sent the following, along with the proclamation, to the Governors of the United States:


"I do myself the honor to enclose to your Excellency a Proclamation for a general Thanksgiving which I must request the favor of you to have published and made known in your State in the way and manner that shall be most agreeable to yourself."


Here is the proclamation the President sent:


[New York, 3 October 1789]


By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.


"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.


Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.


And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.


Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789."

WORD from the woods


Colossians 1:15-23
     "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."


    This is without question, one of the most incredible passages in all of scripture! These verses emphasize the most important and central point of Christianity, the glory and preeminence of Christ. The first verse, says that Christ is the firstborn of all creation, this doesn't mean that He was created first, the very next verse says that He created everything! The term firstborn is a way of telling us that Christ is before and above all things, He has always existed as the second person of the triune God. Just as in many cultures, the firstborn son becomes the head of the family, so Christ is the head of the family of God, the head of the church. And not merely the head of the church, since He created all dominions and rulers and authorities, He is over and above every dominion, rule and authority. Christ is King over everything in heaven and on earth, and nothing happens that He is not sovereign over! There is not one single atom in the entire universe, that isn’t under the reign and authority of King Jesus. When Paul says, that Christ is the firstborn from the dead, he is telling us that Christ was and is the first to be resurrected, and one day we will follow Him in resurrection!  We are told here, that all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ, this tells us that while He walked the earth, he was still 100% the almighty creator of everything. Our savior Jesus Christ, lived and breathed and walked this world to set a perfect example for us to follow, and in the process He became the perfect, unblemished, Lamb of God who was sacrificed in our place on the cross. Through this, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, that even sinners like us can be presented as holy and blameless before The Father. Paul charges us to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of this gospel, which has been proclaimed in all creation! Praise God that he has sent His Son for us! When I think about who Christ is, and who I am as a broken sinner, it's almost unbelievable that He would let me come to the table of grace and have the kind of forgiveness that only He can offer and then serve Him as King and Lord of all. Friends, rest in the glorious hope found in unlimited riches of Christ’s mercy and grace, and give Him all the glory!


God bless and have have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


John 1:1-18 (ESV)
    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. ’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known”


     As Christians, we talk a lot about following Jesus Christ. The word “Christian” literally means “Christ-follower.” I think that even if we’ve studied the bible and followed Christ for a long time, it’s easy to get a wrong impression of who Jesus Christ is from our culture.  We are led to believe that Jesus was just a soft-handed, meek and mild, quiet, gentle, super nice guy. Jesus certainly was kind and gentle, but He was also tough and loud when He needed to be. The problem with the “world’s view” of Jesus is that it looks at Him as just a really good man that lived 2000 years ago and did some incredible miracles. Even as true Christians, we often fail to recognize that this Jesus we claim to follow, was and still is 100% divine as the second person of the Triune God. The Trinity, one God revealed in three distinct persons, is something that we can’t fully comprehend as finite human beings, but it’s the reality none the less. John, is his gospel account tells us that Jesus Christ has existed for all eternity and that He was right there with the Father when God spoke this limitless universe into existence!  As loggers, we are blessed to work out in God’s good creation every day, and we see first hand how awesome it really is! As you think about this passage from John, realize that this Jesus not only created the universe and all that is in it, but He also came down into this broken, sinful, rebellious world to live among us and willingly lay down His life in our place so that we could have redemption and become children of God. This is the Jesus that we are called to follow and have a relationship with. No other religion on earth claims to have a god like our God. When we look at Jesus the way John did, it should transform our faith and inspire us in a whole new way to truly follow Him!


God Bless, and have a great week! -Terry Mann-

WORD From The Woods


    This week we will finish up our study in the Gospel of Mark. The 12 verses that we're looking at today are in brackets in most modern translations because there is a lot of debate as to whether or not they were part of Mark's original gospel account. Let's take a look at this passage and then I'll share some thoughts on it.


Mark 16:9-20
[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]




     As I said, there is a lot of debate as to whether or not Mark's original Gospel account ended with verse 8 or if it included verses 9-20, which is know as the "longer ending of Mark."  The reason that there is some question about this passage's authenticity, is that it's not found in some of the oldest and most reliable manuscript evidence that we have found to date. It's thought by most scholars that this passage was added later because of the abrupt ending of Mark with verse 8. Whether or not this was written by Mark himself under direction of the Holy Spirt doesn't really matter to me, what does matter is whether or not it is in concert with the rest of scripture or whether it contradicts it. I think this is great opportunity to talk about how we should read the bible in general. We must always read a scripture in light of scripture and we must look at the context of large portions of scripture, rather than looking at it in small bits. This passage is a perfect example, the reason that I'm not worried about it and most scholars aren't, is that it doesn't say anything that isn't in complete harmony with the rest of scripture. There has been some obscure teaching based on verse 18 that says believers will be able to pick up snakes and drink poison without being harmed, but a clear reading of scripture in light of scripture will lead you to Acts 28:3-4, where Paul is bitten by a venomous viper and is protected by The Lord as a sign to confirm his apostolic authority. These non-normative miracles surrounded the apostles in the early stages of the Church after Pentecost as God's way of saying to the world that the apostles were indeed sent by the one true God. You see here how someone could take just these 12 verses in Mark and come up with an obscure doctrine of letting snakes bite people or drink poison to test God, but when we look to the whole of scripture we can understand what was really being taught. The fact that the authenticity of this passage is questioned shouldn't shake our confidence that the modern bible translations we have are God's inerrant word. As I've said, this passage is in harmony with the rest of scripture, and with the thousands of very old manuscripts that have been discovered and the science of textual criticism, we can be sure that what we have in our modern translations is God's word.  It's vitally important to us as followers of Jesus, that we learn to accurately and responsible study God's word. Always remember to interpret scripture by the light of other scripture and take in to account the greater context of a passage by reading it in large portions rather than singling out small bits and pieces.  I've included some commentary from the ESV Study Bible below to give you some more information about this passage in Mark.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-




16:9–20 “Longer Ending of Mark.” Some ancient manuscripts of Mark's Gospel contain these verses and others do not, which presents a puzzle for scholars who specialize in the history of such manuscripts. This longer ending is missing from various old and reliable Greek manuscripts (esp. Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), as well as numerous early Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian manuscripts. Early church fathers (e.g., Origen and Clement of Alexandria) did not appear to know of these verses. Eusebius and Jerome state that this section is missing in most manuscripts available at their time. And some manuscripts that contain vv. 9–20 indicate that older manuscripts lack the section. On the other hand, some early and many later manuscripts (such as the manuscripts known as A, C, and D) contain vv. 9–20, and many church fathers (such as Irenaeus) evidently knew of these verses. As for the verses themselves, they contain various Greek words and expressions uncommon to Mark, and there are stylistic differences as well. Many think this shows vv. 9–20 to be a later addition. In summary, vv. 9–20 should be read with caution. As in many translations, the editors of the esv have placed the section within brackets, showing their doubts as to whether it was originally part of what Mark wrote, but also recognizing its long history of acceptance by many in the church. The content of vv. 9–20 is best explained by reference to other passages in the Gospels and the rest of the NT. (Most of its content is found elsewhere, and no point of doctrine is affected by the absence or presence of vv. 9–20.) With particular reference to v. 18, there is no command to pick up serpents or to drink deadly poison; there is merely a promise of protection as found in other parts of the NT (see Acts 28:3–4; James 5:13–16). (See The Reliability of the New Testament Manuscripts.)

WORD from the woods


Mark 15:42 - 16:8
     “And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus saw where he was laid. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”


     The resurrection of Jesus is something that a lot of churches talk about on Easter Sunday but then forget about the rest of the year. This is the most vital part of the gospel, and it's something that should be celebrated often! Many churches take communion once a month in remembrance of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, this is something that should be remembered and celebrated often, but we tend to forget about the awesome hope of resurrection. Many people around the world went to see Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ", and I thought the movie was historically accurate and well done up to the point of Jesus' death. But, that's where Mel Gibson's gospel story ended. There was no emphasis at all on the resurrection, and sometimes we get so caught up in Jesus' suffering and death that we forget to finish the story as well. I remember growing up listening to Paul Harvey's radio show, and at the end of each show he would finish the broadcast with his signature line, "now you know, the rest of the story, Paul Harvey, good day," I think we need to take time to remember the rest of the story. One of the reasons that the early church started meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week instead of the sabbath, was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ each week, because Christ was raised on the first day the week. The resurrection is such a vital part of the gospel, here's what Paul had to say about it in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14.
    "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."
    The resurrection of the dead is something that we can't escape, even unbelievers will be raised from the dead to face judgement and will live for eternity in bodies of flesh and blood. John 5:28-29 says,
    "Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment."
      The resurrection and eternal life of a follower of Christ will be completely different than that of one who has rejected salvation. The eternal life of a believer is not merely a physical existence, but it's a new life spiritually in which we will forever be in communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! There will be no separation between us and God because of sin. The eternal existence of an unbeliever may involve physical life but it will be an eternal spiritual death where a person will forever be in the torment of being totally separated from the goodness of God, this will be a torment worse than any physical death could ever be. The fact is that we were created by God in his image to be eternal beings, in our sin we caused an unnatural separation between us and the lover of our soul. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can experience a renewed life and restored relationship with Him, but the relationship we have with Him now is just a taste of what it will be like after the resurrection when we will spend the rest of eternity worshipping our Creator, forever separated from sin!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Mark 15:1-41
     “And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God! There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.”


    The entire bible is ultimately focused around one central theme, that is the problem of mankind's sinfulness and God's plan of redemption for mankind. Most people, whether they have in trusted Jesus for salvation or not, have heard about Him and that He was crucified. We've all heard people say that something was a "game changer," well, the crucifixion of Jesus was the "game changer" of all time! This event even split time in two, we have B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini) which means "the year of The Lord." The crucifixion of our Savior was not just a big deal, it was the biggest deal of all time! I don't really need to make this point to true followers of Christ, we should already understand how important this was. I could spend several weeks on this passage, talking about the many different details surrounding the crucifixion that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, these are important things to study and are great apologetic tools to have, but I want to get back to the basics today. I don't know about you, but I've been saved for a long time, I tend to forget how incredible the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us on the cross really was! I think it's important for us to step back once in awhile and think about what really happened here! God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Godhead were all present a the creation of the universe. God simply spoke and the entire universe leapt into existence from nothing! This same God, carefully, thoughtfully and purposefully knit us together in our mother's womb. We were created by God to love, serve and glorify Him, and to enjoy a relationship with Him for all eternity. We have each made the conscious choice countless times, to sin against our Creator. Because of our rebellion against Him in sin, we deserve to be put to death and spend eternity separated from God. God sent His Son, to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice to take our punishment for sin, and offer us a reconciled relationship with Him for all eternity! It's vitality important for us to remind ourselves of the awesome reality of God's plan of redemption. It's also important for us to remember that every time we sin, our sin is what nailed our Savior to the cross. Because of the unfathomable grace that has been showered upon us through Christ's redemptive work, it's easy for us to become jaded and cavalier about our own sin. It's why we see hundreds of married pastors and church leaders that have been caught on "secret" adultery dating websites. If you think that you and I are immune to such a fall, your wrong. Like the Casting Crowns song "slow fade" says, it's a series of very small compromises that led men like King David, to fall into sin. As you go about your week, be reminded of the awesomeness of what Christ did for us on the cross, and let the Holy Spirit empower you to live a Christ-like example before the world around you!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Mark 14:53-72
    “And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.
    And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.”


     This passage is about when Jesus went to trial before the high priests, when they were trying to find evidence that he had committed a religious crime deserving of death. I think this is very similar to the trial that our world today puts The Lord through. We live in a country that was founded by Christians who framed this nation with biblical principles, today this same nation puts God to the test in nearly every decision. Wether people want to admit it or not, the things that are going on in this country from massive amounts of debt, to rampant promiscuity and abortion, are all ways of saying, "is God really who He says He is, and is what He says really true?" We're in a scary place in this country when every step we take as a nation, is taken while shaking our fist at the Creator and Lord of all.  When the high priests asked Jesus if He was the son of God, He said "I am, and you will see the son of man, seated at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." The reason that this infuriated the religious leaders so much is that they knew what Jesus was saying was judgement language from the Old Testament, not only was He claiming to be God but He was telling them that He was coming in judgement against them. And if you study first century history, you'll see how that judgment unfolded. As Christians, we can see the world around us challenging our Lord in everything, and I'm sure that judgment looms on the horizon. The question I have is when we are asked the same question that Peter was asked, what will our response be? Remember, Peter assured Jesus that he would never deny his Lord, that he would go to the grave before doing such a thing. Peter lived with Jesus and knew him face to face and he still fell into fear and denied Jesus three times that night when Jesus was on trial. If the apostle Peter could fall into fear of persecution, then it would be very possible for any one of us to do the same.  The challenge I take away from this passage is to stand up in our culture and be a confident witness for Christ when the world around us is putting Him on trial.  When we see the world persecuting our Lord what will our response be? Our Lord is most definitely on trial in this culture and if we choose to boldly follow Him, we will face persecution, but it's only temporary and the spiritual blessing we receive from Him will strengthen us to endure to the end!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-