A Christian Response To Current Events – Part III – Take Action!

In Part I of this series, I covered how we Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. In Part II, I challenged readers to maintain hope because the Church is alive and well! If you have not read either of these posts, I encourage you to do so. Today’s third and final installment in this series is geared toward answering the question: What are we Christians to do in the face of such adversity?

Understand that the very Spirit of God indwells the believer! This provides us power, love, and soundness-of-mind (see II Timothy 1:7). While it is not a sin to feel fear, God’s will is that we would not allow fear to overtake us and sweep us off course of completing His will. Listen to the exhortation of Peter, one of the pillars of our Christian faith:

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13–16).

In Jesus, and only Jesus, lies the hope of this world! Humanity simply does not have the means to heal its broken nature. This being the case, there will be no lasting solutions coming from politicians, military leaders, or any other humanistic endeavor. But this does not mean we are to bury our heads in the sand. Peter challenges us to prepare our minds for action, to discipline ourselves! Here are some practical steps I believe we all can follow:

1. Watch less news and read more of God’s Word. No, I did not say watch no news, my approach is more realistic and practical than that. Simply, watch 30 minutes less news each day, and read God’s Word instead. Some of you might be asking where you should start reading? Any of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) are excellent, but you might also want to spend time in Psalms and Proverbs.
2. If you are not sure what your spiritual gifts are, I suggest you take time to assess the matter. Its likely your Pastor has an assessment you can take. But you can also go to Lifeway Christian Resources, they have a very thorough assessment: http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_MYCS_030526_Spiritual_Gifts_Survey.pdf If you don’t like to click on links, then go to www.lifeway.com, in the search field type in Spiritual Gifts Survey and follow the path from there.
3. Once you find out what your gifts of the Spirit are, then pray daily for God to place it on your heart as to where He wants you to begin taking action?
4. Next, pray each day for the courage to take whatever action God is calling you to.
5. Don’t operate in a vacuum. Galatians 6:2 tells us that we need the help of others. Start with your Pastor, they can help you discover and hone your spiritual gifts. They can also provide valuable resources for you to connect to so you are not attempting to reinvent the wheel.
6. Whatever you do in this regard, pray each day for the ability to do it in love.
7. Finally, never give up! Make it your goal to live-out your life in your gifting day-by-day; regardless of what is going on around you!

Now: Go – Do – Enjoy!!!

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Dr. Michael Mannia, D.Min. is Co-Founder and President of Kingdom Community Ministries, and author of The Conditioned Mind.

A Christian Response To Current Events – Part II – Maintain Hope – The Church Is Alive!

In Part I of this series, I covered how Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. We are hated for our faith, and the hatred is growing. As disconcerting as this is, there are other factors in this matter that we Christians must not loose site of. The following posts in this series are intended to answer the question: What do we do?

More and more I’m seeing inquiries on social media asking where the Church is amongst the rising tide of persecution? Allow me to reassure you that the Body of Christ is very much alive and active in the world today! Contrary to what others would have you believe, the Body of Christ has been, and continues to be in a mode of expansion. Not that any of us Christians welcome persecution, but it is a well documented fact: The persecuted Church always grows! Not so sure about my assertion? Consider this, in 1900 there were an estimated 10 million Christians living in Africa. By 2000 that estimate rose to 360 million, and by the year 2025 it is estimated there will be some 630 million Christians living in Africa! There are several key factors for this growth, one of which is persecution. Recall in Part 1 of this series I cited an OpenDoors report placing Nigeria No. 1 on the list of most hostile places for Christians, with more than 2,000 believers martyred between 11/2012 and 3/2014. Within that same period, Central Africa Republic ranked third with more than 1,100 Christian martyrs, Kenya ranked fifth with 85, and Sudan came in tenth with 33. More than 3,200 followers of Jesus Christ were murdered in an eighteen month period of time in Africa alone! One would think such horror would quickly shrink the Church; yet, as has occurred for two millennia, the persecuted Church grows.

Still not convinced Christianity is alive and well in this ever darkening world? Consider Latin America, where the number of Christians are expected to rise to some 640 million by 2025. In Asia, 460 million by 2025. By the middle of this century, there will be some three billion Christians worldwide. This figure is one and a half times higher the estimated amount of Muslims by 2050. And if we look beyond population, what we find is that Christians living in Africa, Latin America and portions of Asia – so called Southern Christians, are more stanch theologically and morally than Western Christians. With great expectation, the Bride of Christ is gathering, and preparing for her beloved Bridegroom!

Right now, as you read this post, millions upon millions of Christians around the globe are hard at work for the Kingdom of God! The hungry are being fed. Many in prison are experiencing the love of Christ through the visitation of faithful Christians. Believers are risking their lives to share the Gospel with those who are lost and without hope. Medicine is being administered to those in need by volunteer Christian medical professionals. Widows and orphans are being cared for. Churches, both above ground and under ground are meeting, teaching, and encouraging fellow believers. THIS is what the Body of Christ is doing right now! Today! Tomorrow will bring more of the same!

Consider the words of Jesus:

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:1–5).

What does this mean? In agrarian societies, shepherds will often pull their flocks together at night into what is called a sheepfold (an area designed to hold the flocks). Not only is there safety in numbers for the sheep, but for the shepherds as well, who take shifts standing guard at the gate watching for predators. But take note of what Jesus says, that the shepherd calls to his own sheep and they follow him. God created sheep to instinctively follow their leader. While there might be hundreds of sheep in a sheepfold that belong to other shepherds, whichever shepherd comes to the gate and calls to his flock, they, and only they follow him out, the rest remain behind.

So, one of the most significant things we Christians can do in this present age, is, work to become increasingly more sensitive to the voice of our Shepherd, and second to this point, tune-out the other voices that call to us and seek to lead us astray. I’m not suggesting you no longer watch news broadcasts, but one must admit that any such organization exists to make money. How do news organizations make money? Primarily, by selling advertising space. The higher their ratings, the more they make. It is in these organizations best interest to hype in order to entice viewers. Consider the following headlines that appeared in The New York Times some forty years ago:

• Scientist Fears Equable Climate Around World Could Be Ending (by Boyce Rensberger, October 31, 1972)
• CLIMATE CHANGES CALLED OMINOUS; Scientists Warn Predictions Must Be Made Precise to Avoid Catastrophe (by Harold M. Schmeck, Jr., January 19, 1975)
• Scientists Ask Why World Climate Is Changing; Major Cooling May Be Ahead; Scientists Ponder Why World's Climate Is Changing; a Major Cooling Widely Considered to Be Inevitable (by Walter Sullivan, May 21, 1975)
• International Team of Specialists Finds No End in Sight to 30-Year Cooling Trend in Northern Hemisphere (by Walter Sullivan, January 5, 1978)

See my point? Forty years later we see these headlines are sensationalist. Doom and gloom sells, because that which we fear tends to receive our attention. And you can bank on the fact, that, today’s headlines are just as sensational as in the past. Please understand, I, in no way, seek to minimize the horrors being persecuted against us Christians all around the world. Indeed, we believers must each be prepared to do two things: 1.) Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15); and 2.) Dying for our faith is gain (see Philippians 1:21). So, all in all, it is wise for each of us Christians to consider who we allow to speak into our life.

I encourage you to meditate on the words of our Shepherd:

• “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:25 – 34).
• “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33b).
• “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.” (Luke 12:4).

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Dr. Michael Mannia, D.Min. is Co-Founder and President of Kingdom Community Ministries, and author of The Conditioned Mind.

A Christian Response To Current Events – Part I – They Hate Us!

It is a cold, hard fact, that, as Christians, we are hated! There are those in this world who would thoroughly enjoy torturing us in the most horrific of ways, only to watch us die an agonizingly slow death. While some who hate Christians may not want to exact death, in their heart of hearts they wish harm upon us; that we would suffer in significant ways as a result of our belief in Christ Jesus. Such hatred is hard to fathom, but it is a fact that each of us must accept in order to fulfill the work God has already prepared for us to do (see Ephesians 2:10). 

Why are Christians hated? The answer is simple, but not easy to accept. We live in a fallen world. As God’s Word tells us, all creation (including humanity) groans under the system of darkness (see Romans 8:22). More to the point, we are hated because many love the darkness. Listen to the words of Jesus as He discussed matters with Nicodemus:

“…the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” (John 3:19–21)

Who likes being convicted of their sins? Not I! But has a Christian, with awe and reverence for my Creator, I humbly open myself up to revelation afforded me through God’s Spirit about who I am (a sinner), and my absolute need to be saved by Christ. This ushers in a transformative process of sanctification involving God’s love, grace, and mercy; wherein, my modes of thought and behavior change to be more like Christ. Note that I stated more like Christ. In no way am I asserting that I have arrived in this endeavor. As much as I don’t like to admit it, my love is not perfect like that of my Lord’s; there are times (more than I’m even aware of) that I place conditions on my love. Yet, even with all my faults, it staggers my mind that God would find me within the midst of the vastness of the cosmos and love me enough to suffer for my sins; not to mention the painstakingly slow process He chooses to endure while my transformation continues on.

Such thoughts and experiences are foreign to the atheist. For the non-believer in God, determinism (the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will) is the crux by which they live their life. Indeed, some atheist philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions. Thus, for the atheist, ethics involve variables that change over time. No rules are set in stone. But if morals are relative, so too are behaviors. Fallen human nature dictates such individuals are more likely to become self-serving. Fornicators want to fornicate. Thieves want to steal. Killers want to kill. And haters want to hate. You get the point. Not a lot of willingness in the dark areas of such a soul to allow for light. The life lived by Christ is contrary to this type of mindset, so too, then, are the morals of Christianity. Thus, we Christians are the antithesis of such self-seeking endeavors, and for this reason we are hated.

Humanism involves the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; it is the rejection of religion in favor of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts. Humanists believe a major ill of humanity is oppression, and many appoint themselves champion of the oppressed. Their hatred for those they deem to be oppressors is vehement and selective. That’s right, you read that correctly. I stated their outrage over oppression is selective. Case in point: According to OpenDoors, an international Christian ministry supporting and encouraging persecuted believers: Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. In a recent OpenDoors report of the top ten countries where Christians were persecuted between 11/2012 and 3/2014, Nigeria was found to be No. 1, with a total of 2,073 followers of Christ martyred, followed by: Syria (1,479), Central Africa Republic (1,115), Pakistan (228), Egypt (147), Kenya (85), Iraq (84), Myanmar (Burma) and Sudan (33 each), and Venezuela (26). This means close to 5,500 Christians were martyred for their faith within eighteen months time (or more than 300 per month). It also bears noting that sixty percent of persecuted Christians are children! Shockingly, an overwhelming majority of humanists are silent when it comes to the persecution Christians. In an article written for The American Thinker, Danusha V. Goska aptly points out these haters froth at the mouth over a supposed “war on women,” yet are perplexingly silent over such practices as: clitoridectomy, child marriage, honor killing, sharia-inspired rape laws, stoning, and acid attacks. Goska asserts, “The left's selective outrage convinced me that much canonical, left-wing feminism is not so much support for women, as it is a protest against Western, heterosexual men. It's an "I hate" phenomenon, rather than an "I love" phenomenon.” Those who hold such a mindset tend to add Christianity to the mix. For this reason we are hated.

As if this were not enough, a spirit of religion pervades this fallen world, and the result is more hatred directed at us Christians. On one side of the isle, you have those of other religions who believe they are called to persecute Christians. As noted above, Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. On the other side of the isle we find haters within our own ranks. They are the Pharisees and Sadducees of our day. Instead of espousing love, grace, and  mercy as we are directed to do (see Matthew 22:34–40; John 13:34, 35; Romans 12:10; 13:8; Galatians 5:13, etc.), they boil inside with self-righteous indignation at other Christians who fall short of their unrealistic levels of performance. They hold fast to a “works” mentality which stymies love (see 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; 1 John 4:20). They scoff at the imperfections of their fellow brothers and sisters; yet, fail to deal with the log in their own eye (see Matthew 7:3, 4). Indeed, the enemy sits in our own pews on Sunday mornings. Worse yet, some even preach from the pulpit!

I’m sure the list of reasons for why us Christians are hated goes on and on. But I have a question for my fellow believers: Why should we be surprised that we are hated? After all, Jesus Himself said that we would be hated by all because of His name (see Matthew 10:22). Did you catch that? Jesus said all would hate us! This means everyone outside of Christianity, and, as noted, even some within Christianity will hate us. We are surrounded! What are we to do? I will work to answer this question in my next posts. Until then, I encourage you to meditate on the the following passage:

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:1–11)

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Dr. Michael Mannia, D.Min. is Co-Founder and President of Kingdom Community Ministries, and author of The Conditioned Mind.

Christian Rock Fight!

The other day, on a social media site, a friend of mine “liked” a post from a Christian organization that helps churches attract more congregants. Curious, I briefly perused the “comments” section and found some believers challenging this organization’s efforts. In effect, these individuals were asserting that what churches need to do is focus more on discipling congregants, and less on growing the number of attendees. Days later, I saw a post from another Christian organization addressing its concerns with a Christian leader who had written a book and appeared on television with Oprah. Again, checking the comments section I found Christians arguing if this author should have done such a thing, and how his book addressed the love of God, but did not address the matter of hell. The discussion morphed into an argument about if hell is literal or figurative, and if it is for eternity or not? Now, before you yell “Squirrel!”, and go running off half-cocked with your own opinion on these matters, I need you to sick with me here!

These posts got me thinking about another day and time in my life. As a kid growing-up in suburbia, there were other kids on the block that I didn’t always see eye-to-eye with. These differences led to arguments, and sometimes these arguments led to rock fights! What is a rock fight? Well, its when another kid on your block thinks or acts so different from you, that, in utter frustration, you pick-up a handful of rocks and start chucking (i.e., throwing) them their way. Of course, the other kid, equally as fed-up with you, picks up their own handful and begins returning fire! Yes, ladies, boys will be boys! Then again, growing-up I recall many of the girls engaging in their own brand of rock fights – if you know what I mean.

Now, as a Theologian and Minister of Christian Counseling, I sure do have my own thoughts about effective church growth. But what comes to my mind the most is, that, leading a congregation is, perhaps, one of the greatest challenges God could call any of us to do. I mean, think for a moment what James had to say about leadership: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1). Talk about pressure! Fact is, even with the best of intentions, as a Christian leader, I can really mess up the lives of those I’m leading if I'm not careful. Read Paul’s letters to Timothy, his young protégé, who had taken on the role of apostolic representative to the churches in the Asia providence, especially in Ephesus. I mean, come on, Timothy was dealing with false doctrine, safeguarding the public worship of Christ, and developing mature leadership within the congregations. The pressure to break through with the Gospel of Jesus Christ must have been enormous! Timothy lived during a time not unlike ours today; a self-serving, idolatrous culture bent of doing whatever it took to feel good. Pastoring a church in his day and time was no walk in the park; nor is it for those pastoring today!

Yes, discipleship is of great importance within any Christ-centered congregation. After all, our Lord commanded us to do so (see Matt. 28:19). Certainly, a significant part of a Pastor’s responsibility is to train-up new believers into mature believes (see 1 Corinthians 3:2). But show me a church that is not consistently growing in size, and I’ll show you a church that is likely in a slow process of dying – growth is the only evidence of life (see 1 Peter 2:1 – 3).

Simply put, it is a balancing act for Pastors! On one hand, those who already belong to the congregation need to be fed so they can mature; yet, new converts are needed in order to fulfill the Great Commission, and ensure the future life of the church. Too much focus on one or the other will ensure imbalance. For this reason Pastors rarely catch a break! The old saying is true: You cannot please all of the people all of the time. Although, it is believed that Abraham Lincoln was apropos in what he had to say about fooling the people some of the time – but I digress. Here’s a thought, for those who are most concerned about discipling within the church, why not go to your Pastor and ask how you can help out more in this regard? And for those more concerned about evangelizing, why don’t you do the same, ask your Pastor how you can help?

What’s my point in all of this? Well, it’s more of Paul’s point: “You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22 – 24). You see, back in the day, those that I engaged in rock fights with ironically became some of my best friends! I put away my old former ways and grew-up into a mature follower of Jesus Christ. This does not mean I am all that and a bag of chips! God continues His amazing work in my life. What I would like to know is this: When are we, as the Body of Christ, going to grow up and learn to take the fight to our real enemy (see 1 Peter 5:8), and stop being so concerned about what our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are up to? (See Matthew 7:3 – 4). When are we going to stop poking each other in the eye for the sake of proving our point? Let us build one another up (see Romans 1:8 – 15) instead of splitting hairs over matters that God promises to resolve in time. My Lord commands me to love Him with all I have; to love my neighbor as I love myself (see Luke 10:27); and to love my enemies (see Matthew 5:43 – 48)! I am not perfect at this, but it is something I strive for each day. I found it is impossible to accomplish such acts of love when I’m throwing rocks. My sincere prayer is that we ban together as beacons of hope in these darkening days, and stop hurling criticisms and insults at one another. Lets get our Jesus on and take it to the world!!

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Dr. Michael Mannia, D.Min. is President of Kingdom Community Ministries and author of The Conditioned Mind.

Repentance - Part III - Final

Folks, we've been on a wonderful journey of discovery these last six months. Through several blog series, you and I have walked through the importance of who we are in the eyes of God, and, how He seeks to set us free from acts of self-deception. No longer need we live in denial, or avoid dealing with life through repression, now we can stand firm on truth and not submit to the enemy's yoke by rationalizing lies. I'm looking forward to new directions the Good Lord is already planning for us. But today, I pray the intentional acts of Christ (Jesus is always intentional) where Peter is concerned resonate with you, and that you are filled with His love, grace, and mercy!

Recall from Parts I & II, Jesus had appeared a third time to His disciples following His resurrection. Peter, overcome with the guilt of his denials of Christ, could no longer stand to wait. Jesus had just given him what was likely the largest single haul of fish he'd ever seen in his entire career as a fisherman. It was so big that his compadres had to row the boat to shore dragging the net filled with fish in the water. Collectively, they could not pull the net onto the boat. Yet, in the middle of all this, Peter jumped ship and swam the length of a football field to reach his Savior! On shore, Jesus graciously had a fire started with some bread cakes and fish cooking for His tired and hungry friends.

There, in the midst of all of this, Jesus is found to be extending His grace and mercy toward Peter, asking him about matters of love. Three times he had denied his Lord, but now he was given three additional opportunities to profess his love for Christ. How Peter must have marveled at the patience of his Savior! What kindness. What gentleness. After all Peter had done, and as broken as he was, Jesus still saw fit to utilize him in the same manner He said He would. This was possible because Peter had been brought to a place in life where his dependency was strictly upon the Lord. In this place, he truly experienced the love, joy, and peace of being in Christ.

If Jesus was willing to meet Peter in his broken place after denying Him three times, then He will meet you in your brokenness as well. Indeed, I believe the Lord would have met Judas right where he was, but Judas decided his situation was hopeless. In the ultimate act of willfulness, he lashed out in anger at the world by killing himself. What Judas failed to see was that he, too, was a pearl of great value in the eyes of the Father. Christ did not want him to throw his life away; He wanted Judas to repent of his sins and take action so that he could get right with the Father.

May you never reach such a false conclusion in your own life; rather, you should always see yourself as the pearl Christ sold everything for. God has loved you both inside and outside of time. His greatest desire is to have a deep, intimate relationship with you. It is for this reason He has set you free. Perhaps Christ is standing on the shore of your life. Will you jump ship and swim to Him as Peter did? No matter the consequences, are you prepared to face your Savior and repent of your ways? Love, joy, and peace await you. 

Delve deeper and overcome the crippling effects of sin and guilt in your own life by reading The Conditioned Mind! 

Repentance - Part II

Happy summer, one and all, I'm back at the blog after a bit of vacation. Today, we continue with our focus on repentance. Recall in my last post that Peter was facing Jesus for the third time following His resurrection. The disciple had jumped ship and swam the length of a football field to reach his Savior. This was the moment Peter anticipated. Now was the time for Jesus to render His verdict in the case of Peter's denial.

Instead of encountering an irate Lord eager to render judgment, he found a compassionate Savior who invited His disciples to sit and eat with Him (see John 21:12, 13). It was only after they had their fill that Jesus addressed Peter, but not in the way he most likely expected. At that moment, the Prince of Peace asked him three questions. Here is the account:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15–17).

Note how Christ addressed him as Simon rather than Peter, the name He had bestowed upon him (see Matthew 16:18). Again, we observe how the Lord meets us right where we are. More than likely, Peter was not feeling solid like a rock in that moment, let alone part of the foundation on which Christ was to build his church. The weight of his guilt must have been enormous. Gone was his former sense of pride. The man who once stood before Christ and proclaimed he would die for Him was now broken and thoroughly humbled (see Mark 14:29–31). This was not a condescending address on the part of the Lord. Use of the name Simon, as opposed to Peter, would have allowed for a moment of reflection, back to a time when this disciple first received the revelation that Jesus was the Son of the living God (see Matthew 16:13–18). It was this understanding that led to his name change and a wonderful vision of what was to come. That time was now at hand.

Are you interested in the transformative process of repentance? Pick of a copy of my book, The Conditioned Mind to delve deeper. 

Peace to you, and those you love!