You Feed Them

I promised to tell you about Saturday's fundraising Pig Roast we had for You Feed Them.  You feed Them is an organization started about 5 years ago by a few members of our church and members of at least one other church.  The dream is to eliminate hunger one village at a time, using state-of-the-art organic farming technology.  The goal is to enable the village to become self-sustainable while providing for the poor, and then reproduce what they have received in other villages.  We are seeking other churches to partner with waiting villages, so this process can explode.


We had an amazing time at our pig roast!  A 10 year-old girl helping out with the preparations was so excited and eager to get involved that she offered to provide a car-wash for the auction.  That car wash earned $50 in the auction!

What follows is a list of blessings and miracles that have happened in and around the village of Yogo (in Kenya) that no one had ever dreamed of.  A more complete list was given on Saturday, but I don't have a copy of that list yet.  Click here to see a PowerPoint presentation about these miracles.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)

1.   The Church membership in Yogo to explode from  20 people under a tree  to  250 people under a roofed structure with no walls.

2.   The local pastors asking for help in training and studying the Bible. Engaging John Hiddema and CCEC to train and support 12 pastors in the Siaya district area.

3.   Finding that 1 of the pastors in John Hiddema’s  courses brought the teaching to his own parish and when the Bishop of the church witnessed what he was doing, requested all 28 parishes also follow these same teachings.

4.  110  orphaned and needy children receive 2 meals a day and  superior education.

5.  To have our students do so amazingly well when tested by the government school proficiency exams in 2010. When they were tested, our students, then JK and SK were tested and most were found to be functioning at the level of a Grade two!  Our children competed against 5 local schools in the area.  Our SK class took the top 10 positions and our JK took the top 16 positions.  Also in 2010 our school won an award of " Academic Excellence", placing 3rd in our district, which competes with about 150 schools!  We have an amazing team of teachers and hard working students!

6.  10 fold increase in the production acres of corn, from 90 kg (198 lbs)  to 900 Kgs (1984 lbs)

7.   Having the community and parish member believe this was again a miracle of the loaves and fishes.

8.   A bore hole water well. We prayed for this at Sunday mass but never planned or had it in our budget. The cost was so high $60,000 or so and with evidence of 30 other attempts in the local area with not one proving to be successful. This to me is only from God. (Not to mention the water table that was tap was found to be a very large one, believed to be able to support large numbers and the farms, certified clean for drinking.  What a mighty God we serve!)

9. Having the small village of YOGO  recognized by the United Nations and hosting World Food Day  on our farm on Oct 16th 2009.  The theme “food security in time of crisis”   Wow

10.  During the World Food Day, Kenyan government officials recognized the efforts and extraordinary development happening on the YFT farms, that they donated a total of 3 fish ponds which they installed.  They covered the original expense of stocking two ponds with the fish and food until harvested and helped to train our staff in care and maintenance.  What  an unplanned blessing!

11.  Bringing the much needed service of electric power to this small village. Kimberly can you give details? thanks  

It was through the an invitation that we had to preach.  God gave us favor with the family that we met, who hosted us during the crusade.  After the crusade he had tried to reach Silas by cell phone and couldn't .  When Silas finally got back to him and apologized and shared about how we didn't have power and had to charge our phones elsewhere (before we had solar power in our personal home).  Our new friend told us he has a good friend that works for Kenya Power and that they were doing an new incentive program that the government is operating, bringing electricity in rural regions.  He wasn't sure if it had finished yet but said he would contact his friend and see what he could do.  Two days later we had surveyors knocking on our doors....  The blessed favor of our King!

12. Being blessed with exceptional partners. Ambassador Ministries in Covenant to help support the school building through the nine grades. A 2 story structure  to house all the classrooms.

13.  Being blessed with exceptional partners. Sue Jasman from Brockville who has visited the village to do health services and built a foundation for a community health center.  They also gave a large donation for supplies at the local clinic in Mwer.

14. Being blessed with exceptional partners. Community Bible Church to take our initiative to partner with the next village Seje. Where the people of the community have taken the idea , embraced the concept in record speed. all due to what they see happening in Yogo.

15 . Having this small village of YOGO recognized by the United Nations for the second time in 4 years and holding the celebration on our farm in YOGO on Oct 16 2012!  WOW  are they in for a surprise with all the new services,  water and power.

16.  We also had the unexpected privileged of hosting a team of 50 Christian doctors from Korea, that visited our farms and school.  They gave a donation of $1100 specific for the building of our school.  It was used for part of the supplies to lay the foundation.  One doctor had a tremendous testimony to share with me about our children that continues to speak volumes in my heart.  They had traveled to many different schools and clinics in Kenya.  Ours was the last one they saw before they were heading home.  She said she was so grateful that they had come here as they were about to go home with very heavy hearts.  They had witnessed so much devastation and the destructive effects of poverty.  The need in Kenya seemed insatiable and they began to ask themselves "where is the hope"?  The children they saw in other places were clearly malnourished, damaged and most appearing lost, but not our children...... Here she reported, they found hope, alive.....our children are healthy and well.  She said you could tell these children felt loved and were esteemed, they smiled and played with one another, instead of fighting and struggling.  She said, You have given us hope.  We can see the light of Christ shining so brightly here and she thanked me for all we were doing.  We laughed, dance and ate together as we celebrated all that God was doing.  It was a wonderful day!

17.  We never would have expected that our youth of Yogo would be so inspired that they would start a group that meets regularly, pooling resources, farming and doing odd jobs.  They are developing business plans to work together, to prosper and grow.  Many of these young men previously had no future hope or dreams.  They spent much of their time drinking, doing drugs or being idol.  Their lives are being transformed because people like Ryan Dekker a youth himself, followed God's leading and went on a mission trip through YFT.

18.  At every crusade we either witness miraculous healing,deliverance and salvation for many or we later receive testimonies of extraordinary miracles.  God is so faithful! Mark 16:16-18  I will share some on Saturday.

19.  We continue to hear reports from government officials, returning villagers and other visitors about the remarkable unity and harmony they see in Yogo village.  People are working together and beginning to dream new dreams, filled with hope and anticipating a good future!  That is a huge accomplishment that only God can do!

20.  The United Nations World Food Day Celebration will be held at Yogo village for a second time in four years! The World Food Day theme for 2012  is "Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world".

We are seeking other churches to partner with waiting villages, so this process can explode.

The Perfect Gift -- rerun

I am still waiting to get the details together to share about the  You Feed Them Pig Roast which I told you about in the last post.  So, I thought I would let you enjoy one of the most-visited posts.

The Perfect Gift

            Last weekend was Mother's Day.  If you are a mother, how did you celebrate?  One friend shared that she had her favourite breakfast.  Another received a beautiful photograph of her two youngest children.  What would be the perfect Mother’s Day gift?  A hand-made card, a beautiful necklace, a wonderful dinner at your favourite restaurant, a cruise?

            For many years I have found Mother’s Day to be one of the loneliest days of the year.  My marriage broke up eight years ago.  My two boys are both on the autism spectrum.  There are numerous jokes about men and boys not thinking about special days.   With autism this is magnified.  When the boys were in grade school, they would usually make something for me at school.  Once in a while it would actually come out on Mother’s Day, but usually it was some time later.  Even that stopped a few years ago.  .  It was painful to strive so hard to do my best at being their mom, and to have no acknowledgement – no card, no gift, not even a “Happy Mother’s Day!”  Usually there was nothing special about the day at all. We would at least go. out to dinner so that I wouldn’t have to cook or clean up.  I was certainly guilty of feeling “poor me.”  I know that is not how God wanted me to feel, but my heart was closed to His message of love.

            This year had some similarities.  There were no cards and no “Happy Mother’s Day!”  However, God saved me from falling into the pity party of past years.  Christopher and some other boys in his Asperger’s class have been getting together periodically at school to play various role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. One of the parents offered to get them together on a weekend. Two weeks ago was the first gathering and it went very well.

            This weekend my oldest also came along.  Caleb has been so disabled by anxiety that he hasn’t even been to school for more than a year.  When he was younger the only future I could see for him was in some sort of prison or institution, as I figured he would seriously injure someone by the time he was 16.  Praise God that didn’t happen!  However he is still a long way from functioning in society. He rarely leaves the apartment he shares with his dad. 

            The boys played for about 3 hours and everyone had a great time!  This was the first time in Caleb’s life that he spent 3 hours with peers and enjoyed the entire time without any meltdowns!  Caleb turns 18 next month!  While the boys were inside gaming at the dining room table.  I was outside with adults enjoying adult conversation.  This, too, was a real treat because I am usually hovering nearby to put out any fires before they turn into meltdowns.

            I am still glowing from the joy of receiving the perfect gift!  That gift was not material.  It was far far better!  It was the gift of seeing my child have victory in an area that has truly caused him so much pain over the years!  It was the gift of seeing my child really happy – at peace with the world.

I will extol the Lord at all times;

His praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the Lord;

Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;

Let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord and he answered me;

He delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;

Their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

He saved him out of all his troubles.

(Ps 34:1-6)

Have you ever received the perfect gift?  If not, what would be your perfect gift? Please share by leaving a comment.

Re-examining The Great Commision

I have had a very busy week, but an emotionally and spiritually filling one. One thing taking up a lot of my time has been preparations for a pig roast in support of You Feed Them. This summer I became the secretary for this Christian organization that is providing reproducible, self-sustainable, organic farming in Africa. My next post will tell you more about how the evening went, and a list of the miracles God has been doing in Africa.

Since I have been so busy, I asked God for direction on a post that would be powerful, but would not take a huge amount of time to write. His response was to take a quick look at the Great Commission.

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20)

Jesus gives us a very specific commission. There are four verbs in that commission.

Go – Have you gone out of your way to share the Gospel? Do you even share where you are?

Make disciples – do you just pray a short prayer with people? That is not part of the Great commission. Jesus calls us to make disciples. Take a look at these previous posts that examine what the Scripture teach about being a disciple: Before and After, Life-long Commitment   Disciples were called to commitment and sacrifice. In every version of the Sinner's Prayer that I have seen, there is no mention of total commitment or sacrifice.

Baptizing – These are Jesus' last words before being taken up into heaven. These four verbs encompass and summarize what He had been teaching His apostles for three years. I don't understand how baptism ever become optional. There is so much significance to baptism provided in the Scriptures. Over the next month I will be sharing some things that you may never have seen before.

Teaching them to obey – This goes along with making disciples. I think the North American church has become lazy. So many think they are following the Great Commission when they pray a prayer with someone and then encourage them to maybe go to church somewhere. This is not what it means to teach someone to obey.  Thousands of people who call themselves Christians have no idea what Jesus really taught. They have never been taught what to obey, let alone have someone walk beside them and teach them how to obey.  Please take a look at this post to learn more about what this means.

Please examine your life according to the Scriptures. Are you really obeying the Great Commission?

Dear Jesus, Your words can be so challenging. We often dilute them with tradition or familiarity. We know the words and we deceive ourselves into thinking by knowing we are obeying. That isn't true. I fall into that trap so easily. Please help me to be more obedient to Your call. Be with all who read this post that they may have the courage and conviction to obey Your teaching. Help us to not be lazy, but to do the hard work of making disciples that understand the commitment you call them to. Enable us and empower us to walk beside new believers and show, them through our lives, what it means to obey You. We are sinful people Lord. We constantly fall. Fill us with the humility to confess when we fall, and share with those new believers that You love us even when we do fall. Our relationship with You is not about perfect obedience, but about heart level commitment and love to You, the One who died for our sins. May You be eternally praised! Amen.

Zephaniah 3:17

Thanks Bob for letting me take photos of your gorgeous flowers!

Heart-level Commitment

The last post may have been very challenging for many. I was very encouraged that one of the people I knew would be challenged by it, was able to follow the logic.

For anyone who has followed this blog, they know that I am not preaching a message of perfection. The Apostle Paul talked of his life before becoming a Christian. He said his legalistic righteousness was faultless! I can't imagine following the letter of the law perfectly, but that is what Paul claimed. However, Paul took no pride in this. Instead he called it refuse or dung compared to knowing Christ personally and receiving the righteousness that comes from faith! (from Php 3:4-9)

In the last post we looked at Jesus' call for us to be completely committed to Him. This is a heart-level commitment, not a perfect obedience to a set of rules.

(Heb 4:12-13) For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

It is the thoughts and attitudes of the heart that God looks at. This is a challenge to those who are simply “playing church.” All insincerity will be exposed. However, for those of us that are trying to love God with all our heart, this is great news! It isn't how perfectly we follow through with our commitment that matters. Rather it is how sincere that commitment is at our heart level.

During the last supper, Peter declared, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you., Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times that you know me.” (Lk 22:33-34) Peter failed in his commitment to Jesus at the action level. When Peter realized he had betrayed Jesus, he wept bitterly, because his commitment was sincere. Jesus still loved Peter and forgave him, even giving him a crucial role in the new church.

If we, like Peter, are greatly saddened and distressed when we fail in our commitment to Jesus, we need to acknowledge our failure (our sin). Confession and repentance are the steps a committed follower of Jesus takes to move forward in his/her relationship with their Lord.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. (Act 3:19)

Traditions of Men

On Sunday my pastor preached a very challenging message on being Courageous Christians.  We were reminded of the sacrifices people have made through the ages in the name of Christ.  We were challenged that too many of us are too afraid to share about Jesus being the answer to sin and Hell because we don’t want to be called judgmental. 

Our pastor hit the nail on the head.  We are still trying to bring people to Jesus by being “nice” to them, rather than telling them that Hell is real and that without Jesus you will be going there for eternity.  I need to grow in my courage in that area!

However, a little over a year ago, God laid a Scripture on my heart and called me to share a hard message to those within the church.  The message I heard on Monday challenged me to be more courageous in sharing the message God has called me to share.  

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers!' (Mt 7:21-23)

 

This is the passage God put on my heart.  Many will get toJudgment thinking they are saved, only to find out that Jesus claims never to even have known them!  That word “many” leaps out at me.  The people in this passage were obviously religious.  They prophesied (shared their faith?) and performed miracles in the name of Jesus, yet Jesus tells them, “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers!”

The message of commitment that is central to this blog comes from the commission God gave me last summer.  Right now, God is calling me to be more courageous in sharing the full message that He has called me to give. To be perfectly honest, I am writing this post with fear and trembling, because I know it will be very offensive to some.

My last post looked finished off with the following Scripture.

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me … If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.(Lk 9:23,26)

If you are not willing to give up everything you have, you will not be following Jesus.  He won’t know you at the Day of Judgment. If you are ashamed of the name of Jesus (won’t tell people you are a Christian, let alone call people to become Christians) Jesus will be ashamed of you on the Day of Judgment.  Those situations sound a lot like that described in Matthew 7 above, where Jesus responded, "I never knew you."

I don’t understand where the teaching came from that says: if a person simply confesses that they are a sinner, says a prayer asking for forgiveness, and asks for God’s help to live for Him (with NO IDEA what that means) that that person has obeyed Jesus? 

Jesus said in many ways and many places what it takes to follow Him, to be His disciple, to go to heaven.  What is known today as the “Sinner’s Prayer” was never part of what Jesus taught.  In fact, as we looked at in the last post, Jesus calls people to count the cost of following Him.  Here are a few verses that share what Jesus Himself taught.

  

(Mt 18:3-4)  He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And he said:  “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

 (Mt 18:8-9) If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.  

(Jn 8:31-36) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendents and have never been slaves of anyone.  How can you say that we shall be set free?”  Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

(Mt 10:37-39)  Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 

Jesus taught commitment – radical commitment.

Jesus demanded self-denial and sacrifice.

Jesus demanded change.

Jesus demanded that He be first –even above your closest family

The Sinner’s Prayer doesn’t include any of those elements. Many who pray the sinner’s prayer receive follow-up and discipling and may eventually learn what Jesus really taught.  Those who say the prayer and don’t get any discipling, never learn the truth.  Both groups are led to believe that after they say the Sinner’s Prayer that they are going to heaven.  The first group may eventually learn enough truth to obey what Jesus taught.  The second most likely will never learn the truth.

Jesus said that only those who do the will of my Father who is in Heaven will go to heaven.  Please check your Bible and see if the prayer you said, or the prayer you lead people to say, is really something that matches what the Scriptures really teach.

(Mt15:3,6-9) Jesus replied, “and why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?.... thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites!  Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. 

According to God’s Word,

following traditions of men that go against the Word of God

 is worthless worship. 

Following the tradition of accepting Jesus as your Savior, without any commitment

on your part, is false teaching and does not provide entrance into Heaven!

Life-long Commitment

In this blog I talk a lot about commitment.  Many wedding "vows" today have very little commitment in them. In many Christian churches, the same can be said of how people come to Jesus.  Jesus challenges us that a fair-weather commitment to Him is not enough.

(Lk 14:28-34)  “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.  Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming with twenty thousand?  If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.  In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. 

Jesus tells us that we come to him in the same way  as a person who first sits down and estimate the cost to see if he can complete the tower he wants to build, or if a king can win the war with his weaker forces.  Why would he call us to count the cost of being His disciple?

Here is an excerpt from a commentary on that passage Lk 14:28-33 (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament). The language is a bit old, but the point I think is clear.

“The general scope of the parable is to be learned from the connection, and may be thus expressed:
1. Every man who becomes a follower of Jesus should calmly and deliberately look at all the consequences of such an act and be prepared to meet them.

2. Men in other things act with prudence and forethought. They do not begin to build without a reasonable prospect of being able to finish. They do not go to war when there is every prospect that they will be defeated.

3. Religion is a work of soberness, of thought, of calm and fixed purpose, and no man can properly enter on it who does not resolve by the grace of God to fulfil all its requirements and make it the business of his life.

4. We are to expect difficulties in religion. It will cost us the mortification* of our sins, and a life of self-denial, and a conflict with our lusts, and the enmity and ridicule of the world. Perhaps it may cost us our reputation, or possibly our lives and liberties, and all that is dear to us; but we must cheerfully undertake all this, and be prepared for it all.

5. If we do not deliberately resolve to leave all things, to suffer all things that may be laid on us, and to persevere to the end of our days in the service of Christ, we cannot be his disciples. No man can be a Christian who, when he makes a profession, is resolved after a while to turn back to the world; nor can he be a true Christian if he “expects that he will” turn back. If he comes not with a “full” purpose “always” to be a Christian; if he means not to persevere, by the grace of God, through all hazards, and trials, and temptations; if he is not willing to bear his cross, and meet contempt, and poverty, and pain, and death, without turning back, he “cannot” be a disciple of the Lord Jesus.[1] ”

This is so different from the common “Christian” experience today, yet this is exactly what Jesus taught!

Jesus wants us to count the cost of being His Bride for our entire life, giving up everything we have in order to belong to Him who died for us.  “For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death comes.” 

We have been deceived by false teachings about Jesus that let you believe that His grace is so free that there is nothing expected of you!  This false teaching is a tradition that contradicts God's Word! (In Mt 15:3-9 Jesus says we worship Him in vain when we follow traditions of men that contradict the Word of God.) We cannot earn our salvation, but salvation is only available to those who fully commit themselves to Jesus.   In Jesus' own words, "anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." 

When was the last time that you heard (or offered) an altar call that challenged the people to give up everything they have -- everything -- for their entire life? This goes way beyond accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour.

You know something I find very interesting?  In almost every Evangelical church you want into in North America today you can find a pamphlet or tract on how to become a Christian.  They offer a prayer to accept Jesus as your Saviour.  That prayer cannot be found in the Bible.  Jesus never told people to accept Him as their personal Saviour. Instead, read what Jesus told those who wanted to follow Him:

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up my cross daily and follow me … If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.(Lk 9:23,26)

Did you count the cost of committing your life to Jesus as He calls us each to do?  Although this involves prayer, it is so much more than just a prayer.

Jesus wants to be your Saviour, 

but that can only happen when you accept Him as your Lord.

 

---

*    Discipline of the body and the appetites by self-denial or self-inflicted privation. -- www.thefreedictionary.com

[1]    Albert Barnes, Washington Square, Philadelphia, December, 1868 ,Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1999, Findex.Com

New Life

www.onceuponachildhood.ca

I've been busy with my photography business over the past few weeks.  I have had two new baby shoots, and I have two more coming up.  It is really exciting to see the realization of a dream coming true.  I have dreamed of making it as a photographer since I was quite young.  My health has improved over the last year, so that I am now healthier than I have been since before my second son was born -- almost 16 years ago!  I feel like I have been given new life!

Each of us who has given our life to Jesus has been given new life.  My last post talked about dying.  That is the hard part of the Gospel message.  The great news is that after we have died with Christ, we are raised with Him to New Life!

(Rom 6:8-11 from The Message)  If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.