So, I haven't posted in a while, but here I am again. Camp was a lot of fun. The entire band had a lot of fun leading the worship at camp. It was an amazing time of worship and Chris did an incredible job with the messages for the week.

Something that has blown me away more and more is the crucifixion. I wish I would have understood this better a few years ago. The more I actually study the Bible about this topic the more blown away I am at what God has done. Notice that I said what God has done. It seems that a lot of people throughout history have not understood this point. This was in God's plan, God used what some people intended for evil for good. And if that sounds familiar, it is because God does not change. In Genesis 50:20 we see something really cool. Joseph's brother's who had sold him into slavery were now talking to Joseph they had thrown themselves at the feet of Joseph saying they were his slaves for what they had done to him. Genesis 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. We hear the same thing many, many, many years later after Jesus was crucified. Peter and John began praying and this is what was said about the crucifixion of Jesus. Acts 4:27-28 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They did what Your power and wll had decided beforehand shold happen. Isn't it funny that things did not change with God from the book of Genesis to save many people with Joseph and now in the present age to save many lost people with Jesus.

Paul goes a bit further with the book of Romans in telling us that it was actually God who killed His Son Jesus Christ. Romans 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all- how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 3:25 God presented Him asa sacrifice of atonemet, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-.
God is the one that placed Jesus Christ on the altar and also the one that did the killing. He used evil for good. He knew what the soldiers, Pilate, and all the other people would do that day. This is amazing to me. God being perfect in all of His attributes, justice being one of those attributes, had to do something about past sins, present sins, and future sins, and it was God's plan all along to kill Jesus we see this also in the book of Genesis. Genesis 3:15 when God is handing out punishments for what had been done in the garden says to the snake(the devil) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. The first prophesy about Jesus defeating Satan, striking his head, is in Genesis 3.

The reasons for the crucifixion of Jesus are misinterpreted by the church of today alot. I don't care how many songs you have heard that say that the only reason that Jesus died on the cross for your sins was because He loved you. That is not true and not even close to true. In the books of the prophets we see some prophesies about Jesus, the one that fills us in the most it seems about the purpose of the new covenant is Ezekiel 36:22-37. Ezekiel 36:22-23, Therefore say to the houseof Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
We all know John 3:16 which tells us that Christ died out of love for us, but this isn't the only reason Christ died, He also died for His father's reputation, which sounds a little funny to say, but here it is in Romans 3:26 He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. God did this so that He could both justify us, and be just in His judgements. God's wrath had to be poured out on someone. Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath that day on Calvary for both of those things.

This makes living for God's glory make more sense. The reason given in Ezekiel for the new covenant is God's name being "profaned among the nations" and the "nations will know that I am the Lord" This puts sin into perspective. Sin is not something that affects us in a bad way, even though often times it does. Sin is an offense against a holy and righteous God.
I Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. That is the reason Christ died for our sins now we must go and live that way.

Dwain Minor