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Cross thought: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life. Most of our Muslim friends will be fasting during Ramadan, from 18th June until 17th July in 2015. In Arabic this is called Sawm. Muslims are allowed to eat only from sunset to sunrise during this period. The Qur’an sura II verses 183-187 say Muslims should fast to “learn self-restraint”. Muslims believe it was during Ramadan that the Qur’an was sent down from heaven “as a guide to mankind”. Christian fasting is very different from this. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught about it in the Bible’s Matthew 6:16-18 and 9:14-17. Before His public ministry began, and knowing He would be in special conflict with Satan, He practised an unusually long fast Himself, Matthew 4:1-3. The disciples also fasted before taking major decisions. They listened for God’s voice by fasting, and they tested their conclusions as well , Acts 13:1-3, 14:21-23. Jesus’ teaching about fasting comes in a section which is all about being seen privately by God, and not being seen publicly by other people, Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, 8. Christian fasting is between an individual, or sometimes a small group, and their God. The emphasis is on communion with God in a special way, for a specific purpose. There is certainly no rushing home around sunset to ‘break the fast’! As we witness in Khartoum! Matthew 6 also talks about fasting for heavenly reward rather than earthly benefit. Reward here means that in His heavenly home God will give praise to the person whom He has known closely by their fasting down here on earth, see verses 4, 6, 18. In Matthew 9:14-17 John the Baptist’s followers questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not fast as they and the Pharisees did. The Pharisees fasted voluntarily twice per week, usually Mondays and Thursdays, see Luke 18:12 and the non-Bible Didache 8:1 (a late first early/second century document claiming to be the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles). This latter suggested Christians fasted Wednesdays and Fridays. Jesus said, “My followers will fast”. Speculation over days is not helpful. However we must see that our Lord Jesus did say, “then they will fast”, Matthew 9:15, (italics mine). As with many other aspects of personal worship and devotion, our Lord Jesus put a new spirit in and around an old form. He used two examples: (1) putting new patches on old clothes, and (2) pouring new wine into new wine skins not old ones, verses 16-17. It is very sad that many Muslims fast in order to help earn their own salvation. They believe their good and bad deeds will be counterbalanced on Judgement Day. We Christians are different here too. Christians realise we are sinners in the sight of the Most Holy Creator God. We know there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves good enough for God to accept into heaven. So we commit ourselves to THE Saviour, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The weight of His goodness and glory more than matches our great need. We privately fast as we follow Him in this life. The more we experience life with Him, the more we want to know Him better. June 2015.

Christian thoughts from everyday life in and around the three cities. OUTSIDE THE CINEMA, INSIDE CHRISTIANITY? First thing some mornings I meet a group of friends at Burri cinema. As far as I know, none of us has ever been into it. We know where it is. We tell others how to get there. We assemble on the open ground outside, which is also used as a car park by battered yellow taxis. While there we can look at posters advertising which movie is 'now showing' or 'coming soon'. But I don't think anyone of us has ever been inside to watch a film. My friends and I treat that cinema as some people treat Christianity. We meet outside it. In all our arrangements it is central. But as soon as we have met there, and we've sorted who is going in which car, off we go for a bird-watching expedition around the Sillette, or Gereif, East Blue Nile or the Umm Dom stream. We leave the cinema far behind while we do what we want to do with our own lives. Some people abuse church or Christianity like that. They talk about Christianity, using the right-sounding words. They meet others by church buildings. They are aware of all the programmes that happen. But they never actually take part in real Christianity. They use the church, or the name 'Christian', for their own agenda. Real Christianity is only for those who are committed to following Jesus Christ with every part of their lives. Jesus lived, from his Christmas cradle to his pre-Easter cross, totally conscious of the personal cost he was paying to honour God with 100% of his life. He accepted being persecuted without complaint. He did not answer false charges made against him. He always displayed truthfulness in speech. He was integrity in action. He spontaneously showed concerned love for other people. He followed up completely on his Father's plan . As this old year ends and a new one begins, check up on yourself as I do on myself. Though you say you are a Christian, are you inside or outside of real Christianity? Do you follow your own agenda or the written will of Jesus Christ? Do you use the church for your own purposes or for God's? Do you call people to honour every word Jesus said, or just the selected few which suit your theme? Real disciples of Jesus Christ are lights that burn brightly outside in the darkness, because inside their lives his holiness sets them on fire.

Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life. This photo is of a friend of mine from my days pastoring Khartoum International Church. I have only just regained contact with him through some friends near where he lives. For more than ten years we heard nothing from each other. Jeremiah was part of our ‘deaf group’ at KIC, well looked after by mutual friends, Garth Hulin with his wife Pauline. The group were taught to speak and to hear using a sign language, mainly of hand and finger shapes. Last month I read the Bible book named Jeremiah. God impressed several things onto my mind and heart as I read His word every day after breakfast. Here are some of them: The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah regularly, 1:2,4,7,11,13. This continues through all 52 chapters. Most of us today have God’s word, our Bibles. We can read it in our own language. But reading is not enough! We must also ‘hear’ it speaking to our lives. We must show we follow and love God by doing what He says we must do. The word of the Lord must not be ignored because we do not like what it says. In chapter 42 a group of people ask Jeremiah to listen for a message from God about what they should all do, verses2-3. However, when God spoke to the prophet, vs7, the people did not like the message and turned their backs on it, 43:1-7. They also broke their earlier promises to God and His speaker, 42:5-6. The word of the Lord can bring judgement as well as salvation. In an acted parable – always a good way to communicate – Jeremiah told the people God was about to judge them. Egypt, where they were escaping to avoid trouble, was going to be overrun by the Babylonian empire, 43:8-13. The people had a choice. They chose to disobey God and please themselves. Every choice has consequences. Theirs brought disaster, see 44:2,7,11,23, and vs27, “I (God) am watching over them for harm, not for good”! The word of the Lord must be properly heard. In 44:24,26 Jeremiah twice says to the people, “Hear the word of the Lord”. The trouble was they only heard it with their ears! They needed to listen with their hearts, minds and wills. Then they would have chosen differently. Truly hearing God is an active choice for our wills to make. It is costly to preach the word of the Lord. Jeremiah suffered for being a true prophet and the human mouthpiece of God. In chapter 38 he was thrown into a dry cistern to starve to death. A God-fearing Sudanese/Ethiopian rescued Jeremiah, vs8-13, and later God saved Ebed-Melech as a result of this brave action, 39:15-18, “You will escape with your life because you trust (note the present tense) in me, declares the Lord”, vs18. At KIC several Sudanese trained hard to sign so our deaf group could hear God’s word read and preached. 6. Make sure you are called to preach God’s word. God shared with the young prophet that it was God’s sovereign choice that called him to a lifetime of obedient service – at least 40 years are recorded, see 1:4-10. He ministered during the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. Some of his messages were very unpopular, but it was always “the word of the Lord”. In my studies I have only reached chapter 44 and already there are more than 400 occurrences of this phrase, or phrases very like it, such as, “declares the Lord”, “this is what the Lord says”, etc. Re-meeting (by email) my friend Jeremiah has meant a lot to me. It is great to hear from and of each other. We must all make sure we ‘hear’ from God regularly, and then live as He wants. July 2015.

Christian thoughts from everyday life in and around the three cities. CHOOSE THE RIGHT BUS! You can travel by bus almost anywhere in our three cities and their surrounding urban sprawl. At major road junctions, buses disgorge their passengers who wish to get off, while the drivers assistants' repeatedly shout the names of the places their buses are headed towards. Where you end up will be decided by which bus you climb on to. At the start of another year, this is an important thought on a wider scene. There are many directions a person can take in life. Choices we make now will determine our future situation. My wife and I recently entertained a family for tea. Over Irish cheese, English pickle and crackers, followed by a New Zealand-made Christmas cake, we learned that our 18 year old neighbour wanted to become a medical doctor. Her goal governed her present choices for study at university. Her qualifications and specialities as a future doctor are being determined by choices she is making now. This is also true in the realm of religion . 'Where you end up will be decided by which you are on'. A lot of people in the post-Christian west reckon that all religions are the same and ultimately people who follow them will all end up together. This is definitely not true. Even a basic comparison between an Islamic view and a Christian view of Jesus shows big differences. One takes Jesus to be a prophet, who taught many good things, but who did not die on a cross, and whose teaching has been later superseded. Christian views of Jesus as "the Son from God, the Saviour of all who believe, God's complete revelation of himself", are fundamentally different. A person's eternal destiny depends on which route they chose to take. There are many improved bus shelters being erected on our city streets. The best of them offer sign boards stating where the buses that pass will take you, as well as giving shelter from the sun for everyone waiting. It's up to the passenger, to decide which bus he or she will take. The rest of your journey through life begins now. Choose the only Saviour God has provided who will take you to heaven.

Cross thought: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life. “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him”, 2 Corinthians 5:8-9. A little time back this pictured town was peaceful and people gave a friendly wave as the river taxi motored passed. Today, after military fighting hammered its destructive course through, on several occasions, I wonder what it looks like now? When we are challenged by ‘out of our hands’ events which are much bigger than us, as Christians we must try to remember there is a 'Bigger Hand' in ultimate control. Our real home is in heaven. That home cannot be set on fire, it cannot be shot through, it cannot be bulldozed to the ground or in any way demolished, stolen and lost. The holding Hand has been pierced by a crudely forged nail, John 10:28-29; John 20:20. Our text says this proper perspective will give us “courage”, that is the inner strength to keep going in spite of every difficulty life throws at us. Our heavenly home is like an anchor point. As the large or small river boats are tied up to stop the currents carrying them away, so our Christian faith gives us a security – not in the things of this world, but in our Heavenly Father who forever cares, and our Saviour who has confirmed our place is ready made in heaven. If Father wants us to go to heaven soon, all well and good. We must live ready to die at any time. Sin we have committed can be forgiven by the blood of Jesus, when we confess it, thus making us fit to enter that perfect place in God’s visible presence, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. If Father wants us to stay a while longer here on earth, that’s well and good too! In our progressing Christian discipleship we must learn to live in the way that most pleases Him, see 2 Corinthians 5:9 above. As we take pleasure in this so God gets more pleasure from us. And Father God so much blesses any life that pleases Him. It doesn’t mean there are no difficulties, no hard times, no suffering. It does mean we have enough strength and resources to live for today, outworking His will His way, in His time. Think about this: what more do we actually need on the way to our real home? Aim high! August 2015.

Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life. I am writing this on 30th August 2015, a few days after both warring parties in South Sudan have independently signed another ‘Peace Agreement’. Sadly, the news today reports each side blaming the other for more fighting that has broken out north of Malakal. I am sure that you, like me, have signed important papers from time to time. Perhaps a marriage registration, a house purchase or rental agreement, your identity card or passport? Signing a document is very important legally. ‘To sign’ is “to write your name on something to show that you have written it, or that you agree with what is written on it”.[1] Any person, low or high in rank, who later goes against things he or she has signed up to, is being very dishonourable. They show they are “not morally good nor are they deserving of any respect”.[2] Let us hope we may yet be able to respect those who signed last week![3] When God was leading Joshua into the promised land, with the people of Israel, He said to him, “Do not let this book of the Law (the Ten Commandments and more) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful”, Joshua 1:8. God always wants His people to live life the way that He has written it down for them. This is done by the ability God the Holy Spirit gives people. He transforms us more and more into the likeness of God the Son, Jesus Christ. We become holy the more we live to please Him. We rightly get very disappointed, even angry, when our government and opposition leaders demonstrate that they are not people who keep to their words. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”, (of whatever tribe or ethnicity they are), Proverbs 14:34. God-pleasing people will always honour their promises. They will not hide behind war machines, or layers of officials, by blaming the other party, or a third party, in self-serving and trying to cover their own evil tracks. People who break their signed agreements are clearly not men or women who please God. In this life they may have power to make lives miserable for many less-influential (smaller?) people, BUT, in the life to come they will be made to account for these wrongdoings by the Almighty Creator God. They cannot bribe, threaten, trick, trap or deceive Him. He will judge them as their deeds deserve in His sight and by His own 100% righteous standards. I am glad I am not one of them! As well as watching our national leaders, of course we must also examine our own lives. Do we think about the teachings of the Bible – what Moses was told in the Old Testament and what Jesus shared in the New Testament – and do we bring our own lives into line with the highest standards God has revealed there? Our Lord Jesus once said, as people were wanting to stone a lawbreaker to death, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”, John 8:7. Loving enemies, forgiving those who have done you wrong, sharing hospitality with strangers, doing good things for those who hate you, blessing men and women who have cursed you – these things all challenge me, and perhaps you too? Think about this: God wants me to keep His written words even more than I want this Peace Agreement to hold. [1] Macmillan School Dictionary (Macmillan Education: Oxford) 2004. [2] Ibid. [3] Riek Machar signed in Addis Ababa 17th August, Salva Kiir signed in Juba 26th August 2015. September 2015.

For children, young people and their teachers: 25 lesson plans to teach and learn. The Bible’s Big Story. A course of 25 lesson plans. A ‘miming with actions’ summary to teach and learn by words and actions. Answers for the ‘Stop and discuss’ sections, Are found at the end of each lesson. 2006 Written by PastorColin Salter Edited by Ruth Wall Illustrated by Jenny Nightingale Photo ‘School under the Tree’ by Jimmy Cox Course reference books: The Good News Bible: UnitedBible Societies, 1994 MacMillan School Dictionary: Oxford 2004. Introduction: A summary of The Bible’s Big Story learned by words and actions: Page number: 3 Lesson Plans: 1. God is – Genesis 6 2. God creates – Adam and Eve 9 3. Mankind rebels 12 4. God judges by flood – Noah 15 5. God scatters all the people– Babylon 18 6. God calls his chosen person – Abraham 21 7. This special family move into Egypt– Joseph 23 8. God brings them out of captivity, after the Passover– Exodus and Moses 26 9. God gives the Law 30 10. Disobedience results in aimless wanderings 33 11. Entering the promised land – Joshua 36 12. Ups and downs under the leadership of Judges 40 13. A king is appointed – Samuel and Saul 44 14. The best times for Israel – David and Solomon 49 15. The prophets speak for God 53 16. The kingdom divided: the prophets continue but the people do not listen 57 17. Exiled into Babylon 61 18. After many years going back home – Ezra and Nehemiah 65 (Silence: no lesson) 19. The birth of Jesus Christ – the Gospels 70 20. Jesus’ life and teaching 74 21. Jesus’ death and resurrection 79 22. The Christian church in Jerusalem – Acts and Peter 84 23. Persecution and the problems of growing – Paul 88 24. Spreading out to all peoples everywhere 92 25. God brings everything to its climax– John in Revelation 98 2 p.3 p.4 p.5

Christian thoughts from everyday life in and around the three cities. IS CHARCOAL MORE USEFUL THAN YOU ? Since you want to make your life useful, take a lesson from a humble piece of charcoal. Charcoal is a black amorphous form of carbon, made by heating wood or other organic matter, in the absence of air. It is useful as a fuel. We see charcoal cooking 'fuul masri' in narrow necked pots along many of our streets. If you are hungry, take your container, and for a small charge you can enjoy a good meal. The charcoal gives itself away in serving others. Imagine at one time you were a fine tree, growing in the countryside. You lived in one place, getting bigger and stronger. You drew nutrients from the ground to feed yourself. You had some limited use, giving shade to people who sought it, and providing nest sites for landing birds. But suppose the woodcutter came one day and told you of a much greater need. The weather was cold and people needed to be warm. They were hungry and the beans needed to be cooked. Many flies and mosquitoes would be driven away if incense was burned. Would you pay the price of being really useful? Cut down, split apart, choked in an airless fire, broken into small pieces and sold off in small amounts to a variety of people. Taken throughout the city to many areas you've never been before. Set into braziers, ovens and barbeque fires. Being really useful to a lot of people. Helping to feed some, keeping others warm, and protecting more from insect borne disease. It costs to be of maximum use to God. Remember the words of Jesus: "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple". Fiery trials refine Christian faith. They prove the genuine Jesus Christ to others. His love is seen as we lay down our own lives for the benefit of those around us.

Christian thoughts from everyday life in and around the three cities. TIME TO WAKE UP! What wakes you up in the morning? It could be a prayer call from the local mosque. May be it's an alarm clock. Perhaps the approaching daylight, a nearby cockerel, or you've simply had enough sleep! Do you like getting up in the morning? On these cold winter days, it seems nicer to stay wrapped up on the bed. Under your sheet you may think immediately of the challenges and difficulties of the day ahead. It could be easier to stay in bed and let the world just happen. 'Do I really have to get up'? Jeremiah was one of God's people in the past. He suffered a lot because of what he believed. When he was feeling 'down' - and it seems that was quite often - he always tried to look beyond the events of his world. He wanted to see what God was doing behind the scenes. He knew that the Sovereign Lord God was far more important than any earthly ruler and could even make their oppressive actions serve to advance his own overarching purpose. Jeremiah accepted darkness, weariness, hardship, obstacles and painful experiences, as all coming, directly or indirectly, from the hand of God. He responded with faith, not in fatalism. He saw that running through all of his sufferings was the rich seam of God's grace. 'If I'm alive enough to grumble at what's happening, God has at the very least saved my life!' Wake up and be thankful. I hear a number of people complaining about life. "My employer has done this". "The government has done that". "I don't have enough work to meet the bills". Our newspapers trumpet this every day. Perhaps we need to call to our minds Jeremiah's secret of confidence? He wrote: I remember my bitterness. My soul is downcast. Yet, "I have hope. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is his faithfulness". Daily life is much better when your first two thoughts on waking up are: 'God has given me another day here to live for Jesus. And I'm going to make the most of it, to honour him'.

25 lesson plans for children, young people and their teachers. Lesson 1 God Is. (Six facts about our great Creator God). Bible reference – Genesis 1:1-26 God has always lived. God never began and He will never end. God is much, much greater than any human person. Stop and discuss (1) Write a list of all the words describing a person as he or she grows from their birth until their death. We all begin life as babies.We grow into children who learn many things. As strong women and men we work hard. Then, after many years, we slow down. Our eyes may not see well. Our hair may become grey. One day we will die. God does not change at all. God will always be the same as He is. God will never die. The Bible tells us the beginning of everything, but not the beginning of God. Read verse 1. Before any other person was alive, God lived on His own. There was nothing except God anywhere. God Himself was all that He needed to be. Stop and discuss (2) Who is the oldest person you know? What is the oldest thing you have ever seen? Listen to Psalm 90:2 and repeat one or two words that tell us something about the age of God. Starting with nothing at all, God made everything that there is. God’s words created. On day 1 God made Day and Night. On day 4 He put the sun, moon and stars into them. On day 2 God made the sky above all of the waters. On day 5 He put birds and fish into them. On day 3 God made the Earth, the land appearing from the sea. On day 6 He put animals and humans on to the land. God gave the plants, the fish, the birds and the animals ways to reproduce themselves. God even made water purify itself by passing through the earth. God is the great Creator. His words of command made everything to be. God makes all of nature that we see and enjoy today. Stop and discuss (3) We are learning how great God is. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 people. What facts about God Himself have we seen from these Bible verses today? Which group can remember the most facts about God? God wants to show Himself to us. God wants us to know Him. He is great, but He is not unknown. p.6 The Bible word ‘Genesis’ means “origin” or “beginning”. God started our world just as He wanted it to be. He had a plan for it all. We will see that plan as we go through this course. God was pleased with His work. What does it say in verses 10, 12, 18, 21, and 25? God was happy. God’s creation was all good. In every way it was what God wanted it to be. On day six God said to Himself, “Now we will make human beings”, verse 26. This was His plan. God had made all that men and women need to live on, so everything was ready for the creation of human life. Stop and discuss (4) Most things that people make have a purpose or a plan for their use. What is the purpose of these five things? 1. a house 2. a T-shirt 3. a trap 4. a well 5. fire What was God the Creator’s plan in making our world? Read Psalm 19:1-14, OT page 569, to find out God’s plan. Answers to ‘Stop and Discuss’ 1. Words describing the growth stages of human beings: A baby, a child, a boy or a girl, a teenager, a young person, a youth, an adult, a man or a woman, an old person, a senior, an elder 2. Psalm 90:2 tells about God’s age: “eternally God’ “God for ever” 3. Facts we have seen about God from today’s Bible verses: 1. God has always lived 2. God does not change 3. God lived alone before everything else 4. God did not need anything else 5. God spoke powerful words 6. God is the great Creator 4. 1. a house is to live in 2. a T-shirt is to wear 3. a trap is to catch an animal, a bird or even a person 4. a well is for water 5.fire keeps us warm, is for cooking, and may keep us safe God’s plan for the world is to give humans a place to live in and rule over. This will show us His greatness and tell us that God is there. God’s words can be trusted, Psalm 19: 7. p.7 God’s laws are right, verse 8. We should “reverence” (meaning ‘think well of’) God, verse 9. God is more important than anyone or anything else. We show this as we praise Him and thank Him. We must always speak and think about God in a good way, verse 14.

by Mama Brenda. (Her companion volume 'the Old Testament' is elsewhere on this site). Contents: Lessons and Leader’s Notes for Teaching the New Testament Lesson number: 1. Gospel or Gospels? 2. Matthew and Mark begin the story 3. Luke and John begin the story 4. Matthew continues the story 5. Mark continues the story 6. Luke continues the story 7. John continues the story 8. The purpose of the story from Matthew, Mark and Luke 9. The purpose of the story continued in Matthew, Mark and Luke 10. The purpose of the story from John’s perspective 11. Our Lord Jesus’ Resurrection, from all four Gospels 12. Starting points and Pentecost 13. Healing, preaching, prayer 14. More firsts 15. Another first – Stephen 16. Another first and it’s results – more firsts 17. The persecutor converted and persecuted 18. A major new departure 19. Converted persecutor becomes teacher – different persecution 20. First Missionary Journey and Council of Jerusalem 21. Second Missionary Journey 22. Third Missionary Journey 23. The earliest letters 24. 1 and 2 Corinthians 25. Romans 26. Back to the Book of Acts 27. Letters written from Rome 28. 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, Hebrews, Jude, John x 3 29. Revelation 62-63

Cross thoughts: Christian ideas seen in Sudanese every day life. You may have to look hard to see the cross right on the top of this church building, in Hiyya Salaam (I hope I remember correctly). In three conversations our Lord Jesus uses the words, “Lifted up”, to describe Himself crucified on a cross. Read them for yourself in: John 3:13-18; 8:27-30; 12:30-36. The words “lift up” mean ‘to move to a higher position’. For Jesus this meant a cross. (1) During a plague of venomous snakes, recorded in Numbers 21:5-9, Moses had a bronze snake erected on a pole. Bitten and poisoned people who looked in faith to the God-given totem were immediately healed. In John 3:14 Jesus says He must be lifted up (on a cross) then everyone who looks to Him by faith will be forgiven and be born again into eternal life. This one man’s death (God the Son, Jesus’ death) brings God and humankind together by dealing once for all with the otherwise insurmountable barrier of peoples’ sin. The cross is the place where God’s love and justice visibly meet. God retains the integrity of His justice – death for sin; God also pours out the fullness of His love – forgiveness for the repentant sinner. (2) When the Pharisees, Jewish religious leaders, were having trouble understanding teaching Jesus was giving, He told them they would see clearly only after He had been lifted up, John 8:28. Jesus had come from the Father in heaven to our earth, sent on a mission. He was to obey and please the Father by reconciling repentant sinners to our Creator. Believing this truth brings the freedom many people seek today, John 8:31-32. Be sure you look in the right place. It is not found anywhere else. The cross is climactic. God’s plan of redemption cost the Father His only Son and it cost the Son His human life. God kissed the entire human race with super-abundant love at the cross of Jesus. (3) Even the people Jesus lived amongst on earth did not recognise who He really was. When a voice spoke from heaven folk were confused over who said what, and even if anyone had said anything, John 12:27-31. “Lifted up” was a phrase that meant something specific when Jesus lived. It referred to crucifixion. It softened the word much as ‘sleep’ softens ‘death’ today, John 12:33. For Jesus the cross was His mission in life and death. It was there, in that single and precise focal point of human history, His people would be drawn to Him for the salvation provided by Father God. Unlike the relief supplies provided by the UN and other agencies, God makes absolutely no mistakes in allocating salvation to those He has chosen. The cross is inevitable. Jesus consciously obeys His Father in life and chooses to go to the cross. For Jesus the Lamb, the predicted “hour” must arrive, John 12:23. Although sovereignly appointed, Jesus mysteriously and voluntarily lays life down in His own free will, John 10:18. Mystery, not contradiction! I remember singing at conferences in Gereif, Bahri and various student centres: “Lift Jesus higher”. “Jesus higher, higher, higher; Satan lower, lower, lower”. At Jesus’ cross there was victory and there was defeat. The One who was killed looked defeated – but in reality He gave life away to win the resurrection victory of Easter day. For us Christians, every day is resurrection day! Our Lord Jesus lives in us and one day soon will return to take us back with Him into heaven’s glory. HALLELUJAH! Our God reigns. Will you with me, live to lift Jesus higher and higher, to the highest possible place? November 2015