The Crossroad of Ministry

“And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the CROSS, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed,” 1 Peter 2:24.“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3.All spiritual life finds its birth at the intersection of Calvary and Resurrection.Every promise of God, even that of His Second Coming, finds its fulfillment in the culmination of Christ’s finished and triumphant work. From the covenant blessing bestowed on a child to the transformational conversion of a repentant sinner, it is Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the Devil that has made it all possible. The empty Cross and the empty Tomb declare, “This is where a dead-end existence can stop and an eternal life begin.”It is at this Crossroad that we see the dark, vile effects of mankind’s sin. The righteous law of God demanded that sin be punished. At the Cross, it was executed on the sinless, Lamb of God. At the Cross, the so-called “white lie” was and is revealed to be black as sin. The self-righteous, do-gooder churchman was and is exposed as a hypocrite. The mocker who says, “There is no God and my choices don’t affect anyone but me.” was and is proven to be a fool. Yes, Christ’s innocent suffering, His shed blood, and His decent into Hell all revealed the costly price of sin and that apart from His merciful intervention, how utterly lost mankind was and is.If one is truly convinced by it, in genuine repentance he will say, “O God, it should have been me. Lord, have mercy. Father, forgive me for I have sinned.”But, it is also at this Crossroad that hope springs eternal. The Savior’s substitutionary fulfillment of the law’s righteous demands becomes a believer’s hope. His atoning, innocent, shed blood becomes a believer’s cleansing. His decent into Hell becomes a believer’s freedom. His empty tomb becomes a believer’s victory. Yes, Christ’s redemptive and glorious triumphant at the Cross and the Grave provide an eternal ray of hope to all who believe.If one truly believes it, in grateful acceptance he will say, “Lord Jesus, through faith, by Your grace, I receive You and the wonder of Your forgiving, transforming, gift of New Life.”May your ministry always find you shepherding boys and girls, men and women to the intersection of Calvary and Resurrection.