Rule one if you want to spin a lie is—don’t be specific—as not only can you get tripped up in the details, but your assertions can also be fact-checked.

. . . which makes the account of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ a sure tick in the truth box for the gospels are filled with facts.

A thorough examination of all those facts would take books, but we can discuss a few of them here.

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Before we begin, though, it must be noted that all of the gospels were written while people who had witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus were still living, and there is no record of any written refutation of their accounts. 

Second, secular writings also affirm much of what we read in the Bible—even those writers who were hostile to Christianity, such as Thallus who lived in 52 AD:

Thallus is perhaps the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus and he is so ancient his writings don’t even exist anymore. But Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD does quote Thallus who previously tried to explain away the darkness occurring at Jesus’ crucifixion:

“On the whole world their pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other district were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1)

If only more of Thallus’ record could be found, we might find more confirmation of Jesus’ crucifixion. But there are some things we can conclude from this account: Jesus lived, He was crucified, and there was an earthquake and darkness at the point of His crucifixion. 

Just as stated in Matthew 27:51-54; Mark 15:33; Luke 23: 44-45.

The respected Roman historian, senator, and proconsul of Asia, Tacitus In his “Annals’ of 116AD” describes Emperor Nero’s response to the great fire in Rome and Nero’s claim that the Christians were to blame:

“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the hame had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”
In this account, Tacitus confirms several historical elements of the Biblical narrative: Jesus lived in Judea, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and had followers who were persecuted for their faith in Christ.
(To read more of these secular views, please click this link: Cold Case Christianity)
When it comes to the resurrection itself, there were Roman guards surrounding the tomb, yet the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty, and the body never found. In addition, over 500 people claimed to have seen him alive, and the twelve apostles willing to die martyrs deaths by professing his resurrection (Eleven did and one was banished.) (5 Important Facts about Jesus’ Resurrection)

The Bible is filled with facts—specific facts—and as the various branches of science (geology, archeology, astronomy) continue their search, these facts continue to be confirmed. We, meanwhile, need to know what the Bible says, what those facts are—from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

As Proverbs 30:5 states: “Every word of God proves true.”

Not too long ago, my family book club read the book The Wager by David Grann. It was the tale of the ship The Wager, which along with five other war ships and two store ships, set off from England in an effort to intercept the Spanish Armada off the west side of South America, disrupt Pacific trade, and capture one or Spain’s treasure ships.

Their trip meant rounding the hazardous south tip of the continent—Cape Horn—a journey which had to be meticulously planned and executed, for to try to navigate around it at the wrong time would meet with disaster.


As with any human endeavor, as much as they could plan, there were always circumstances (weather, number of men, etc) that could delay the planned departure . . . or disrupt the trip without warning. Sometimes the human desire to continue was stronger than the common sense to sit and wait.


Which is why when I read Numbers 9:18-23 (yes, still in Numbers), I was struck by the description (not just once but multiple times ) of the Israelites journey through the desert.


. . . as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. . . .


So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the crowd was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey. At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses. (emphasis mine)


Most of us get impatient to get to our destination, to see a dream fulfilled or a resolution achieved. We don’t like to wait. We want it when we want it. But following our own timing can often lead to disastrous ends, just as it did with the Wager. 


Solomon reiterated the wisdom of waiting on God in Proverbs 3:5-6: 


Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. 
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.


It’s hard to wait. It is also sometimes hard to go when God says go, and yet a delay (even a brief one as any sprinter can tell you) can be to our disadvantage. But if we truly trust Him; if we truly believe that He knows what He is about, and His timing is perfect, then we can take a deep breath, put our personal timelines to the side and be ready to GO or to WAIT. Ready?

Yep, it was that time again. My car needed a smog certification in order to be registered with the DMV this year. 

My car was running smoothly, wasn’t emitting any visible exhaust, but a check of the systems and diagnostics could possibly reveal something that was not visible to the naked eye.

Some states can require smog checks yearly (and some even twice a year) while others (like California) require it every other year. The purpose? Obviously, to keep harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere thereby causing air quality problems and, by extension, life problems for us.


As Christians, I think we need to subject ourselves to a spiritual smog test.

Some of our words and actions are obviously contrary to God’s teaching. Those are the ones we and others see, and, hopefully, we or others address it.

However, sometimes our actions and words may appear healthy and righteous on the outside, but underneath them, trouble is brewing.

The Bible addresses this problem by providing this solution.

Matthew 6:1 begins by saying, “Examine your motives . . .”

Why we are doing something weighs is more important than the visible good works. The Pharisees were called on the carpet for this duplicity.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27-28

But most of us either aren’t willing to fess up or we just don’t realize our internal spiritual “system” is off. Which is why, if we truly do want to be whole, we have to allow God to bring it to light, for only God is able to cut through the deception of our heart and bring to light the truth. 

Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24)

“I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind, . . . (Jeremiah 17:10)
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As we rumble through life believing that our spiritual life is in perfect order, let’s not forget to stop, step back, and do a self-check of our motives and then allow God to do a thorough scan. It all makes for a smoother ride.
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I just spent three days at the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Yup — Disneyland.


Now, perhaps we visited the park on the least busy week of the year (per my niece’s research), or perhaps because the weather (despite a few sprinkles one day) was beautiful; regardless, I would have to agree—Disneyland did live up to it’s motto.


Employees were friendly, helpful, and plentiful. The park was clean. Everywhere you looked there was attention to detail. The Disney “brand”, from my experience, was alive and well.


Every company goes through a “branding” process: to create “a distinct identity for a business in the minds of [their] target audience and the general population. At its core, branding consists of a company’s name and logo, visual identity design, mission, values, and tone of voice.” ("Branding Basics: The What and Why")


So it’s more than just the motto (Happiest Place on Earth) or its visual identity (Sleeping Beauty’s Castle)—it is also its values (friendly, clean, helpful) and tone of voice. 


And while the CEO, of course, sets the initial tone, it is the employees, the ones with whom the consumers come in contact with, that will make or break that brand. They are the face of the company.


Which got me thinking.


What is the brand of the Christian church? Our CEO is holy and perfect, loving and just, patient and jealous to keep us close to him. Our mission statement? Two-fold: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27


 And “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15.


So how are we as his “employees” doing to keep the “brand” in tact? It might seem an overwhelming task, but really at its heart, it isn’t. 


Just as all the employees at Disneyland need only to focus on being friendly and helpful, I believe, that if we focus on the two things that John Newton, the English slave trader turned evangelist who wrote “Amazing Grace” said, we would do well.


He said, “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”


Humility—our realization and acceptance of our place under God’s authority.


Love--our desire to actively look out for the welfare of others--all others.


Remember, the only contact nonbelievers will have with Christ or what they perceive as the “church”  is through the individual Christians themselves.

I was watching Dr. David Jeremiah with my mother one morning when he shared the story of a young man, graduating from college, and wondering how God was going to use him. As he was driving, he saw an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn and felt the nudge to stop and help. The feeling, he said, after he had finished, was wonderful. So he looked for others who might need their lawns mown: widows, disabled vets, senior citizens.


That one act of obedience snowballed into a local organization as he invited young men, who would have been loitering on the streets, to join him . . . and then he began to mentor them. Then young women became involved. Today that organization is nationwide. All because of a little nudge that he obeyed.


Have you ever had that nudge from the Holy Spirit? The one that says, “Call this person now.” “Ask this person if he needs some help.” “Send this person some money.” “Send so-and-so a text.” That pull on your heart that doesn’t let go of you. That push toward self-sacrifice?


If you have—and have acted upon it, then you know that you will be immediately blessed with feelings of peace and joy. I know I have, and I have been blessed in other ways as well. Never the same though as God doesn’t want me to always expect a certain benefit. His provision and blessings can take many forms.


One financial gift that was a bit of a stretch was blessed by having just the money I needed to meet my bills while another one provided a surprise excess and a third the realization that I could live without.


A gift of my time was blessed by the enjoyment of another person’s company and the joy another person’s happiness brought, as well as providing me with all the time necessary for what I needed to do.


How can we be sure that the little voice in our head is the Holy Spirit and not Satan since Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)?


If our obedience to the nudge is in line with scripture. The Holy Spirit will never — ever -- prompt us to something contrary to God’s law. So if our actions fall in line with I Corinthians 13:4-7, that is a good start.


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


If it falls into line with Christ’s command to “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12).


If Jesus would have done the very same thing, then I think we are on very safe ground. It might be sacrificial, for Christ’s love for us what the greatest of sacrifices, but it will always bring joy and peace. 


Remember, as I Kings 19:11-12 tells us, God doesn’t always shout what he wants us to do from mountaintops; sometimes He just whispers in our ear.
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“. . . Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”


When God whispers. Listen. Obey. And enjoy the blessings.