Everyone is Important to God

For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Gal 6:3 NKJV

This verse is difficult to understand. How can a son or daughter of God be nothing?

 When I was a new Christian, a pastor tried to correct my tendency to pride. He told me I was “nothing”.. Of course, he exercised so much power to judge and control me, that he seemed to be saying he was super important, but I was quite literally “nothing”. This is not Christlike ministry at all. It was spiritual abuse.

Paul was a Jews, as was Jesus. In Hebrew thinking we often find extreme black and white statements which are really shocking if we take them literally.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Lk 14:26 NKJV

Jesus also tells us to love on another. Paul tells husbands to love their wives. Parents who hate their children are the worst sinners on earth. So Jesus is not telling us to hate people, but rather to love God more then we love our families.

Likewise, in Galatians, Paul is telling us not to be self important but to consider other people to be at least as important as ourselves.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Php 2:3 NRSVue

Here again, Paul is not telling me I should go around feeling inferior to everyone. That is sick.

No. I see an insane man pulling faces and talking to himself. He is just as important to God as I am.

Years ago I was a language teacher. A young woman in my class was dressing and acting like a prostitute and I think she was. She was as important to God as myself.

So many churches teach women that their husbands are more important than they are, because men as supposedly wiser than women. The bible talks about doctrines of demons and I am convinced this is one of them.

I look around church meetings and I almost always see more women than men. Women who love God often find it hard to find a husband who is spiritually strong enough to be their married partner, and yet people rip bible texts out of context and tell us that the husband should always be the spiritual leader.

Clear eyed observation tells me this is dangerous nonsense.

Jesus tells you that you are dearly loved by the Heavenly Father. If you believe that Jesus suffered the punishment for your sins on the cross, if you accept the forgiveness that Jesus offers, you have eternal life.

You are a son or daughter of God for ever and ever. You cannot be a nobody. You are a very important somebody in God’s eyes, but you are not more important than anyone else. Why? Because God loves everyone without exception.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue

God Loves Like a Mother

 A young Christian woman was going for a walk when she felt a strong prompting from God. She must walk over to a crazy looking, possibly dangerous young man. She must tell him that Jesus loves him.

 She ignored the prompting and walked on, but she could not shake off the conviction that God wanted her to speak to this wild looking man. 

She finally obeyed. When she told him that Jesus loves him, he was overwhelmed with emotion and hugged her warmly. She was more than uncomfortable, but she didn't resist. Then he told her he had come to this place to kill himself, but now he had changed his mind. She had saved his life.

She then sat down with him and explained the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God and he died on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins. If he put his faith in Jesus, and put his whole life in God’s hands, he would be forgiven and have eternal life with God.

He believed and he had a whole new life.

Years later the young woman died of COVID. When she was in heaven, Jesus showed her a crowd of people who had believed and gone to heaven because of the ministry of the young man she had talked to. He had become an evangelist and many people were in heaven because of his preaching. 

Although the woman was happily married, she did not want to leave heaven and go back to her life on earth. But then Jesus reminded her of her 15 year old daughter. Jesus sent her back to earth and healed her. 

She was willing to leave heaven because her daughter needed a mother’s love.

Jesus was in Heaven with the Father, but he was willing to leave the happiness of heaven because you and I needed to know the love of God.

There is no greater earthly love than the love of a mother for her child. This is a picture of how God loves you and me.

God tells us about this in the Bible.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” 
Can a woman forget her nursing child or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these might forget, yet I will not forget you. 
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Is 49:14–16 NRSVue

In the Old Testament, God told the Jews he loved them with the love of a mother. In the New Testament, we see that God loves the world with the same intense love. That includes you and me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue

Recently I read news report of a mother whose house was on fire. She rushed into the blazing inferno and rescued her six children. She was terribly burned on most of her body. She was in a coma for two weeks but she survived.

This is how God loves you and me. Jesus not only left heaven to suffer on earth, but he suffered the most painful possible execution to pay the penalty for our sins.
Jesus is reaching out to you and me now. He wants to give you a new life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSVue

You can talk to Jesus now. He is waiting for your call for help.

World Religions. Only in the Bible

 Jesus and the world religions.

Only in the Bible will you find an almighty God who loves you from His heart.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

The God in the Koran is Creator and Judge, but in the Islamic scriptures there is no Father God.

And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 
For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. Lk 12:29–30 NIV

Only in the Bible will you find an almighty God who loves all people.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, 
who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Only in the Bible will you find an almighty God who loves his enemies. 1 Tim 2:3–4 NIV

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Lk 23:34 NIV

This is what Jesus prayed when he was hanging on the cross and dying.

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Rom  5:10 NIV

Only in the Bible do we find an eternal, almighty Father God who sacrifices his eternal Son to pay our debt so that we may have eternal heavenly life through repentance and faith.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 NIV

Paradise for You

 Researchers in England, Canada and the United States have studied the effect of gardens and trees on people.

In England, it was found that people with more access to gardens, trees and parks were healthier.
In Toronto, Canada, researchers discovered that people living in neighbourhoods with more trees were also measurably healthier.

In Chicago, a high-rise complex was built in 1963 to provide better housing for poor people. Unfortunately, this high-rise complex became a ghetto for poor black people. Drug dealing, violence and all kinds of social problems prevailed.

Researchers investigated the effect of the view from these apartments. Tenants who could see trees and green spaces from their windows were able to concentrate better, were measurably more positive and in a better mood.

Another study investigated the recovery of patients after surgery. Patients in a hospital made better progress when they could see green nature from their windows.

God let the first humans live in a beautiful garden.
They then mistrusted God and rejected His love through disobedience.

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:23–24 NIV

The consequences of sin are still terrible, but God has not abandoned us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

What will eternal life be like?

Those who belong to Jesus have a wonderful hope.

When Jesus took the punishment for our injustice upon himself on the cross, two evil criminals died with him. One of these criminals recognised Jesus as the Saviour.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Lk 23:39–43 NIV

The word paradise means ’garden.’

Why did Jesus Die?

 Why did Jesus die 2000 years ago?
He did not have to die. Because he was God's eternal Son, he was immortal.

The first people were immortal before the Fall. God warned them not to eat the forbidden fruit. If they did, they would lose their immortality.

And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Gen 2:16–17 NIV

The first Adam was created without sin and was therefore immortal, but when he sinned he became corrupt and mortal. Since then we have all been born with a corrupt and mortal nature.

Jesus was born without our corrupt nature. Paul wrote that Jesus is the last Adam, the heavenly seed for a new humanity.

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Cor 15:21–22 NIV

Jesus willingly gave up his physical immortality to suffer the punishment for my sin and yours.

His last word on the cross was the voluntary sacrifice of his earthly life.

Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. Lk 23:46 NRSV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Are you in the Middle of a Miracle?

 The disciples were disappointed, paralysed with confusion and fear.
 
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he was greeted with jubilation as the Messiah. Everyone expected the Son of David to fulfil the prophecies.

Jesus was to establish a new kingdom in Israel and cast out the Romans.
Instead, Jesus was arrested as a criminal and executed on the cross.

Not only had they lost their champion.
When Jesus was arrested, they had fled like cowards.
They had lost their support and were ashamed that they themselves had failed.

But it was even worse. They were terrified. Would the religious leaders arrest and kill them too?

They were also probably sleepless and exhausted.

How long did the disciples tremble in this fearful despair?

But they did not realise that they were in the midst of a miracle.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Mk 16:9–11 NIV

Are you disappointed? Have others let you down? Have you failed yourself?

Jesus wants to come to you, but sometimes he waits.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Mk 16:14 NIV

Despite everything, God has good plans for you. He loves you.

I prayed for my parents for years. Finally, they both came to faith on their deathbeds.

Are you stressed with the wait? Please never give up.

The desperate apostles were in the midst of an amazing miracle. Are you too? Why not?

God's Way Out of the Chaos

Without God in our life, we are ruled by our faulty human nature. God is all around us, controlling every atom and every molecule, but we are blind and deaf to the reality of our almighty loving creator.

We are like a ship at sea without reliable maps or compass, navigating by guesswork.
We have made such a mess of this planet. If we were not so bad, we would not need police or armies.

We have brought the planet to the brink of ruin with pollution and climate change. Political disputes are making it impossible to repair the damage.

But if God is really in control, why does he allow us to mess everything up?
When God created the first man and woman, he authorised them to rule the planet. 

 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Gen 1:27–28 NRSV

The man and woman were supposed to rule the world under the loving guidance of God, but when they mistrusted and disobeyed God, they embarked on a disastrous course of stubborn independence.

We know the popular song, “I did it my way.” It never worked without God. Some people have achieved great things this way, but in the end we all die, and what happens after that?

God loves you and he wants you to live with him for ever in his heavenly home.

The prospects for this planet without God are looking worse and worse every year, but God still loves every man, woman and child.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Jn 3:16–17 NRSV

If you give up your independence and put your life in God’s hands, Jesus will be your guide and your loving friend.

Blessing in Suffering

 For Jesus, the cross was the most terrifying nightmare. On the evening of His arrest, after the Last Supper, He was overcome with horror.

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mk 14:36 NIV

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Lk 22:43–44 NIV

The cross was an unbearable agony, but it was the way Jesus had to go to redeem us.

The agony of the cross was God's plan before the foundation of the world so that God's eternal Son would take the punishment for our sins. He loves you.

Thank you Jesus.

But Jesus was not the only one who had to suffer in order to pass on God's grace. The devil does not want to allow God's grace to be passed on without cruel resistance.

Paul was terribly persecuted.

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 2 Cor 11:24–25 NIV

Even today, tens of thousands of Christians are murdered every year and even more are tortured in prisons.

Are you under threat now? The cross was the unthinkable torture for Jesus, but it was the way to God's heaven, not only for Himself, but for countless people, including you and me.

About six years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had prayed beforehand that no cancer would show up in the biopsy, but God allowed the cancer so that I would have a testimony.

Recently I had another biopsy. The very tiny tumours were still there but had not grown or progressed in 6 years. I never needed treatment and the specialist said I would probably never need it. God moves in mysterious ways.

It has been a tough trial, but my testimony not only grew my faith, but it was a strong encouragement to my family and friends.

We don't get far without hard trials. How would David have become a great king and prophet without Goliath?

For Daniel, the lion's den was not a stumbling block, but a stepping stone through which he was vindicated. The lion's den was not his defeat, but his victory.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a role model for the German nation and for Christians all over the world. He was murdered by the Nazis shortly before the end of the war. Without Adolf Hitler, his influence would never have been so great.

I love testimonies of miraculous healings and near-death experiences, but most of these people had to first experience illness or death in order to be able to testify of Jesus and his glory.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Rom 8:28 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Cor 1:3–5 NIV

I have never enjoyed the loving presence of God more than in hard times.

Hiding from God

 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Gen 3:8 NIV

Adam and Eve had believed the enemy's lies and betrayed God. They were ashamed and afraid of God, but they still believed in God.

We are all in the same position, whether we believe in God or not. We hide and look at God as if from a distance. We can be so far removed from God that we deny God completely. We can become atheists, witches or Nazis, but Adam and Eve were not that far away.

Eve ate the forbidden fruit first, but Adam was no better. He was by her side and said nothing.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Gen 3:6 NIV

If your husband or wife makes a terrible decision and you go along with it in silence, you are equally guilty. A husband should restrain his wife from sin and a wife should restrain her husband from sin.

Adam and Eve immediately recognised their guilt and were ashamed.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Gen 3:7 NIV

Shame is a direct consequence of sin and sinful human nature. We no longer see our sexual nature as innocent and beautiful.

Many religious people believe that a celibate life is better and holier than a Christian marriage. Some theologians have invented the idea that sexual procreation only came after the fall of man, that sex was somehow God's plan B and was only meant to produce children.

Such absurd theological ideas are just symptoms of the shame that resulted from the Fall. These theological traditions are just fig leaves that do not help us find reconciliation with God.

When God walked around in the garden, He of course knew what Adam and Eve had done. Nevertheless, He came to restore the broken loving fellowship with the first couple.

• No matter where you hide, God still loves you.

• Are you hiding in your job, or in your busy domestic routine?

• Are you hiding in drugs or alcohol or occultism?

Are you perhaps hiding in religious traditions or theological studies?

No matter where you have chosen to seek refuge, God is seeking you out. He already knows where you are and He is looking for you right where you are.

He understands your heart and your wayward ways, but he does not want to punish you. He is looking for your trust so that you can have heart-to-heart companionship with him.

God knows that we are intimidated by his greatness, his holiness and his omnipotence.
He knows that we are afraid of his judgement.

That is why he has made himself small. He sent his eternal, almighty Son to earth as a human being in order to live and suffer with us as a human being.

Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our unfaithfulness upon himself.

On the cross we see God's broken heart, not only because we have gone wrong, but because he had lost loving fellowship with us, and also because you and I had lost this fellowship with him.

God wants this tender friendship with us as his children back. It is the longing of his heart to have our fellowship back and to give us the blessing of his friendship.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

God has Better Plans

 Are you discouraged? Disappointed? Frightened?
Are you completely dejected?

Before the Last Supper, the apostles were disappointed and deeply shaken.

But how was that possible? They were Jesus' closest friends. They believed he was the Son of God, their Saviour and Redeemer. He was with them in the flesh. And they were dismayed?

A few days ago, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem. The crowds had recognised him as the Messiah with jubilation.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Mt 21:9 NIV

The Jews, and probably also the apostles, expected that Jesus as the Messiah would then establish the kingdom of God in Jerusalem, that Jesus would rule the world.

But Jesus did not do this. Everyone was disappointed. The religious leaders were now able to manipulate the disappointed Jews.

Instead of the expected triumph, the disciples were staring disaster in the face.

What did Jesus say?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You expected a great revival, prayed for it for years, heard wonderful prophecies.

Nevertheless, the corona catastrophe came. Then came the war in Ukraine, and another war in the Middle East.

Where is God? You no longer understand anything.

What does Jesus say now?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

You were expecting something wonderful from God. You have waited a long time for it and now you are shaken.

My father was 70 years old. He had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for many years and his lungs were almost destroyed. I had prayed for him for years but there was no sign of faith. But he was plagued by emphysema. That's a death sentence.

Then I started praying in a completely different way. ‘Please let my father live until he comes to faith.’

He made his peace with God at the age of 88. He was very weak but there was no sign of emphysema.

Finally he turned 91, he was nearly blind and life had become a burden to him.

Then I read in the Bible:

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Ps 91:16 NIV

I thanked and praised God. I then prayed boldly.

‘Dear God, you have answered my prayer. But now life is a torment for my father. How would it be if my father could pass away peacefully exactly 16 days after his 91st birthday?

Exactly 16 days later, Jesus took my father to heaven without pain.

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Jn 14:2–3 NASB95

God has good plans for us, including you.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Jn 14:1 NIV

God Created Men and Women Equal

 The Pharisees asked Jesus why Moses allowed a man to put away his wife. For the pious Jews, the law was the perfect standard, but for Jesus the law was not perfect.

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. Mt 19:8 NIV

For Jesus, something was even higher than the law.

    For Jesus, the law was holy, but for him there was a higher principle, God's order in creation before sin entered the world.

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
and said,
(Genesis 2:24) ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? Mt 19:4–5 NIV

We are familiar with these words, but we do not know how totally radical this statement really is.
In the biblical stories we read only once that a man left his parents, married a woman and stayed with the woman.

That was Jacob, who found his wife with his uncle but then she returned with him to his family. Also with Abraham and later with the Jews under the law, the woman had to leave her family and then she belonged to her husband's family.

Even the law given by God did not restore God's original order.
What was God's order for man and woman before the Fall?

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:26–27 NIV

In the beginning, God showed his authority as Creator. Spiritual authority is creative.
God created both man and woman in his image. Both express God's nature and character, the man no more than the woman.

God gave man and woman the quality of fertility, the ability to transmit life, people who would also have God's nature.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Gen 1:28 NIV

God gave the man and the woman authority over the earth. He did not give the man authority over the woman and he did not give the woman authority over the man.

God's guiding principle from the beginning was partnership.

Some say God gave men authority over women in Genesis 3.16.

To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Gen 3:16 NIV

Was painful childbirth part of God’s plan in creation? Of course not. It was the bitter fruit of sin. So too the domination of men over women was the tragic result of sin. Jesus died on the cross to free us from the curses of sin, including male domination.

Jesus took your Shame and Guilt

 Jesus died for you to take your punishment upon himself. You no longer need to carry your shame. Don't be ashamed any more. Jesus hung stark naked on the cross to bear your shame.

But we do not believe in a deceased martyr. Jesus came back from the grave. He rose again in the flesh so that we can be sure that his promises are true and reliable.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NASB95

What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Have you entrusted your life to Jesus?

When Jesus died, his disciples panicked and despaired. We, too, are weak. But despite their doubts and misunderstandings, they still loved Jesus.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Jn 20:19–20 NIV

But Thomas was not there. He was traumatised and could not believe until Jesus came to him too. Despite his doubts, he still loved Jesus. When he saw Jesus, the scales fell from his eyes.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jn 20:27–28 NIV

Jesus knew their hearts and his love for them was even stronger. So it is with Jesus and you. If your heart is attached to Jesus despite everything, you must be sure that his love for you is immeasurably stronger.

If you are like Thomas, if your heart is attached to Jesus, you have eternal life. Your old life is over.

The Wrong Cross

 In a dream, I saw a Christian hanging on a cross.

I don't remember any other details except that the Christian had experienced disappointing results in his efforts to serve God.

What was the reason for this lack of success? The words in my dream were as clear as the sun in the sky.
‘The wrong cross!’

The Christian was nailed to a cross, but it was not ordained by God. What could that mean?

I didn't see anything more concrete in the dream, and God didn't speak directly to me about it, but as I thought about the message, many real-life stories came to mind.

Both the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught that celibacy is a calling and a gift from God that is only given to some people. Paul was celibate, but most of the apostles, including Peter, were married.

Yet there are some churches that require all ordained ministers to be celibate. We regularly read about sex scandals in the media. Obviously, celibacy is ‘the wrong cross’ for many people.

There are also churches where you are supposed to get married. You are even told who to marry and who not to marry.

Many Christian women see their husbands criminally assaulting their own children or abusing them with porn or incest. When such women protest, they are often not believed by church leaders or are told it is their own fault for not being a sexually satisfying wife.

They are often told that it is a sin to leave their husband. ‘God hates divorce’ for whatever reason. If these women submit to this torture, they are on the ‘wrong cross’.

There are women who are taught that contraception is a sin and that they must give birth to as many children as possible.

They are on ‘The Wrong Cross’.

There are women who are taught that they must always obey their husbands unconditionally. They are not free to serve God as disciples who receive their calling and guidance directly from God.

They are on the ‘wrong cross’.

There are women who are taught that they are not allowed to preach or teach. Many are called and gifted by God to do what their pastors or husbands forbid.

Many of these women are on the ‘Wrong Cross’.

Many Christians are taught that submission to the leaders of their church is their first duty. Leaving their church or joining another church is sin. They must sacrifice their dreams for their own lives and ministry in order to serve the vision of the head pastor.

This can lead to a life of passive religiosity. They are not allowed to think for themselves or express opinions other than those of their leaders.

These people are at the ‘wrong cross’.

I know a pastor whose people call him ‘Papa’.

Some say you should never hold your pastor accountable because a pastor is like Moses who was accountable to no one but God.

What did Jesus say?

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Mt 23:8–9 NIV

There are Christians who are taught that God uses sickness to purify us through suffering. Many people suffer from sickness because they believe they are glorifying God.

They are on the ‘wrong cross’.

There is only one cross that deals with sickness, the cross of Jesus Christ.

That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick.

This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Mt 8:16–17 NRSV

When I read the Gospels, I see that Jesus is the healer, not the tormentor.
There are Christians who have been abused or mistreated for years. They develop a victim mentality, paralysed by false humility, bitterness or self-hatred. Jesus lived, died and rose again to set you free.

Please don't stay on the ‘wrong cross’.