Coach’s Corner

I’ve had several conversations over the last two weeks about the seeming decline in the importance of Easter among Christians. I’ve been wondering if I’m just missing it, or if it’s really happening. I grew up in the South, which has been known for years as the “Bible Belt”. And it’s true [...]

Businesses close. Schools close. It is marked on the calendar and observed carefully by millions of people around the world. So what is it? What is Good Friday all about? Before I answer those questions, let me offer another twist. I’m not convinced that Good Friday is really is Good Friday. I never have been. Why do I say that? Because Jesus Christ gave a recurring hint at how he would prove he was the Son of God. He would be dead for THREE days, and THREE nights. I am no math wizard, but I’ve never been able to count three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. I think there must be another explanation. And maybe this has bothered you as well. Maybe it’s kept you from connecting the dots. If so, or if you just enjoy deepening your understanding of biblical issues, take the time to read this excellent post (click here to read) examining the problems of “Good Friday.”

With that being said (and hopefully read…you did read the link,didn’t you?), let me add that whether people focus on the work of the cross on Friday, Thursday, or Wednesday, the important thing is that people DO recognize what Jesus did……… FOR YOU! That’s right! “Good Friday” is about YOU! Some of you out there are probably thinking that I have completely lost it….because Good Friday is about Jesus. That’s true in so much as it is the crucifixion of Jesus that we recognize.

BUT WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

IT WAS FOR YOU!

No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you have done, Jesus Christ died for you. Everything has a price. And so does sin. In our modern world, sin’s price is often time in jail or fines. In the Old Testament biblical world, the price of sin was death…the death of some sort of unblemished animal to “PAY” for the sin of the guilty party. But it was always a temporary fix. However, it served to point to the need for a permanent solution….a perfect “once-for-all” sacrifice. That was Jesus Christ. He is described in the Bible as a “spotless lamb” and “the lamb that takes away the sins of the world”. His death, His sacrifice, was offered to “PAY” for the sin of all guilty parties….and THAT MEANS YOU! AND IT MEANS ME!

It was the most brutal of deaths. But it was “GOOD” because it is now offered for you and me as a payment for our guilt. Just before Jesus drew his last breath he said, “It is finished!” It was the reason he came. It was the destiny of his life here….to pay a price we could not pay. And we can all apply this payment to our account….IF WE CHOOSE TO! For a more thorough explanation, please proceed to the information on “The Main Thing” page at the top of the blog.

What thrills me most is that Jesus is not still on the cross. There is still something more. And that is what Easter is about. I will add another post on Easter morning as we celebrate this MOST special time of the year.

So how about you? Has it really become “GOOD” Friday for you yet? Has it become “GOOD” news for you yet? It can be…..just say YES!

]*?)href\s*=\s*['"](.*?)['"]([^>]*)>(.*?) 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Businesses close. Schools close. It is marked on the calendar and observed carefully by millions of people around the world. So what is it? What is Good Friday all about? Before I answer those questions, let me offer another twist. I’m not convinced that Good Friday is really is Good Friday. I never have been. Why do I say that? Because Jesus Christ gave a recurring hint at how he would prove he was the Son of God. He would be dead for THREE days, and THREE nights. I am no math wizard, but I’ve never been able to count three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. I think there must be another explanation. And maybe this has bothered you as well. Maybe it’s kept you from connecting the dots. If so, or if you just enjoy deepening your understanding of biblical issues, take the time to read this excellent post (click here to read) examining the problems of “Good Friday.”

With that being said (and hopefully read…you did read the link,didn’t you?), let me add that whether people focus on the work of the cross on Friday, Thursday, or Wednesday, the important thing is that people DO recognize what Jesus did……… FOR YOU! That’s right! “Good Friday” is about YOU! Some of you out there are probably thinking that I have completely lost it….because Good Friday is about Jesus. That’s true in so much as it is the crucifixion of Jesus that we recognize.

BUT WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?

IT WAS FOR YOU!

No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you have done, Jesus Christ died for you. Everything has a price. And so does sin. In our modern world, sin’s price is often time in jail or fines. In the Old Testament biblical world, the price of sin was death…the death of some sort of unblemished animal to “PAY” for the sin of the guilty party. But it was always a temporary fix. However, it served to point to the need for a permanent solution….a perfect “once-for-all” sacrifice. That was Jesus Christ. He is described in the Bible as a “spotless lamb” and “the lamb that takes away the sins of the world”. His death, His sacrifice, was offered to “PAY” for the sin of all guilty parties….and THAT MEANS YOU! AND IT MEANS ME!

It was the most brutal of deaths. But it was “GOOD” because it is now offered for you and me as a payment for our guilt. Just before Jesus drew his last breath he said, “It is finished!” It was the reason he came. It was the destiny of his life here….to pay a price we could not pay. And we can all apply this payment to our account….IF WE CHOOSE TO! For a more thorough explanation, please proceed to the information on “The Main Thing” page at the top of the blog.

What thrills me most is that Jesus is not still on the cross. There is still something more. And that is what Easter is about. I will add another post on Easter morning as we celebrate this MOST special time of the year.

So how about you? Has it really become “GOOD” Friday for you yet? Has it become “GOOD” news for you yet? It can be…..just say YES!

Start uga_filter:

Businesses close. Schools close. It is marked on the calendar and observed carefully by millions of people around the world. So what is it? What is Good Friday all about? Before I answer those questions, let me offer another twist. I’m not convinced that Good Friday is really is [...]

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Businesses close. Schools close. It is marked on the calendar and observed carefully by millions of people around the world. So what is it? What is Good Friday all about? Before I answer those questions, let me offer another twist. I’m not convinced that Good Friday is really is [...]

Start uga_filter:

The first day of March Madness brought few surprises….which was NOT GOODfor me. I have come to count on upsets as the bread and butter of the tournament and they are part of my picks. The first round of games didn’t work out to well for me, but I moved up the charts in the second round of games during the day. I am participating in two brackets. There’s one here on the Coach’s Corner, and then I’m in a bracket of “blogging church planters” scattered around the country. Here are the day 1 results:

Coach’s Corner- I started out near the bottom of both brackets, but in my own bracket here on the blog, I have made a strong move up to number 3 after batting 1.000 in the second round of games.

Church Planting Bloggers - I’m still in the middle of the pack (that’s me down there at #42), but that’s not bad after starting the day almost at the bottom. As the old saying in golf goes “It’s not how you drive, it’s how you arrive.”

On the Coach’s Corner Bracket, have to give kudos to Mitch Varda who only missed one game. But I’m still lurking. How are your brackets doing? Any perfect brackets out there among the readers here?

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