This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent His Son, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who trust in Him will be reconciled to God forever.

This is the reality about humanity. We are each born with an evil, God-hating heart. Genesis 8: 21 says that every inclination of man's heart is evil from childhood, and Jesus' words in Luke 11: 13 assume that we know we are evil.

The church is not an audience of spectators; we are a fellowship of disciple-makers

We have the audacity to look God in the face and say, 'No.'

It's important to realize that we adopt not because we are rescuers. No. We adopt because we are rescued.

Ultimately, tragedy on earth can only be understood rightly from the perspective of heaven.

Somewhere along the way we have subtly and tragically taken the costly command of Christ to go, baptize, and teach all nations and mutated it into a comfortable call for Christians to come, be baptized, and listen in one location.