For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. – Titus 2:11-15 ESV

Warrior;

It is Friday, it is GOOD FRIDAY.  If you are a follower of the RISEN KING, JESUS, then you should know the answer to this question\questions: What is GOOD FRIDAY, and why should it matter? Good Friday is the day for Christians to commemorate Jesus’s crucifixion. But what happened on Good Friday? On this day, according to the Bible, the Jewish religious leaders—who had condemned Jesus the night before for claiming to be the son of God and king of the Jews—brought him to the Romans for sentencing. He was sent from Pontius Pilate to Herod and then back to Pilate, who ultimately sentenced Jesus to crucifixion—the highest form of criminal punishment at the time. Jesus was then beaten, forced to carry a heavy wooden cross through jeering crowds and finally nailed to the cross by his wrists and feet, where he hung until he died, later that day. That doesn’t seem like anything GOOD, yet it was one of the most important DAYS in the HISTORY of MANKIND, because without the DEATH of JESUS, we could NOT CELEBRATE the RISEN KING.  IF the story stopped on Good Friday, there would be NOTHING GOOD ABOUT IT.  As Believers WE MUST KNOW the GOOD NEWS: It is FRIDAY NIGHT…BUT…SUNDAY IS ON THE WAY! You see– without GOOD FRIDAY, there could be no GOOD NEWS! Without the DEATH of JESUS’ physical body, we could NOT celebrate His Great Victory over DEATH and the GRAVE, and we would HAVE NO HOPE! It’s called GOOD FRIDAY because IT IS about HOPE! It is written: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” DO NOT GROW WEARY! “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted”. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Good Friday is about a GOOD GOD bringing HOPE!

Leader, it is IMPROPER to say that JESUS was BORN- He is eternal! What we celebrate on Christmas as the BIRTH OF JESUS, is really the INCARNATION of JESUS. The book of Titus gives us 3 summaries of the incarnation of JESUS, providing a framework within which the Christian can view the work of God. (Titus 1:1–4; 2:11–14; 3:4–7). All three passages involve the manifestation, or appearance, of God in Christ, rooting the Christian faith in the incarnation of Jesus the Christ. Only when God the Son took on human flesh in the person of Jesus was the believer’s faith in God made sure. In other words, since God poured out His grace on all humanity, He cleanses His people from their sin and purifies believers for Himself. This grace of God instructs us to live upright and godly lives in this present age (2:11–3:8). THIS IS THE HOPE WE HAVE: BUT GOD! Romans 5:8 reminds us, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Do you have this HOPE? Depression, Suicide, PTSD, Gender dysphoria, political dysphoria, existential dysphoria…SADNESS, CONFUSION, STRIFE! This is not how we are called to BE, we are called to be HOPE PEDDLERS, HOPE DEALERS! As a leader, our #1 Commodity is HOPE! Hope says, no matter how bad things are today- they can be better TOMORROW!  Hope says, there is a REASON to LOOK FORWARD! We are to be different from the world around us knowing that HE WINS, and that all our struggles and suffering are for GOD’S GLORY, and for our own good. God cares how we suffer! We are to do this by faith, like everything else in our Christian life. The Holy Spirit through Paul tells us how we can be different in Romans 12:1-2. Our God is saying here, “Dare to be different”!  Listen to how the Amplified Bible expands today’s verse: For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age,  awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,  who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good. Tell them these things. Encourage and rebuke with full authority. Let no one disregard or despise you [conduct yourself and your teaching so as to command respect].

Conduit, for a TRUE FOLLOWER of the RISEN JESUS of Nazareth, Good Friday is a day of CONTEMPLATION. It is time to QUESTION ourselves! The Same writer of this book, PAUL told the church in Corinth, for us, to EXAMINE OURSELVES: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5) How seriously do you consider your beliefs about God in the overall scheme of your life? The book of Titus reminds us that our beliefs about God impact every decision we make. Sometimes it is difficult for believers today to see the point of getting all worked up about the person and nature of Christ or the doctrine of the Trinity. However, Paul made clear that a church that teaches and preaches sound doctrine will see results in the lives of its people. Not only will people be saved from their sins, but God’s grace will also motivate them to live out that saving faith with renewed and purified lives. Many churches today focus more on the form of their worship—music styles, lighting, and building designs—than they do on the content of the faith they mean to proclaim. And while the form of a church’s worship is vital to reaching its community for Christ, without a firm base of sound doctrine, the church will lay its foundation in shifting and sinking sand. Make doctrine a priority in your own life, as well as encouraging it in your churches. Nothing is more significant than a solid foundation in Christ. Nothing is more motivational than grace to live a life of good deeds. God has HOPE FOR YOU TODAY!  The HOPE is that HE HAS A PURPOSE for your PAIN, for your TIME and for your TALENTS! For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) Today as we contemplate what JESUS did, HE PAID IT ALL- IT IS FINISHED!  Be Hopeful and let that HOPE SPRING ETERNAL!