Good Friday, do you know how important it is for you?

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day on which we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the act that brought salvation to all who believe. It is the culmination of Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, and it takes place two days before Easter Sunday.

And They Crucified Him

Mark 15:22-25 — They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him . . . 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him.

1Cor. 15:1-3 — Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

This is the King of the Jews

John 19:19-22 — Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write `The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

Rom. 5:6-8 — You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

His First Word on the Cross

Luke 23:33-34 — When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals– one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Rom. 5:9-10 — Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when 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!

Casting Lots for the Seamless Robe

John 19:23-24 — When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” So this is what the soldiers did.

Rom. 3:23-26 — for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus

Blasphemed and Mocked by All

Matt. 27:39-44 — Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, `I am the Son of God.'” 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Luke 23:36-37 — The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

Gal. 3:13 — Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

His Second Word

John 19:25-27 — Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

1Pet. 2:24 — He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

His Third Word

Luke 23:39-43 — One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

1Pet 3:18 — For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

His Fourth Word

Mark 15:33-36 — At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

Col. 1:19-23 — For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation– 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

His Fifth and Sixth Words

John 19:28-30 — Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

1John 2:1-2 — My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

His Seventh Word and His Death

Luke 23:46 — Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Heb. 2:14-15 — Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Col. 2:13 — When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

The Miraculous Signs

Matt. 27:51-56 — At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” 55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Heb. 7:26-27 — Such a high priest meets our need–one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Heb. 9:25-28 — Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

They Pierce His Side

John 19:31-37 — Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Eph. 1:7 — In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

1Pet. 1:18-19 — For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

The Burial

John 19:38-42 — Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Matt. 27:60-66 — He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, `After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Gal. 2:20-21 — I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

This material was taken from various websites on the Net. I take no credit at all! Just wanted you to know how important this day is to you! See ya on the road!

Jason

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Verse of the day , Romans 12:2

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2


I absolutely love this piece of Scripture. It ha truly had a strong impact on my life and my becoming recovered. I remember as a young boy, my friends and I going into the milkweed fields and collecting this little caterpillars. We would place them in our “lil” red wagon and take them home to be put in an old fish aquarium.   We would watch them “transform” through their various life cycles before turning into beautiful butterflies. Little did I know the effect of those beautiful butterflies would have in my later life. Below is a passage from a book I am working on Titled “Becoming Recovered: An Alcoholics View”:

“Few creatures can rival the beauty of the monarch butterfly. Its stunning oranges and black are an astounding sight, a delight to the eye. But the monarch doesn’t start out that way. Before it reaches maturity it must undergo a series of remarkable transformations. Starting as a half-millimeter egg, the butterfly-to-be grows inside the egg for several days before it reaches the larval stage, when it begins a time as a bright-yellow-green striped caterpillar. In this stage it repeatedly molts, adding a new skin and shedding the old so it can continue to grow. It is then ready for the next stage of its life as a chrysalis, or pupa. In this stage the caterpillar hangs upside down, usually from a twig or branch, and encases itself in a protective cocoon. Here, over about 10 to 14 days, it undergoes yet another amazing transformation. At the end of this stage its protective shell becomes transparent, and a majestic adult monarch butterfly emerges. Its metamorphosis complete, the butterfly starts its new life. The new creature is vastly different from what we saw before. As it matured it changed in many ways. It transformed into something far different. Its end result is far different from its beginning. Scripture tells us that we, too, need a transformation. Simply, a change.”

Which cycle of life are you in? Are you transforming according to the will of our God or are you still living in the patterns of this world? We must continue to “renew” our minds daily. We renew our minds by hearing and reading the Word of God! As we grow and “transform”, we learn to recognize His will for us in our lives. Continually growing in Him, we learn what it means to truly live a “Saved Life”, are you living it?

Verse of the Day, Luke 6: 20-21

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours in the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Luke 6:20-21

I think it’s fair to say that American attitudes toward the poor– and perhaps not just in America– are mostly disdain and fear. They’re dangerous and different. Sometimes there’s a suspicion that their condition is their own fault, that they’re simply lazy or inferior. Other Americans are more kind-hearted, but prefer not to look at the poor too closely; it’s depressing, and they’re surely not fun people to be with.

These attitudes are a world away from God’s attitudes, as described in this verse. Neediness arouses compassion in God– and action.

We may think: “Of course God loves the poor; he loves everybody.” But it’s not so simple as that; God’s character is presented as a model for our own. If God values the poor, we have to think about what that means for us.

Help us to help them! Donate today! Anything helps! Thank you! See ya on the road!


Does anybody hear her?

Imagine, it’s Sunday morning, and church service will begin in the next ten minutes. In walks a young girl, dressed in a super mini-skirt and cropped shirt with 5 inch heels and torn stockings. Instantly, heads turn and people start pointing and whispering among themselves saying things like, “how dare she wear something like that to church service?” and “Did she come straight from the club?”

What they don’t know is that this young girl was a call girl, a hooker, a street walker, an unfortunate, who had a dream last night where she was positive God reached out His hand and called her back to Him. She rushed to the church building this morning wanting to get her life on track and turn back to God. However, she sees the people (the church) talking about her and embarrassed she turns and runs back out the door …back to the streets from whence she came.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of experiences that people are having “in Church” every week across the country. I believe we have lost sight of the fact that we are supposed to be “the Church.” It’s much bigger than the “building” we worship in. What happen to the Church being a place of support, love, forgiveness? When did we become so judgmental that we lost sight of our purpose?

Why are there so many Christians remaining in bondage because they are afraid to let down their guards and share their struggles with sexual immorality or drugs or lying because they fear what people will say?

There was a time when “Church” was a safe haven – a place where one could shed the layers of disappointment, bitterness and shame and through people … could embrace the grace and mercy of our loving God. Now all too often, people are so wrapped up in their own “issues” that we are no longer reaching out to the sick and brokenhearted.

Too often, we come to the church building and go through the motions of “just being there” and leave just as messed up as we were when we came in. We have to stop this and get back to being the Church God called us to be. We must realize that it’s not just a place for the saints that seemingly have it altogether come to gather each week … but it should be …

A place of prayer
A place of healing
A place of unconditional love and support
A place of compassion
A place of forgiveness
A place of refuge
A place of honor and respect

And this is not just an attitude to adopt when you walk into the Church building … but we as the Church need to be this way at all times. What do your words and actions say about “the Church” on your job, in your neighborhoods or in the marketplace? Can a person that is in search of God follow you to find Him? Or will they like the girl in the story be too embarrassed to come to you that they decide to stay in sin and bondage?

Let us remember to …Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven… Matt 5:16

AMEN

This is to be the essence of Saved Life. The previous story is TRUE. It happened at a Church pastored by a friend of mine last summer. This and many other experiences have  inspired me to form Saved Life. The video you see by Casting Crowns, my favorite band, also inspired this organization and this ride. We as the Body of Christ are meant to encourage, not condemn! Love, not hate! Help, not hurt! We are to impart that caring, gentle, and compassionate attitude of Christ to our fellow man and women. That is the essence of living a Saved Life. Are you living it?
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See ya on the road!
Jason
  • Saved Life: Coast to Coast

    We are launching a nationwide homeless awareness ride titled “ Coast 2 Coast: A Mile In Their Shoes”. We are launching from the Jacksonville Beach Pier in Jacksonville, Florida on March 20, 2010 and finishing at the Santa Monica Pier, just outside of Los Angeles, California. A journey of approximately 2,800 miles. We plan on doing this in a 7 month timeframe. But once I reach California I may continue on a new journey wherever God leads me. I am not stopping until I am convinced I have made a difference in the way people view the poor and needy of society and become willing to do something about homelessness. Did I mention that I am doing this on a bicycle?
  • Our Purpose and Mission:

    1. Encourage people to ask themselves, “Am I doing enough?”
  • 2. I want to better understand the life of the homeless in America, and to see, firsthand, how their needs are being met, directly and indirectly.
  • 3. To encourage Christians to “Live Out Loud” in whatever way that God is asking them too! Encourage them to let faith overcome their fears!
  • 4. To learn personally what it means to depend on Christ and experience pure contentment and confidence in Him to guide me on this journey of awakening.
  • 5. My vision is to and implement our organizational plan for a "Cities of Refuge" Alcohol/Drug Regeneration Ministry to help alcoholics, addicts, and the chronically homeless attain freedom from their bondage and become productive citizens. But moreso, give them a place they can call HOME!
  • I want to challenge people to summon the courage to “live out loud” their faith in God by showing true Christian compassion and gentleness for the less fortunate of society.
  • This is the heart of living a “Saved Life”.

    Are you living it?
  • Who is Jason?

    My name is Jason J. Day. I am a soldier in the army of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my Code of Conduct. Faith, prayer,and the Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity. I have a desire to effect a change in our society for the homeless …and all those who are lost and suffering. I have made a decision to do just that, to give the lost an opportunity to hope again! I am determined to succeed! Get involved! We are here to offer light to the lost, encouragement for the weary, and hope for the hurting. We are Saved Life. Keep us in your prayers!
  • See Ya On The Road!