Friday, April 1, 2016

Cornerstone or Inconvenient Truth?

Friday, April 1, 2016

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The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.
This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.        
Psalm 118:22-24(NLT)

For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”   Acts 4:11-12(NLT)

An Inconvenient Truth is the name of a documentary that chronicles former Vice President Al Gore’s attempts to awaken our culture about the crisis of global warming.[2]  Putting the subject matter aside, the phrase “inconvenient truth” is pungent; if you take the truth seriously there will be some inconvenient changes on your horizon.  With the global warming issue, reducing our carbon footprint means oil, which means revenue.  It means coal, which means revenue.  Get the picture?  Very inconvenient!

And so…to the truth issue which is most inconvenient…because it not only changes things connected with revenue…it affects everything in your life, past, present and future – throughout eternity.  You not only live differently, you must think differently and it is likely to tick some people off – it got Peter and most of the other disciples a violent death at the hands of the establishment. 

For someone like me, this is incredibly inconvenient.  I have spent the better part of my life helping to lead in the church, and I also hate conflict.

Peter had a history of speaking before his brain was in gear; but becoming a man of prayer he began to know the difference…and so should we if we are to be like the Good Shepherd we serve; we wait for the Spirit.  Everything Peter said had a clear focus on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  It was all centered in the Gospel.

What Peter said was God has Power to give life over death


Central to all apostolic preaching is the resurrection.  Without the resurrection there is no Christianity.  Paul said that if there is no resurrection we are still in our sins…we’re dead.

When you speak truth to power, speak in the clarity and certainty that even if the powers that be put you to death for daring to stand up for righteousness, God will raise you up and accomplish His will.

What Peter said was God’s Purpose is to save all who “will”


Peter referred to Jesus as the stone the builders rejected, a bold picture of Jesus as God-incarnate…worthy of worship.  He said this cornerstone of truth was sent to save us from sin and death. 

Peter spoke the truth that you can choose Jesus, or you can choose sin and death; but you can’t have both.

What Peter said was the ONLY Pathway to God is Jesus


In some circles[3] Jesus is not the only way to God.  If you claim that Jesus is the only way to God, you’re deemed an exclusivist and narrow-minded. 

But that was what Peter said – no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

The choices are obvious when it comes to speaking Christian Truth to power – Christ, crucified, risen and coming again….OR…heresy and death. 

For You Today


You can be a Good Shepherd follower, or you can follow the crowd.  Doing both is not an option.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…and have a blessed day!



[1] Title Image: By Ammodramus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[2] Read about the documentary:  An Inconvenient Truth
[3] By this I mean progressive-thinking persons who hold that Jesus is not the only way to salvation.

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