Lent Arrives to Remind Us of True Meaning of the Cross of Jesus Christ

 

God's Unconditional Love Demonstrated through His Son's Cross

OA churches and ministries will offer Ash Wednesday Service to commence the Lenten period of 2019. In this season, Christians enter into another profound time of the liturgical year after Christmas to meditate on the theme of Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Churches take part in special Bible Studies that illuminate the Lord's suffering and love.

Congregants are called to remember God's unconditional love demonstrated through His Son's cross. With repentance and prayer, believers also participate in this forty-day path to be renewed in knowing God's love more deeply.

Suffering is a centerpiece of the Christian message that continually brings people to see the Lord's death on the Cross. Apostle Paul wrote that children of God should "share in his sufferings" in order that they can share "in his glory". (Romans 8:17)

Believers are called to meditate on the true meaning of suffering and its reason. The Lord said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) It is suffering that the Lord voluntarily took in love to give his life as sacrifice for others.

In the life of Jesus, love is not an abstract concept for logic or philosophy. It is a sincere act of "laying down one's own life": Sacrifice. At the climax of this sacrifice lies the Cross where Jesus shed his blood and suffered for sinners. The Cross, on which the Lord became a flawless sacrifice, demonstrated what true love is to the whole world -- a world that could have been left in ignorance and darkness.

The path of the Cross until Resurrection calls every believer in this Lenten season to ponder how much sacrifice the Lord had borne and how much sacrifice we are ready to bear to follow the Lord.

You Know Your Labor in the Lord is Not in Vain

Before a call to follow Jesus, Christians sometimes hopelessly withdraw and step back like two disciples going back to Emmaus. The turning point when they opened their eyes and saw the Lord of resurrection came when they participated in breaking bread, an action that signifies breaking of Lord's own sacrificed body. The passage in Luke 24 tells us that taking part in suffering is the way for believers to see the Lord who stands in the glory of resurrection.

This endlessly deep and profound message of death and life, cross and resurrection, suffering and glory, should let us fully fathom the core message of salvation in the time of Lent.

The Lenten messages proclaim, "At the end of the Cross, there lies a brilliant world of resurrection. Likewise, the suffering of the righteous secures the reward of the glory God grants."

It is a special time that allows churches to gain the greatest power and strength of resurrection.

The Apostle's encouragement resonates throughout the entire period of churches' meditation on suffering: Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain!

 

 

Also Explore

Embracing the Cross: Rediscovering Its True Meaning

In today's modern Western society, the meaning of the cross has often been diluted, distorted, or altogether lost amidst the noise of our fast-paced lives and the distractions of our materialistic culture. We wear it as jewelry, display it as a symbol of our faith, but do we truly understand the weight and significance

The Church: God's Strategy Against the Gates of Hell

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:18-19

Rejoicing in All Circumstances: A Journey of Gratitude

In the rich tapestry of our Christian journey, the apostolic call resonates with a profound truth: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV). Gratitude, as we understand it in the evangelical tradition, is not a mere sentiment reserved for favorable

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where

Events
  • 01
    Apr
    OLI Asia Pacific

    God is rising many in the Southern Hemisphere who aspire to be leaders for God’s Kingdom, and the Olivet Asia Pacific Center’s strategic position has made it a vital hub for training and raising new leaders, especially from and for the 10/40 window.

  • 31
    Mar
    Easter Sunday

    Regional Olivet Centers will be hosting Easter Retreats where members and seekers yearning to encounter Jesus Christ through scripture will gather, devote their hearts, and mindfully meditate deeply again on the meaning of the cross, the precious sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and what it means to each individual and the world.

  • 14
    Feb
    Beginning of Lent Season

    During the 40 days preceding Easter, WOA churches and their members engage in a period of reflection, centering on Jesus' path to the cross. This dedicated time places a particular emphasis on exploring the profound themes found in John 13-19.

World Olivet Assembly believes in equipping believers with theological and practical resources that would enable them to advance the work the gospel.

Also Explore

World Olivet Assembly (WOA) is a global gathering of evangelical churches and para-church organizations existing for the advancement of world mission.

World Olivet Assembly believes in equipping believers with theological and practical resources that would enable them to advance the work the gospel.