Living in grace is being grateful and thankful to the people whose guests we are in the world. Christianity is a faith-based religion that transcends creeds, nationalities, races, and even other faiths. It is a kingdom within kingdoms that represents a format of life, approved by the Creators (ELOHIM and not EL) of the universe. The King is Jesus the Christ the Son of God. Jesus' throne is in heaven! Now, King Jesus dispenses grace, love, peace, and truth through his converts and students called "disciples."

David, the son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah, became the heir of the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eight centuries before David was born, the Lord God revealed to Jacob:

David, the son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah, became the heir of the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eight centuries before David was born, the Lord God revealed to Jacob:

Living in grace is building character that solidifies faith in oneself, in God, and in Christ. Character defines the kind of a person man is. And character also determines what kind of a life man will shape for him or herself. Character is gaining self-confidence in trusting in a way of life, which earns access and rewards in the hereafter. The God-fearing Christian lives in this world to prepare himself/herself for an eternal future with the Creator. And without acquiring a godly character, such a life is not possible. Just to survive in this world alone calls for reinforcing Christ’s lifestyle. Jesus feared that his followers would lose rather than grow in faith.

The crucifiction of the Lamb of God was an explosive event, forced on Pilate to satisfy the Jewish leaders and their supporters and the Roman Emperor, who was difficult to please. But, by making the “Lamb of God” a contender to the throne of David, to Herod’s throne, and to Caesar’s throne, Pilate had no option left for leniency, but only death. To get Jesus to Golgotha, and to deter from any public interruption, a battalion of Roman soldiers (1000 men) were put in charge. The eye witness, John Mark, had two friends Alexander and Rufus. And their father Simon had to carry the cross for the Lamb of God because the Lamb of God, no longer, was able to carry the cross by Himself. Long after this horrifying shameful act of human degradation, Mark filled this report:

Jesus, during His last week in Jerusalem, did not hide from the authorities, as some may believe. In fact, Jesus offered Himself to the authorities. Jesus openly taught and healed in public. Jesus spent time in the temple. But, the high priest’s and the leaders were afraid of the public during the day. The public began to grow in favor of Jesus and their numbers increased. It actually was Jesus who chose the Passover night for Judas to hand Him over to the Jewish leaders in Gethsemane, so that the Lamb of God could be sacrificed on the “Day of Atonement.” Suppose Jesus had not sent Judas to get the high priest’s soldiers to arrest Him, what would have become of man’s redemption? In that sense, Judas was not as bad as he was made out to be. Caiaphas, the high priest, and his father-in-law, Annas, did what "The atonement for sin" required and so did Pilate, unwillingly.

Pilate’s most painful task was to comply with Jesus’ wishes and with the Jew’s demand to pronounce the death sentence on Jesus and execute Him. In the Gospel of John (19:2-3), to induce mercy and hopefully a release for Jesus, Pilate had his soldiers mock Jesus, but to no avail. Jesus, Himself, was kinder to Pilate than to the Jewish leaders. Jesus actually consoled Pilate in telling him that he only carried out orders as predetermined by a higher authority from above, and that his guilt was less than those who demanded His crucifixion (John 19:11). Fear caused Pilate to lose control! And so Pilate turned Jesus over to his soldiers to finish the horrified act of crucifying an innocent and righteous man. However, there were two soldiers who had some pity and forced a man from Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross (Mark 15:21). Most of the Roman soldiers were cruel and they took pleasure in abusing our Lord Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. However, Jesus did forgive them, "... for they did not know what they were doing" (Luke 23:34). The soldiers were given the impression that they were disposing of a dangerous enemy of Caesar and Rome.

The Cross of Christ is the most powerful deterrent from going to hell. In the ancient world, the cross also was a deterrent against crime. The first horrifying use of the cross, to avenge himself, was Jannaeus, the grandson of Mattathias Maccabee, and not a Roman. Jannaeus crucified eight hundred Pharisees who had opposed him being their king and high priest (Note 2). To the contrary, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, used the cross to stop humans beings from destroying each other --- and from following Satan into hell. The cross is the most powerful symbol of Salvation! God the Father, Himself, allowed His Son to choose the cross as the means and vehicle to leave this world. Paul, the Apostle, penned these immortal words:

Living in grace is to lead a content and satisfied life in Christ. Outside of Christ or outside of God’s kingdom there is no absolute and no satisfactorily contentment available. It is even impossible! Jesus told the ruler of the world, Satan: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). At the same time, without bread man cannot live at all. How then, does God use "grace" to make life content and satisfied? Essentially, God entrusted man with the task to meet each other’s needs. To do so, man has to be at peace with himself, with his fellow men, and with God. The person who has been endowed with the peace of Christ no longer has his conscience or his heart accuse nor condemn him. In addition, a Christian has to keep in mind that he represents his faith in hostile territory.

Peter began his new journey in Joppa in a prayer room. His experience with Aeneas and Tabitha (Dorcas) had lifted him to his highest spiritual mountain. Peter felt clean and at peace with himself; and therefore, he had determined in his heart to stay up there. He was away from being persecuted and being held the responsible for the flock, because James, the half-brother of the Lord, had secured command over the huge gathering of disciples. At that time, everyone was a disciple and they belonged to the "Way" of Jesus. While Peter was enjoying some serenity, a message, from heaven came about a forbidden people, which disrupted his sleep. Luke recorded this phenomenal meeting of two men from different backgrounds, from different creeds, and from different races. To Peter’s surprise, and without the laying on of his hands, the Holy Spirit settled on all Gentile believers in Cornelius’ household. A second Pentecost had taken place.