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Published: 29 January 2021

2020 had no shortage of conspiracy theories.  From COVID to the election to various other situations, many were declaring that “something else is going on.”  By definition, a conspiracy is, “the belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.”  People gravitate to conspiracy theory because they are looking for a way to make sense of the events in this life that seem so odd.  We’d like convenient and somewhat simple explanations for things that seem so wrong and/or inconsistent.  Usually to blame are the powerful and the rich, once in a while religious people get thrown in the mix for good measure.  While I am quite sure that there are things going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about and while I do believe that deals get made behind closed doors that affect lots of people, I think we give way too much credit to conspiracy theory.  However, I absolutely believe that there is something else going on in the world that is subversive, behind the scenes and affecting the lives of millions of people.  Dallas Willard referred to it as “The Divine Conspiracy.”  We all have this sense that something else is going on in the world…because there is!  The invisible God is seeking people, saving people and transforming people into His image right under our noses!  The media ignores what is going on unless they can highlight the glitches and failures.  But, make no mistake, there is a lot more going on than we see on the surface and it’s a bigger deal than most of us know.  We’ll learn more about it in Ephesians 3. 

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Published: 22 January 2021

Once upon a time, there was a Jamaican bob-sled team.  Seriously.  Disney made a movie about the story in 1993 titled, “Cool Runnings.”  It’s a humorous account of what happened to those underdogs of winter sports.  In one of their early practices, they have a bad crash and one of the characters says, “Sanka, ya dead mon?” Sanka answers, “Ya mon.”  Of course, if he could answer, he wasn’t really dead.  Or, was he?  I’m not sure about Sanka’s spiritual state, but it is possible to be a “dead mon walkin’” According to Ephesians 2, if we are outside of Christ, we are in fact, dead.  Dead in trespasses and sins.  By nature, and by choice we follow the course of this world led by the prince of the power of the air—Satan.  This makes us children of wrath, the enemies of God.  BUT GOD!  What marvelous words.  Because of the wealth of God’s mercy rooted in His deep love, He made a way to live.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead raises those who believe from death to life.  The day you say yes to Christ is the day you are born again, given a new nature, a new citizenship, a new future, a new capacity and a new family.  God’s raising of believers from death to life should result in ongoing gratitude and faithful service.  We were dead and He made us alive!   Your redemption may not be historic from a media perspective, but it sure made news in Heaven; and, changed the eternal course of your life.  More about that this coming Sunday.