In the sentiment of the holiday season, we are continuing our exploration of the genuine and authentic Jesus that we read of in the Bible in a series of short articles titled, “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?” I hope that these articles will provide you with some talking points in your conversations this holiday season, as many are focused on the Savior of the world. We have all seen life work in circles. This is often the case with music, specifically country music. It began with Jimmy Rodgers and The Carter Family but then drifted to the Nashville Sound. However, when you thought the origins were lost, many brought the sound around full circle. The Bible comes full circle through fulfilled prophecy. There is no more excellent builder of faith than to see the messianic prophecies of old be fulfilled through the Messiah and mediator of the New Testament, Jesus Christ. Sadly, many man-made prophecies have risen to prominence and are often associated with the divine, such as the prophecies of Nostradamus. Though he lived from 1533 to 1566 as a famous French astrologer, he supposedly made over 6,000 prophecies; today heralded as accurate predictions of current and future events. However, as you explore such prophecies, you will notice that they are vague in their origin. For example, Nostradamus once predicted, “From on high, evil will fall on the great man.” This is often considered a prediction of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Yet, …

After one of those long sermons that seemed to last forever, a father and son walked toward the door. Suddenly, the boy stopped in his tracks. He saw a plaque in the foyer and asked his dad, “Daddy, what is this for?” His father said, “Oh, that’s in memory of those who died in the service.” The little boy asked, “Which service – the morning or evening service?” Children can have a great sense of humor, but perhaps this boy remembered another familiar story in the Bible. We have become accustomed to stressing the importance of gathering and attending the morning worship service. Many prioritize this worship service over other services offered at the building. However, in the New Testament, there is more evidence that the first-century saints gathered in the evening than in the morning to worship God. They used lamps to provide light in their meeting room, (c.f., Acts 20:8). This is the setting for the story of Eutychus. In Acts 20, on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul was set to depart Troas the next day, (c.f., Acts 20:7). So, he delivered a message that lasted until midnight to those who were gathered. As Paul was preaching, a young man named Eutychus sat on a ledge. He fell asleep, fell from the third-story window, and was taken up dead, (c.f., Acts 20:9). This is the first recording in the inspirational record of a person dying in the worship …