Enigma Blog

Learning Together to Follow Jesus

Wed, 18 May 2011 11:09:53 -0400

Three days after Jesus’ death, a group of his disciples were all up in a room hiding. There had been numerous reports of Jesus sightings throughout the day. Some of the women went to the tomb early in the morning and found it empty. They claimed to have seen angels who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. At the time the others thought they were crazy. Peter had seen Jesus himself and now two more disciples joined them claiming to have met Jesus while walking on the road to Emmaus. Excitement filled the room as each of them were beginning to truly believe this was real. Jesus actually was alive. Then Jesus himself appeared. They were startled and at first they thought he was a ghost. “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Jesus said. “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Just to make sure there were no more doubts, Jesus asked them to give him some fish and he ate it in front of them.

This room full of people were Jesus’ disciples. They had spent the past three years of their lives learning how to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus would be leaving the earth, but he was leaving behind a community of disciples who would speak the gospel, live for God, and love other people. We at Enigma Church desire for everyone who comes to Jesus to become a disciple--someone who devotes his or her life to learning how to follow Jesus. Just as this group of disciples met together, talked, ate, and prayed; so we have small groups that gather each week to partner together in learning how to follow Jesus.

Each of us needs a group of friends who love us enough to listen to us, encourage us, and speak into our lives. We need people who are committed to praying for us and will pray for the ones we are trying to reach with the message of Jesus. If you are interested in joining a small group, click on CONTACT US at the top of the webpage and let us know.

A Personal Encounter with Jesus

Wed, 18 May 2011 11:06:50 -0400

This painting was painted by a dutch painter from the 17th century named Rembrandt. There are three men sitting at the table. The two men on the outside were disciples of Jesus, who had become disillusioned since his death. The man in the middle is the mysterious stranger who had been walking on the road with them explaining the Old Testament Scriptures. When they came to the village of Emmaus this stranger acted as if he would keep on walking, but the disciples begged and urged him to stay with them for the evening. They were drawn to this man, but they still didn’t realize why.

As the three of them sat at the table to eat, the man took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. It was in that moment that their eyes were opened and they realized that this was Jesus, the same Jesus that had broken bread with his disciples at the Last Supper. The same Jesus they had seen crucified was now alive and apparently strong enough to walk with them for seven miles! It was also at that moment that he vanished from their sight. The two disciples looked at each other in bewilderment and said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” They immediately stopped eating and ran the seven miles back to Jerusalem. They had to tell the other disciples!

What happened to these two disciples has happened to many of us. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to understand the Scriptures and see who Jesus truly is and why he had to die and rise. To put it simply: Jesus lived the life that each of us should have lived and died the death that each of us deserves to die. He did this as our substitute and when we come to know and trust him, our sin dies with him on the cross and his righteousness becomes ours. It’s the only way to get right with God. Jesus’ resurrection means that life doesn’t stop with death and God doesn’t just care about souls, his plan is to renew all of the physical creation and once again make it glorious.

That’s a lot to chew on and we’d be happy to sit down with you and explain it more fully. It all boils down to this: we our sinners who come to Jesus. We need him every day. He’s the one we trust in and he’s the one who strengthens us and changes us. Every week we gather together to worship Jesus and come to him for forgiveness, empowerment, and transformation. Our gatherings are on Sunday Nights at 6:30 PM. You can dress casual and expect to open the Scriptures, break bread, and see Jesus for yourself. See our meeting locations here.

Walking with Jesus on the Road to Emmaus

Wed, 18 May 2011 10:47:17 -0400

There’s a story in one of the gospels about two guys walking down the road to a village called Emmaus. Both of them were Jews and had been followers of Jesus. They really believed he was a prophet sent by God and that he was the promised Messiah who would end the Roman oppression of the Jews. But all of that changed when he was crucified. They were disillusioned, discouraged, and depressed. The other disciples they respected so much were now scared and hiding.

While they were walking and talking, along came a stranger who began to inquire about their conversation. He listened to their beliefs, their hopes, and their disappointments. While they continued down the road, this mysterious man began to help them understand the prophecies of the Old Testament, which they as Jews believed to be God’s very words. They enjoyed their conversation with him so much that they invited him into their house to continue their talk over dinner. What they didn’t realize, however, was that this stranger was Jesus himself. He had risen from the dead. For the moment, he remained an enigma.

Today Jesus remains an enigma to most people in our culture. People generally like Jesus, but they aren’t sure who he was, why he died, or whether or not his resurrection was really literal and physical. Very much like these two disciples, they are confused, disillusioned, and spiritually blind. What they need is to have their eyes and ears opened and their hearts awakened so that they can hear and understand the truth about Jesus. That’s the only way they can truly see their sin and put their trust in Jesus as their God and Savior.

We believe that God has called every Christian to come along side others just like Jesus did. This is what we call being missional - that is, to see ourselves as a missionaries in this culture. Missional Christians are followers of Jesus who befriend lost people, bring them to Jesus, and teach them to follow him. In our culture today this requires patience, relationship, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Our focus in inviting others into our community is working the soil and planting seeds rather than expecting an instant harvest. This allows the Holy Spirit to produce real repentance and faith in people’s hearts.