To Show That the Worst Evil is Meant by God for Good

50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die

John Piper, "The Passion of Jesus Christ: 50 Reasons Why He Came to Die."

(All paragraphs in quotes are from the book)

In the fourth chapter of Acts, Peter and John were headed up to the temple to pray when they encountered a man, lame from birth, begging to everyone who passed by. Peter heals the man by the authority given him through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The people were astonished so Peter and John testified to those in the crowd about Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Then the priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees had Peter and John thrown into prison overnight. The next day they questioned them and let them go. When Peter and John returned to their friends, they prayed this prayer to God.

Act 4:24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
Act 4:25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'--
Act 4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
Act 4:28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
Act 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
Act 4:30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

“The most profound thing we can say about suffering and evil is that, in Jesus Christ, God entered into it and turned it for good.”

John Piper, “The Passion of Jesus Christ: 50 Reasons…”

The origin of evil is covered in biblical mystery. The bible does not explain to us as much as we would like to know about the subject; Lucifer’s rebellion, the fall of the angels, the creation of death, the creation of hell, etc. The scriptures are not a documentary on the origins of evil but are a demonstration of how God enters into evil and turns it into good. All throughout the Old Testament, there are many different texts that foreshadow this as the destiny of the Messiah to come.

Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold into slavery by his brothers in Egypt. For seventeen years Joseph seemed abandoned to his fate. God was in Joseph’s life, guiding him and equipping him to be the leader he would need to be. God established Joseph and made him ruler in Egypt. By God’s plan, Joseph was able to save his family from a great famine that swept the land. Joseph saved the very ones that sold him into slavery, preserving God’s promise to Abraham. Joseph summed it up in Genesis 50:20 by saying:

Gen 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

“A foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, forsaken in order to save…”

This same type of foreshadowing was seen in Jesus ancestry. God was the only King in Israel, but the people rebelled and asked the prophet Samuel to appoint a human king, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). When Samuel tried to speak wisdom to them, they demanded it, "No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles" (1 Samuel 8:19).

Israel eventually confessed their sin, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king” (1 Samuel 12:19).

In order to defeat evil and suffering, he used evil and suffering. Every act of sin, evil, and brutality against Christ, was used by God for good. For God so loved the world, He slaughtered Jesus

Act 2:22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--
Act 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

“The lash on his back, the thorns on his head, the spit on his cheek, the bruises on his face, the nails in his hands, the spear in his side, the scorn of rulers, the betrayal of his friend, the desertion by his disciples—these were all the result of sin, and all designed by God to destroy the power of sin.”

Act 4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
Act 4:28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
Act 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,

“There is no greater sin than to hate and kill the Son of God. There was no greater suffering nor any greater innocence than the suffering and innocence of Christ. Yet God was in it all.”

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

“Is not then the passion of Jesus Christ meant by God to show the world that there is no sin and no evil too great that God, in Christ, cannot bring from it everlasting righteousness and joy? The very suffering that we caused became the hope of our salvation.”

Luk 23:34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

In suffering, in pain, in death, in sickness, in frustration, destruction, do you trust God? Do you believe that he is in it? Do you believe that he has a plan for your life? Do you trust him to turn evil into good?

God has displayed to us, in the most dramatic display of love, He turns what men mean for evil into what He means for good. The Cross is the proof.

Reflections on Juarez

On January 9th Katina Schram came on a mission trip with Casas por Cristo as part of the team from Bachelor Creek Church of Christ from Wabash, Indiana.  Her team built a home in Juarez, Mexico for Maria, Jesus and their children Erika, Hector and Jesus.  Throughout her preparation for the trip Katina experienced a range of emotions, questions, doubts and fears about her decision to come to Juarez and build a home for a family.  However, upon returning home to Indiana, she was so moved by the week that she had, she wrote her local newspapers to share her experience.  She also wrote down her thoughts and emotions for us to share in hopes to that her own experience might help others that are considering coming on a trip to build but may be feeling some of the same hesitations and fears. 

"A year ago I knew that a mission trip to Mexico was something that I wanted and needed to do. When the date for the trip was picked I was the first one to sign up.  I couldn't contain my excitement!  I overcame the hurdles of fundraising and raised more than I needed to cover my personal cost for the trip.  This was very humbling for me and it felt like a sign from God that I indeed needed to go on this trip.

With the money raised, the only problem now was me.  You see, I love Google.  When my family or I am sick, I Google.  When I want to know what the weather will be like an hour from now, I Google.  I Google everything.  Google is great except when one is going on a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico, and then Google becomes very frightening.  The more I googled Juarez the more terrified I became.    

Jason Roth who is on staff with Casas por Cristo is from my home church and 3-4 weeks before the trip, he and his wife Janette came to speak to our team and spouses.  I asked questions and they were so calm and reassuring about how they felt safe. Honestly, deep down I wasn't sure whether to believe them or not.  I mean, they needed this team to come build a house, would they really tell us if it were too violent? I didn't think so.  I thought about pulling out.  Yes, I knew God would be with us, but God does allow bad things to happen to good people.  I did not want to be naive. I wanted to be educated, and to be educated, I Googled.  And became more terrified.  

I met with our Minister and Minister of Connections, who had both been on the trip before and I expressed my fears.  Again, to my surprise, they were so reassuring and positive.  What was I supposed to believe? I was excited, confused and scared all at the same time.  I wasn't just thinking about myself, I was thinking about my family.  My husband and 3 year old son need me. 

The week of departure, my husband's mother passed away and I wrecked my van.  I absolutely believe Satan was really working on me that week.  The night before we left I cried.  Was I really supposed to be on this trip? I prayed for peace.  We were to meet at the church at 1:30am.  I did not sleep a wink.  My stomach was in knots.  We made the 2 hour trip to the airport on a bus with no heat.  I hate to fly and the flight to El Paso was the most turbulent flight I had ever been on.  We made it to El Paso on Sunday and Monday morning crossed into Juarez.  I was so afraid I did not want to sit by the window in the van crossing the border.

Crossing into Juarez was a bit intimidating.  There were check points that we had to go through with the Policia carrying their guns.  It was intimidating but not necessarily scary. It felt good that they were there.  To my surprise, I saw people, everywhere! I saw children walking the streets with their mothers, I saw stores open, I saw lots of buses with a lot of people on them!  What? From everything I had read on the internet I was expecting a ghost town, I was expecting to see all of the stores boarded up and no one on the streets.  The farther out of town we got the less Policia we saw and the housing conditions became much worse.  We pulled into a filling station, again, people were everywhere.  We pulled up beside a van and the people in the van just smiled and waved at us.  I began to feel less tense. 

We got to the church that we were staying in and I stayed with 2 other teammates to organize food, etc...  We left the screen door open all day because it was sunny and beautiful.  All day all I could hear were children playing and laughing, I saw people walking in the streets.  That evening, I had tears.  Tears of joy.  I felt safe.  My fears were released.  As we traveled that week to and from the work site I never felt like we were in any danger.  The faces on the people as we passed were quite something.  They smiled and waved, some children even blowing kisses.  Oh, how ashamed and upset I was at how I let the media paralyze me with fear.

The relationships that I formed with my teammates, (who feel more like my brothers and sisters now), were just one of the many many blessings I experienced in Juarez.  The gratitude of the people, the joy, and the tears, are memories that I will never ever forget.  I will be going back to Juarez next year and I have already invited so many people to travel with us.  I was so upset at the media for their one sided attention to Juarez, I called our local newspapers to ask if they would be interested in running a story about our trip, both of which did.  Before the trip, I contacted Casas Por Cristo about 5 times, just needing to talk to someone about safety. Each time I was given compassion and comfort.  Not only did I just trust God completely, I trusted Casas completely.  Knowing that they have a safety plan in place, coupled with the fact they have never had an incident of violence, I just trusted.  Period.

The need is great in Juarez. Of course, our team wanted to return home to see our families, but we did not want to leave the people of Juarez.  There is so much work left to do in that city.  I challenge everyone to step out of your comfort zone.  Stop watching the news.  Stop googling Juarez, and just go.  Just Go."

Katina and Daisy in Juarez

Katina and the Bachelor Creek Team from Wabash, IN

Putting up insulation

With the family at the dedication ceremony

Katina with the family that she helped build a home for

Christ, the Final High Priest

Hebrews 7

Read Hebrews 7

The summation of verses 1-24 can be seen in verse 25.

Heb 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.


Earthly Israeli high priests made intercessions between God and man because it is God's wrath the we need intercession for.  Many people miss this.  We forget where the judgement is coming from.  God's wrath needs appeasing or we will be sentenced at judgment to eternal banishment from God and life.  In order to fix this, God has established priesthood to step between us and this eventual outcome.  The issue with earthly priests is that they cannot eternally intercede for us because they are mortal.  That is why we need a king of righteousness (Heb 7:2) We need a king of peace (Heb 7:2) We need someone without beginning and ending (Heb 7:3) Someone who has an indestructible life (Heb 7:16) and will never die and need to be replaced (Heb. 7:23-24).  We need someone greater than Abraham and greater than Levi- something like Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham (Heb 7:6-7).


Heb 7:26  "...we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens."


Verse 25 says that Christ "always lives to make intercession..." Right now and forever, God is making intercession for us.  He will never die and will always be there on our behalf.  Isn't that mind blowing?  Right now, Christ is interceding for you.  When you are imperfect today, when you fail, when you sin, when you are loving the things of this world, when you are gratifying the flesh... He intercedes.  He steps in.


We cannot view this or make the mistake to think about this as an angry God who doesn't love us.  God the Father loves us as much as the Son.  He is the one who established Christ as our High Priest because He loves us.  All this is the love of God rescuing us from the wrath of God, in such a way that the justice of God is vindicated and the glory of God is exalted.  


Verse 25 again.  This is for those who draw near to God through Christ.  Hold fast in your confidence and pursuit of God.  It is foolish to make anything else our priority.  What is more valuable and more precious than what is at stake here?  The wrath of God must be appeased.  


Think of this for yourself and also for those in the world today.  It is not just our problem; it's the world's problem.  They need their High Priest.  The wrath of God is coming.  They all stand condemned.  Be motivated to help them draw near to God through Christ by external intercession.  Meditate on your family, friends, neighbors, and strangers.  Meditate on the wrath of God.  Build anxiousness for them.  May it move you. May it change you.  

Thoughts from a dedication

Last weekend we built a home with our Board of Trustees in Juarez, Mexico. Lorena & Philip brought their 15 year old daughter Kelsey on the build and she journaled about her feelings during the dedication. She allowed us to share her heart and feelings with you here...

"The dedication was interesting because throughout the preliminary exchanges in English and Spanish... I didn't get word-for-word clarification but I felt like the emotions expressed through the words were more important than the words themselves.  This is the Kingdom of Heaven, here and now, in this 11’ x 22’ house with these 19 people.  It is as if the Tower of Babel never happened."

Wash One Another

On the night of Jesus betrayal, Jesus is going to spend a lot of time with his disciples, teaching them and encouraging them before he would give his life. His very first teaching is maybe the most heart wrenching. Jesus stands up from dinner, takes off his outer garment and ties a towel around his waist. He fills a basin full of water and begins to wash the feet of the disciples with the towel wrapped around his waist. When Jesus gets to Peter, he enters into a very important dialogue with him.

Joh 13:6                He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?"

Joh 13:7                Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."

Joh 13:8                Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."

Joh 13:9                Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"

Joh 13:10             Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you."

Joh 13:11             For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

Joh 13:12             When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you?

Joh 13:13             You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

Joh 13:14             If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

Joh 13:15             For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

The words highlighted are very important. Jesus statement here reveals several truths that are of the utmost importance to us.

"The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean…"

If you have been born again by the cleansing power of Christ, you no longer need to be completely washed by Christ.

1Jn 1:7                  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

So if we have been cleansed for all sin, why does Jesus go on to say…

"The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean…

At the end of his teaching and encouragement, Jesus prays for those who would follow him. Here we find a clue to why Jesus would say that our feet need to be cleansed despite the power of his blood to completely cleanse us.

Joh 17:11             And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Joh 17:12             While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Joh 17:13             But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Joh 17:14             I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15             I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

God uses us to display himself and the truth of the gospel to the world. He has left us here in direct contact with the world in order to bring them to him. But being here leaves us in danger of corruption. Jesus understood the danger of being exposed to the world. He knew it so much so, he prayed for their protection when he would leave. This is the danger:

 1Jn 2:15                Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16                For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.

1Jn 2:17                And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The world holds the lusts of the flesh and eyes. If we respond and go toward the world and away from Christ, we are going to pass away with the rest of the world. We still have flesh and we still have eyes. The world is luring. It calls for us. It tries to grab for us. Our bodies and our eyes respond with desire but our spirit recoils.

"The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean…"

This is what Jesus is saying:

I am leaving you here together. I am leaving you here to be the church; the bride of Christ, that the world will see who you are united to and by. Your whole being will be toward heaven but part of you will still be touching the world. It must. You must touch the world for the world to know that I am in you. Your feet must be washed because it is touching the world. Wash each other’s feet because you are in danger of being corrupted by the dirt and filth that comes with touching the world. You must wash each other and keep each other from falling away.

The first question for us is, are we corrupted? Are we dirty? Are we lured away from by the world away from Christ? We cannot wash each other if we ourselves are dirty. It would be a dirty rag washing a dirty plate. Are you living in the world? The world is of the flesh.

Gal 5:19                 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

Gal 5:20                idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

Gal 5:21                envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Does this raise any red flags? Seek to be cleansed by God and go to your brothers and sisters for help in confession and repentance.

If you are cleansed and you are living according to the Spirit, are you coming in contact with the world? We are to be in it and not of it. Many of us do everything possible to stay away from anything secular and to stay in our safe bubble of American Evangelicalism. The church has made many incredible attempts at this. If we do everything we can to avoid and be away from the world, if we shut ourselves up from contact with anyone or anything that is not institutionalized Christianity, how can we be a witness? How can we fulfill the great commission?  Have you made contact with your neighbors? How many people have you tried to share Christ with in your city? Have you been purposeful in seeking and sharing with those around you daily?

Finally, we are to be confrontational to each other. We are the ones who are to wash the feet of each other. We are to come to our brothers and sisters and say, “Sit down while I help you rid the filth from this world.” We are also to receive such cleansing no matter how much we look the fool. Christ tells Peter that he must be washed. Scripture says it best. The author of Hebrews will conclude this matter.

Heb 3:12             Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Heb 3:13              But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Heb 3:14             For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Heb 10:23            Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Heb 10:24            And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Heb 10:25           not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Summer Interns

Although we just experienced a week of subzero temperatures and the thought of 100 degree days couldn't be further from our minds, we know that summer is still right around the corner. With warmer temperatures on the way, so is our summer internship program.  Not only are we still in need of interns, we are also in need of help funding this program.  Internships here are Casas por Cristo are life-changing and do wonders in building a young person’s leadership skills and their relationship and faith in God.  If you've been an intern, you know all about that!  Having trained interns also allows us to build more homes and reach more people during our busiest season.

Are you interested in becoming an intern or want to help us provide this opportunity for someone else?
Here is a list of our needs for this summer (in order of importance).  Currently, we are planning to hire 7 interns. (The cost below is for the entire summer for all 7 interns)

Scholarships: $9,000
Training (materials to build): $1,000
Training (food/water): $700
Handbooks/supplies: $700
Retreat: $2000

Can you help buffer some of these costs?

If you’d like to give, you can send a check, or even easier, you can donate online at http://www.casasporcristo.org/#/give

Please make a note in the comments box where you’d like your money to go.  (ie. “intern program-training” or “intern program-scholarships”).  Without this note, the money won’t go towards the intern program!


If you are interested in becoming an intern yourself these are the requirements.
- MUST have been on a prior Casas trip
- 20 years old by the start of the internship
- Can commit to the full 3 months of service (May 14^th-August 13)
Deadline for applications is Feb 21^st.  Applications/reference forms can be downloaded from our website here Internships.


Thank you so much for being a supporter of this ministry and loving what we do!

Team Casas

Want to be a part of something huge this Spring Break? We want to build a home for Rosa, Santiago, Jorge and Asael but we need you to make it happen. In four days you can change the lives of this needy family in Acuna, Mexico. Come and build with us the week of March 14-17, 2011! The deadline to sign up is Friday February 11, 2011. For more information: e-mail: rsanders@casasporcristo.org Phone Number: 800-809-9014

Freezing in Juarez

What started as a thought became a movement.  What we have witnessed happen over the past two days has become an act of God's love springing into action.   We've watched people across the border and the US come together to help those freezing in a time of need.  We got hit like the rest of the country this week with a snow storm and cold front like nothing this border ever sees.  A combination of below zero wind chill temperatures and thousands of families living in poverty in shacks and pallet houses is not only a situation that is heartbreaking, it has the potential to be deadly.

We started with a prayer while searching for answers on how to respond to the 8 degree night that was about to hit the border.  We sent out a call to action and asked for help with donations to buy provisions for families in need.  In 2 hours over $2000 poured in and we witnessed God moving.  We split up across El Paso buying socks, blankets, jackets, scarves and hats.  The snow and cold came in over night and pounded the border and we woke up to snowy and icy roads and a city on lock down.  Our hearts broke as we began to think that due to the road conditions, all of the supplies purchased would remain sitting in our office while families froze.  We decided to take on the icy roads and as a team we crossed the border to take these families the help that they needed.  We split up across two different parts of Juarez and with the assistance of the local pastors, we set out with these provisions to give to the families in need and let them know that they are loved not forgotten.

What we witnessed across the border was devastating. We saw families huddled in their pallet and cardboard homes under blankets trying to stay warm.  People were outfitted in sweatshirts and clothing inadequate for the bone chilling temperatures upon us. With windburned faces it became impossible to tell if their eyes were filled with tears or watering from the cold and wind.  The temperature dropped lower last night than we expected.  It plummeted to 1 degree rather than 8 and the wind chill was -15.  We know that these nights have been terrible for so many but we pray that these provisions made a difference.  

Through this we have seen God move and our own faith has been strengthened.  We are grateful to be surrounded by people who can't stand to sit still and do nothing while other's hurt around them.  In the past two days we have witnessed a community of churches, supporters, friends and family from across the country rise up and do more than just stand by and watch.  You were right there with us giving out these blankets which became a tangible expression of God's love. Your donations allowed us to be the hands and feet of Christ when the need was greatest. Thank you for bringing hope to the weary and hurting and extending God's grace and love to a community in desperate need.  Thank you for praying for families across the border as the winter stretches on and their needs continue to grow.  Thank you for partnering with us and making all of this possible.  It's amazing to see what happens when the body of Christ comes together to help those in need.

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."  James 4:17

Check out the pictures The Mexico Freeze and video below to see a little bit of what we experienced across the border this week.

Record Cold Day in El Paso & Juarez from Casas por Cristo on Vimeo.