Fat Chance

Many have sought to silence the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Throughout history, from the religious leaders to Roman emperors, many have tried to keep the disciples of Jesus Christ quiet.  .  There are many reasons why the gospel has enemies.  Satan wishes for men to remain blind (2 Cor 4:4) and not see the light of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Many men and women who rail against the gospel are tools of the enemy (2 Tim 2:26).  Many have made a considerable amount of money writing best-selling books that seek to discredit God and Jesus.  Finally and the most telling reason is that men and women shy away from the gospel because it is antithetical to the accepted worldview.  The gospel reminds us that we are sinner saved by grace and not the masters of our own fate.  It reminds us that we are broken and only Jesus can fix us.  I say to all who seek to silence the gospel of Jesus Christ, fat chance!


One story in particular comes to mind in the bible.  That is the story in Acts 5 when the apostles were on trial for a second time regarding preaching Jesus in the temple.  The first time (Acts 4:1-22), Peter and John were apprehended and brought to trial because of the furor over the healing of the lame beggar at the Beautiful gate.  There was so much fuss over this man that the religious leaders began to get nervous.  Therefore, they imprisoned them briefly, tried them (I know that is backward-- whatever happened to due process?) but they eventually had to let them go- only with a stern warning.




In the second instance, the entire cohort of apostles were arrested (Acts 5:17-19) but God sent an angel to free them during the night.  That angel also emboldened the apostles by giving them instructions to "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life."  How awesome is God?  Can you imagine going to prison for something that you did not do and an angel coming in and opening the doors to let you out?  God's word cannot be contained!  The bible says that God's word cannot return to Him void but will accomplish that which it was set forth to do (Is 55:11).  The book of Acts is really the chronology of the birth of the church and documents the seminal moments in Christian history.  the Gospel of Jesus Christ was going forth and men and women were being saved by the thousands!  There was nothing that could stop this.




It is interesting that in the second trial, a leader of the Pharisees, Gamaliel, stood up and asked them council to send the apostles outside.  His remarks were as follows in Acts 5:38,39 "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or undertaking is of man, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You might even be found opposing God."




Gamaliel was well respected, he had a higher pedigree that the rest of the council, he was a doctor of the Law and they listened to him.  He used two historical figures as a reference for his argument.  Theudas, a messianic imposter who led a revolt against Rome (There is some debate here.  It is possible that there are two men with this name, one who lived and revolted around 40 AD and the man who is mentioned in Acts 5).  Gamaliel also referenced Judas of Galilee who was referred to by Josephus as the "Terror or Rome".  There is much historical documentation on Judas of Galilee. 


Their movements resembled the movement of Jesus in three ways: 1. They all had followers 2. They were both martyred and 3. Their followers all dispersed after their deaths.  This is where the comparisons end!  There is one other thing said of them; both of their movements "came to nothing". 


Because of the comparison of these men we can draw a clear distinction regarding Jesus and the gospel.  The only thing that Jesus has in common with these men is that He was killed as, what the Jews considered, an enemy of the state.  We know that His death was necessary to atone for our sins but we can also look at it historically.  Because the leader of Christianity is Jesus Christ himself, there is NO chance that the gospel will ever be silenced!  Fat chance!  There are three reasons why the gospel will never be silenced- especially when compared to other movements:




1. Although the apostles were scattered after the crucifixion, it did not diminish the fire of the Christian movement.  Gamaliel made mention of the fact that once the Theudas and Judas of Galilee were killed, their followers were scattered.  This is parallel to what happened with the followers of Jesus but the disciples of Christ were scattered for a different reason.  They were scattered to increase the impact and the spread of the message of the gospel!  Jesus says in Acts 1:8 "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and even to the ends of the earth."  The scattering did not stop the movement of the gospel but it had the opposite effect...it proliferated the gospel!




2. Jesus was not an impostor "claiming to be someone".  Galamiel says in verse 36 that Theudas was "claiming to be someone".  Jesus claimed to be many things: the Way, the Truth, The Life, The Bread of Life, The Good Shepherd, the Light of the world...and HE IS ALL OF THESE THINGS!  He was validated by the Father when He was resurrected.  It validated His identity as the Messiah and it fulfilled the prophecies about Him.  His claims were not bogus, they were legitimate and those who crucified Him knew it!




3. The originator of the gospel message is the Eternal God Himself.  The gospel message cannot be snuffed out because Jesus lives by the power of an indestructible life!  He is the One who John called the Word and He was with God in the beginning.  Peter's sermon reminded the Council that they were indeed fighting against God! 




Acts 5:30-32 " The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him"




Peter says that Jesus is the One whom God raised up.  The rejected stone has become the Chief cornerstone.  He says that Jesus IS (present tense) exalted and is now at the right hand of God holding two titles: A. Prince (Greek, Archegos) which indicates that Jesus is the pioneer of a movement.  That movement is Christianity itself.  He is the chief leader of believers and we are constantly being conformed to His image.  B. Savior (Greek, Sotera) which indicates, together with Prince, that Jesus is the pioneer of Christianity, the originator of the movement that we follow and is the savior who is able to deliver us from sin!




That is why the gospel will never be silenced!  The leader of the gospel, the originator of the gospel is not a fly by night revolutionary...He is God Himself!  Jesus is the originator of what we now call Christianity.  He is the paver of what was historically called "the Way".  We follow that Way and we are His witnesses in the world.  We are the ones who are charged with making disciples, witnessing to those who do not know Jesus and carrying the gospel message everywhere that we go!  Fat chance to those who want us to be quiet.  Fat chance to those who charge a tax or evict those in Iraq who serve the living God.  Fat chance to the atheists who spend so much time trying to disprove the One who does not have to prove anything!  Fat chance to every demonic force that seeks to silence what Jesus has set in motion!  IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!  Grace and peace to you all. 

Follow Me

The Bible is God's progressive revelation of Himself to mankind.  The reason that the Bible is such an important book is because God shows His attributes, His character, His love and His wisdom throughout.  Anyone who reads the Bible understands at least two things: 1. We can never fully understand everything in it and 2. The more we read it, the more we learn about who God actually is.  One of the themes that has become apparent to me in my studies is the theme of God's redemptive purpose continually being played out in historical context. 


If we begin with Adam and Eve, they were in Eden and had complete freedom.  They also had a relationship with God that was quite amiable.  When they sinned, this relationship and the fellowship that went along with it  was fractured.  They were removed from Eden and cherubim and a flaming sword which moved in all directions was placed at the gate to guard it and to keep them from coming back (Genesis 3:24).  It is from this point that we see the redemptive interaction between God and man begin to take place.


We can see it with Abraham (Genesis 11).  He was led away from Ur and into Canaan.  The same Canaan that the next great leader, Moses would begin to lead Abraham's descendants into.  Seeing this and hearing God's promise "I will give this land to your offspring" paints a beautiful picture and creates an analogy that we can draw from.  God bringing the Israelites into Canaan is His way of saying, I will bring my people home.


When the Exodus occurred, Moses led the people and God led Moses.  God used a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day to lead His people where He would have them to go.  He was leading them out of the darkness of slavery into the light of His goodness and blessings.  Again we see God leading from a bad situation into a better situation.  We see the same thing with Joshua, who was commissioned to lead the people into the Promised Land when Moses was not allowed to because of his disobedience (See Numbers 20:12)


One thing we can see from the time in the wilderness to the time that the Israelites actually spent in Canaan, they were never satisfied.  Therefore, the need for a more permanent solution was evident.  Not only was God's solution permanent, it IS eternal.  What the first Adam seemingly ruined the Second Adam, Jesus Christ rectified.  Jesus is the permanent redemptive solution and it is His blood that reconciles sinners back to God.  Jesus promised eternal life to all who believe in Him.  If we look at this promise through the lens of history, we see that Jesus is the bridge back to Eden.  He is the one who can quench the flaming sword and give us entrance into the paradise that God intended for us from the beginning.  In John 14:3, Jesus says "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  Jesus also says in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."  Jesus is our Redeemer, Deliverer and the Prince (Author) of Life!


Can you see the parallel?  Can you see Jesus as the "Prince" or leader who is guiding his followers through this dark world back to the place where God initially intended for us to be?  The redemption and reconciliation came through His blood and we are now able to enter paradise!  Jesus is saying to those who are still longing for Egypt, FOLLOW ME!  If you are reading this and you are not saved, Jesus Christ wants to lead you out of darkness.  He wants to save your soul.  All He asks is that we follow Him. 

A World Apart

You have heard the song…Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red or yellow, black or white, they’re all precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world!  It’s funny how sometimes, we don’t realize that he still loves them even when they are grown!  We live on a small planet; we live in proximity with our neighbors and yet we are often times worlds apart from one another.  We have built in prejudices; pre-conceived notions about one group or another; stereotypes about how certain folks are supposed to act; preferences for folks of a different race, educational background, socioeconomic status—yet, this is not the way that God intends for it to be! 

The bible says in psalm 24:1 that the earth is the lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell in it!  That means that every single human being on the face of the planet belongs to God who created us all!  In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as race, color, denomination, or social cliques—no, God views us as his creation.

In Acts 10, Luke describes two men who could not be more different: Cornelius, a Roman soldier and Peter, the apostle/disciple of Jesus Christ.  They are a world apart but one day, their worlds collided.  Their meeting was unavoidable because God had work to do!  God had a message to spread- he wanted the whole world to know that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation!

Cornelius

Cornelius was a good man by all accounts.  The beginning of the chapter notes that he was a soldier in the Italian regiment, stationed at Caesarea.  He was a man who feared God!  Imagine that, being a soldier trained to kill, working around godless men, here is one lone bright light who feared God and was compassionate.  Cornelius was what the ancients called a “God-fearer” – he was not Jewish but he accepted the Jewish customs, he accepted monotheism (one God) and he gave charity to the poor.

He was a good father also because the bible says that he feared God with his whole household!  Every father in America needs to read about this man.  He was a rough and tumble guy who still loved God!  He was a man who made sure that his children knew who God was!  There is nothing more powerful in a family than for a man (a daddy) to stand up and say, for God I live and for God I will die! There is nothing more important to a family than for a man to be a man of God and not simply a TV dad. 

A man is supposed to be the priest of his home; he is supposed to have those spiritual talks with his children; he is supposed to bring them up in the fear of the lord and that is what Cornelius did.  Cornelius, as great of a man as he was, lacked something.  There was an element of his life that was missing.  Although he loved God, he prayed to God continually but he could not get to God because he did not know Jesus!  

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the father but by me!  There is no other pathway to experience a true relationship with God except through Jesus Christ!  There is one God, and one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus!

So, God, in his infinite wisdom put this man on a collision course with someone from a totally different world than his.  He put Cornelius on a path to meet a man who, unless God had intervened, probably would have viewed Cornelius with contempt!  He set him up to meet with the apostle Peter (Acts 10:3-7).  There could be an implication here that we are saved by our works considering that the angel references Simon’s deeds coning before God as a memorial.  This is not saying that we are saved by works but that his works did not go unrecognized by God—and this man was a Roman.  How much more will our good works stand out before God as Christians!  Galatians 6:9 says that we should not get weary in well doing for in due season we will reap if we faint not!

Peter

We know Peter as the hotheaded disciple who was always putting his foot into his mouth.  He was a staunch Jew.  Peter was the disciple that denied Jesus 3 times.    He was a tough guy.  He was also tested!  Luke 22:31 Jesus said to Peter that Satan has asked permission to sift you as wheat…but I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail!  (Anyone know) that sometimes you will have to be tested to prepare you for God’s work?!  We will face trials and obstacles that will bring us into a state of submission and humility before God. 

Because of Jesus, Peter was a changed man.  He was a more humble man and he was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit.  He healed the beggar at the beautiful gate.  He had just healed a paralyzed man in Lydda.  He had been to prison for the name of Jesus.  He was so full of the spirit of God that his shadow could heal the sick!

Peter shows God’s grace!  Here is a man who had messed up about as much as you could mess up and yet God still used him.  Don’t you think that God can do the same thing for us?!  Our mess ups are opportunities for God to teach us more about himself!   

The Vision and God’s Master Plan

So Peter is in Joppa.  He is holding the piece to the puzzle that is missing for Cornelius.  While he was in Joppa and while the servants and the soldier who were sent by Cornelius were on their way, God blew Peter’s mind.  At noon, Peter goes up on the rooftop to pray.  During his prayer, Peter falls into a trance while he was waiting on his food [Verse 11-14].  This vision was God saying that he was getting ready to bring folks who were worlds apart together under Jesus Christ.  Peter had been raised in a strict Jewish background and viewed foreigners with contempt.  He did not consider the Gentiles worthy of his time.   Obviously Peter struggled with this after this encounter because he and Paul engaged in a debate regarding showing partiality to Gentiles [see Galatians  2:14].

There is only one way to bring men and women together with a singular heart and mind and that is if we have the mind of Christ.  Ephesians 2:14 says that Jesus broke down the dividing wall that separated Jews and gentiles; he made the two into one man!  He is the source of all reconciliation!  Jesus is a bridge.  He is the bridge between God and man.  He is the bridge between man and fellow man and he is a bridge over troubled waters!  Jesus is the way that we can come together and reconcile any differences that we may have.  

We can argue and we can debate but if we agree that Jesus Christ is lord, if we agree that there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved, if we agree that Jesus died for your sins and my sins, if we agree that he got up on the 3rd day…you are alright with me!

Peter’s vision concludes with a wonderful message [verse 11-15]… no matter what our differences are, no matter where you come from…the blood of Jesus makes us clean!  The blood of Jesus covers up all of our imperfections and makes us righteous in God’s sight and no man has a monopoly on Jesus!  No one has the market cornered on holiness.  No one can say: "Jesus only belongs to me!"

When the men that Cornelius sent got there, the Holy Spirit says to Peter, go with them without delay.  Peter invited these foreigners into his home.  He gave them lodging, they were not Jewish!  This was his first step toward accepting those who were “foreigners” to him.

The Message and the Linking of Two Worlds

By all accounts, Peter and Cornelius were from two different worlds.  They existed in the same plane of time, in the same vicinity but were in two separate spheres.  God moved and God brought these two together.  Peter and Cornelius were both missing pieces to their spiritual lives!  Cornelius was missing Jesus [Acts 10:33]!  Peter  was missing the fact that God was impartial and did not regard any man (regardless of background) as more worthy that the other and that God was extending his grace to include the Gentiles! [Acts 10:28; 10:34]

Do you see how God put this together?  Do you see how God’s hand ordered these two men to this appointed time?  Do you see the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit all over this situation?  Don’t you know that God is still in the business of ordering our steps!  Psalm 37:23 says “the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord.”  God is still bringing folks from different worlds together through the blood of Jesus Christ and under the cross of Jesus Christ!  When we stand under the cross of Jesus Christ, we stand in the shadow of the cross – it is hard to see differences in the shadow all we know is that there is someone standing next to us who is just as much in need of Jesus as we are!

The Message [verse 34-43]

1. God does not show partiality to any man but welcomes every man who fears him and does what is right!

2. We are welcomed through Jesus Christ who is our peace with God!  Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus Christ made peace with God for us through his blood!  1 john 2:2 says that Jesus is the propitiation- he is the one who appeased God on our behalf because we could not do it in our own righteousness.

3. Jesus Christ was anointed of God to do good and heal the oppressed!

4. Jesus Christ was put to death on a cross!  While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

5. Jesus Christ got up from the dead and showed himself to witnesses who could later proclaim the message of the gospel and the resurrection!

6. Jesus Christ was appointed as the judge of the living and the dead!  One day the clouds are going to part, Jesus Christ will sit in judgment of those who are alive when he comes and those who have died.  Some will be glad to see Him; others will not be because as the Judge, Jesus will decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be in the number where he says “well done good and faithful servant, you’ve been faithful over a few things now I will make you ruler over many!”

7. The prophets bore witness to him that he is the one whom God sent to save those who believe in his name from sin!  Here is the most powerful part of this message!  Jesus is the only one who can grant forgiveness of sins!  When Jesus forgives you, you are forgiven forever!  There is no condemnation!  Jesus is able to forgive because he paid for our sins at Calvary!  He did for us what we were unable to do for ourselves!  Here is what salvation means, that Jesus Christ paid our debt for sin, forgives us of our sins, and has now made peace with God through his shed blood!  All who accept his payment no longer have the penalty of sin hanging over their heads!

To show Peter that this was legitimate, that salvation had indeed come to the Gentiles, the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and all of those who were listening to the message!

The messages within this text are numerous.  There is someone in your vicinity who God is preparing to meet you and preparing you to meet- there is nothing that you can do to get ready for this meeting, but when it happens, be obedient to the unctioning of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot afford to be hung up on prejudices and stereotypes- nothing that God has made clean can be called unclean!  It is Jesus who is able to break down the barriers of race, denomination, personal prejudice or any other obstacle and bring men and women together for the glory of God!  

THE Leading Man

Colossians is a beautiful epistle penned by the apostle Paul.  His writings have shaped my life, my theology and my thinking since I began my journey with Christ.  Sitting and contemplating Jesus and how great He is, I had a thought and I will share it here.  I want to let you know that in Jesus, there is no deficiency.  Jesus is the First and the Last and it is Jesus who we look to for our sustenance.  Christ fulfilled a dual role in coming to this planet and becoming flesh (John 1:14).  I will discuss both roles here.  I thank God that in His infinite wisdom He gave us what we needed in Jesus.

Firstly, Jesus fulfilled the role of a forerunner.  Hebrews 6 describes Jesus as our forerunner in that He went before us behind the veil and paved the way for Christians to follow Him. Now, we cannot follow as flesh and blood but Jesus has opened the curtain to the Holy of Holies and given us access, that is the hope that we have as believers when we leave this place.  I want to focus on Jesus, in this instant, as the forerunner and example for humanity, as we live in the flesh.  Hebrews 12 calls Jesus the author and finisher of the faith.  He is the supreme example of how a human being should live life, submitted to God. 

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."  Jesus Christ is the firstborn over all creation.  In His humanity, he explained God to man (John 1:18).  He gave man a snapshot of the nature and character of God.  He also became the supreme human example!  'Firstborn of all creation' has nothing to do with the time Jesus' birth but has everything to do with His status among the human race.  Many have misconstrued this scripture to infer that Jesus was created.  He is eternal and therefore cannot be a created being like us.  But "firstborn" (Greek, prototokos) has to do with His preeminence.  Jesus Christ is preeminent among humans because He lived as one of us and was without sin.  He was sent here by God to replace Adam, hence He is known as the "second Adam" (Romans 5).  The reason He came in flesh was to give to God the Father the perfection that was desired from the beginning when mankind was created; the perfection that sin destroyed.  By fulfilling this, Jesus is the prototype of what a human being should be and therefore, the example that all humanity should pattern their lives after.  How awesome is God?

Paul also states it this way: Romans 8:29 "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren"
So the human race, as brothers and sisters of Jesus (in his humanity) and subjects of Jesus (in His deity) have Christ to pattern ourselves after and God to thank for giving us such a Great High Priest!

Not only was Jesus the greatest example of humanity while He lived in the flesh, He also set a precedent that every believer can have confidence in.  As a side note, the humanity of Jesus was totally necessary so that He could actually die.  He needed a body so that it could be killed and the substitutionary atonement be completed.  Jesus Christ had to taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:14)  in order that we might have our sins forgiven.  His death necessitated His resurrection.  Colossians  1:18 "He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything."  Jesus Christ, because He was resurrected gives believers the hope that we too will be resurrected after we die.  That hope is an "anchor for the soul" (Hebrews 6:19) that we cling to knowing that this is not our final resting place.  Christ defeating death came after three other people had been resuscitated.  The three examples are Lazarus (John 11), the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7) and Jairus' daughter (Luke 8).  I cannot say that they were resurrected because they all died again but each of these examples preceded Christ in death and coming back from the dead. 

How is Jesus firstborn from the dead if three people beat him to returning from the dead?  Again, we must examine the meaning of the word firstborn.  It means preeminence or of first importance and does not have any chronological implications.  So, of all who were raised, Jesus is the leader because His resurrection means that the sting of death no longer exists.  None of the others could make this claim.  Because Jesus got up, we too will get up.  We too will be resurrected provided that we are saved! 

So Jesus Christ is the leading man.  Not Denzel or DeNiro or Pacino but Jesus.  There is none that I would rather have as my leader than Jesus.  He is just, He is right and He is good.  He is all powerful and God made it so that Jesus might "have first place in everything."  There is no race that He has not won, that is no battle that has ever gotten the best of Him, there is no sickness that He cannot heal and there is no person that he cannot save.  Thank God for giving us a human example Who existed in time and a spiritual example Who exists in eternity.  Thank God for Jesus!  God's peace be upon you.

One Way Ticket

Thinking about this world and what we deem important, it is always funny to me how we seem to forget that this is not our final stop.  The bible says that we are pilgrims here, sojourners who should be looking for a better home (Hebrews 11).  When we are born into this world, we receive a one way ticket from here to eternity.  Sure, it is nice to have nice things and to accumulate savings and 401K's but we cannot take any of that with us. 


Hebrews 9:27-28 "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."


The scripture says that we are all destined to die and after that, we face the judgment.  Those of us who are in Christ will face a judgment, not to determine if we go to heaven or hell, but to determine what gifts we will receive on the other side. 


1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."


Every Christian's work will be tested by fire.   We are not saved by works but we should bear fruit that shows that we walk with Christ.  Our works should glorify God.  With the one way ticket that we have received, let us do all that we can to lift up the name of Jesus.  William Barclay in his commentary on Hebrews says "from the beginning, Christianity was a religion of judgment.  No Christian was ever allowed to forget that in the end, he/she must face God, and that what God thought of him/her was infinitely more important that what men thought of him/her."


For the unbeliever, they too have a one way ticket.  They too have to face a judgment.  They too are only sojourners.  Once when I was a college student, my roommate and I were discussing the afterlife.  He said that he believes once we die we turn into energy.  At that time, spiritually, I was nowhere near where I am now but I was not buying that.  There is not a transition to energy, as blissful as that sounds.  There is only a judgment of fire waiting:


Hebrews 10:26, 27 "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES."


We are born into this world with a one-way ticket to eternity.  Where we spend in eternity depends on the decision that we make here to either follow Christ or remain in our sins.  Jesus has paid for our sins but it is up to us to accept that payment.  That decision has eternal consequences.  Is your ticket stamped in the blood of the Lamb?