The message of Joshua Hawkins

Josh's life message and the goal of this website is embodied by Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 2:2 and Galatians 6:14:

Though Josh has many other biblical interests and convictions, the ministry of Joshua Hawkins and the goal of this website is to strengthen your conviction in:

• Christology and the glory of Jesus - Jesus of Nazareth is the one true God, the true and sole creator and sustainer of all, the LORD made flesh. He is also the promised Messiah who will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem as king and restore creation to its original glory. He alone is supremely beautiful and is deserving of all of our affection, adoration, allegiance, and attention. His life as seen in the Gospels is the main entry point we have into knowing Him deeply.
• The cross of Jesus - The death of the Son of God on a rugged crossbeam must be only the boast of every believer. On Christ's cross, He redeemed us to God by His own blood and put His Father's love on open display. The cross is also the instrument He has ordained for us so that we may be conformed to His likeness. The righteousness found in the cross of Christ will be the only boast of every believer on the day He comes to judge.
• The theology of suffering before glory - The cross of Christ is our invitation to imitation. Just as Christ suffered, so will His body, the church, suffer before entering into the glory of the age to come in the kingdom, resurrection, and restoration of all creation to its original perfection. This suffering is for a witness of God's patience and plea for repentance towards His wayward people Israel and to all of sinful humanity.
• The Day of the LORD - The Biblical prophets and New Testament apostles continually testified to a coming day that the LORD would vindicate His great name in the sight of all of the nations and rid the earth of unrighteousness once and for all. God will do this by putting Jesus on display in the nations and forcing every heart to reckon with His true identity. This future day, known as the Day of the LORD, will be dividing line of human history as it was in the days of Noah. Until that day, the Lord is restraining from judgment in hopes that men would repent and turn to Him.
• The kingdom of God - God promised that He would establish a geopolitical kingdom that would crush all of the other kingdoms, and that God's king would rule every nation on the earth from the city of Jerusalem. Jesus of Nazareth has been shown to be the that king from David's line by the resurrection from the dead and the LORD Himself by His ascension to God's right hand. He will return and rule the earth in righteousness. This wholly future kingdom is the sure hope of all those who put their faith in Jesus.
• The resurrection of the body - The certain hope of every believer is that death would be overturned, we would be raised out of our graves, and we would live forever on this earth with our Creator. Jesus, the firstfruits of the resurrection, gave us His Holy Spirit as a down payment of that Day. The move of the Holy Spirit in power as seen through signs, wonders, and miracles testifies to that coming Day.
• The biblical worldview - As athletes must understand the rules, players, playing field, and strategy of the game they are playing, so must the church rightly understand the heavens and the earth, the sovereign rulership of God over His creation, and the role of the church in proclamation and witness to the wicked until the Day of the LORD. Understanding the biblical worldview rightly keeps us from discouragement and disillusionment, sets our hope fully on the return of Jesus, and empowers us to live as sojourners and pilgrims awaiting the Day of the LORD.
• The ministry of worship and prayer - One of humanity's primary created purposes is to minister to God in worship and prayer. Though we have fallen from that purpose and served ourselves, the Lord is raising up expressions of worship and prayer all over the earth as a sign to the Day when Jesus is worshipped and seen as preeminent in all things.