| Ask anybody: "Who are the great men in
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| | through the pity of a friend. Twenty
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| human history?" Likely you will hear
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| | centuries have come and gone, and today
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| names such as Alexander the Great, Julius
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| | He is the central figure of the human
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| Caesar, Napoleon, George Washington,
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| | race. All the armies that ever marched,
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| Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John
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| | all the navies that ever sailed, all the
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| F. Kennedy, or perhaps even Ronald
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| | parliaments that ever sat, all the kings
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| Reagan. What do these men have in common?
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| | that ever reigned, put together, have not
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| What made them great? They were
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| | affected the life of man on this earth,
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| successful because they were powerful,
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| | as much as that one solitary life." How
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| and with this power they changed the
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| | different is Jesus compared to the great
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| course of history by their heroic
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| | world leaders. Alexander the Great and
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| actions, or by ruling countries or even
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| | Napoleon were fabled warriors - Jesus
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| whole continents. How different these
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| | never held a sword or led an army. George
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| "great men" are when compared to the
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| | Washington liberated his people from
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| person of Jesus of Nazareth! Jesus had
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| | foreign occupation - Jesus never raised
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| little of what made these great men of
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| | even His voice against the Roman
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| history great: certainly no political
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| | occupiers of His country. Abraham
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| clout, no military machine, no war chest.
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| | Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F.
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| Most of us know the basic facts about
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| | Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan were all
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| Jesus' life and ministry, but still, read
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| | elected to head powerful governments -
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| the following summary of the powerful
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| | Jesus never ran for office. He never
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| impact of His message, His death and His
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| | marshaled the power of government to
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| resurrection: "Jesus was born in an
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| | enforce social changes. Most renowned
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| obscure village, the child of a peasant
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| | leaders have been wealthy- Jesus owned
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| woman. He grew up in another village
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| | little and lived with the poor. And
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| where He worked in a carpenter shop until
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| | lastly, all great world leaders were
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| He was thirty. For three years He was a
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| | famous during their lifetime, but are
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| traveling preacher. He never wrote a
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| | dead now - Jesus died as a criminal and
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| book. He never held an office. He
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| | was executed by crucifixion, but His
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| fathered no family; he owned no home. He
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| | death was the birth of Christianity.
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| didn't go to college. He never visited a
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| | Jesus of Nazareth is by far the greatest
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| big city. He never traveled more than two
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| | person in history. He did not pursue the
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| hundred miles from the place where He was
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| | agendas which made others great, still He
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| born. He did none of the things that
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| | towers above them all. He turned the
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| usually accompany greatness. He had no
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| | world upside down as no one had done
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| credentials but himself. He was only
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| | before or has done after Him. Now
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| thirty-three when the tide of public
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| | one-third of the world population calls
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| opinion turned against Him. His friends
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| | themselves His followers, Christians, and
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| ran away. One of them denied Him. He was
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| | even those who do not follow Him still
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| turned over to His enemies and went
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| | experience the impact He had, has had,
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| through the mockery of a trial. He was
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| | and will have on the world. This
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| nailed to a cross between two thieves.
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| | observation alone sets Him aside from all
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| While He was dying, His executioners
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| | others.
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| gambled for His garments, the only
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| | Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned
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| property He had on earth. When He was
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| | Christian by studying the foundations for
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| dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave
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| | Christianity.
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