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No day is more precious to Christians than Easter is! I say that in all honesty, and with a sense of knowledge from the Lord. The reason is primarily this: No other day in the history of this planet has meant/does mean so much, as the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah-Christ, from the Tomb. Calvary is important, but without the Resurrection, it’s rather non-powerful.
Yet, they are inextricably linked together! Yes, Jesus would have died for our sins, but without the proof that He is God the Son, and that God the Father accepts His sacrifice, people would be more disbelieving than they are. They would have been then, and would be now. After all, there were other “mystery” religions, like the worship of Mythras, which included the bull-god shedding his blood for his people.
These are not the “rites of spring”, which were celebrated with rabbits and fertility celebrations, including harvest and sexual celebrations. This is about the PROOF of the “good news” of Jesus Christ. By rising from the dead, He absolutely proved that everything He said, every miracle He did, every prayer He prayed, was an indicator of the will of His Father. (Search scripture if you want the references for this statement. There is more than one.) His resurrection said death was powerless over those who were God’s children, related to Him by faith; having been adopted into the Family of God… grafted into the “root stock of Israel”, justified by the Father, by the sacrifice of His Son.
The Church has to become “Easter People”.. Resurrection people.. people without fear of the grave, people without fear of the “enemies of the Cross of Christ”.. without fear of what other people will say. If we understand the Resurrection is PROOF, what do we care about supposition, theory, or opinion? Those things will be dead and dust, and gone, and believers will live with Christ in Eternity, still praising Him (“He IS Risen!)
In other words, we will outlive and overcome them. Paul said “the last enemy to be destroyed is death”. Now all we have to do is become who we really are: Disciples of Christ, Learners from Jesus, , and practitioners of His Way. YUM! That’s a great Easter cookie! Whaddayathink?
Tags: Christ-first
Oh, No! Another Stewardship Talk!
When pastors or finance committee chairmen talk about stewardship, people in churches, and people outside the church, have a similar reaction. “The church just wants our money, so they can spend it on something we don’t need.” In the Old Testament, giving was regulated by the Mosaic Law, for God’s people, by a system of tithes and offerings. In Christian giving, based on love, and the desire to be obedient to God, we realize we should meet or surpass, the Old Testament standard.
The big question is “how much should I be giving”? (You also hear “do I tithe on the net or the gross of my income”? “How much can I keep for myself”?) Listen to these 5 “ifs” that you and I need to consider:
God grants His richest blessings to His children, only when they walk in obedience to His will. I have learned that faithful obedience in stewardship is an important part of God’s plan for my life. We all are flawed and imperfect before a Holy God; sometimes because we fail to understand, and other times because we know and understand, yet fail to obey. May I suggest you do as Malachi writes in Malachi 3:7-10. Listen to what the Lord says… “return to Me, and I will return to you”… and “try/test Me now in this”. When you do that, the Lord promises an abundant and overflowing blessing. On your life, and by extension… on your church. Whaddayathink???
Tags: Christ-like, stewardship