Resurrection!

Once a year many Christians all over the world pause in order to commemorate Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The early Christians also celebrated during this time calling their festival Pascha (from the Hebrew Passover). The Passover was a reminder of God’s liberation of His people from bondage to freedom through a series of miraculous events (plagues) that showed His absolute power over any of the idol gods that humans can devise. The final act was memorialized by the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, painting its life-blood on the doorframes of their houses, and feasting on the meat while eating bitter herbs and unleavened bread. That night, the angel of death saw the blood and “passed over” that house sparing all inside.

The prophetic lesson of this ritual meal was fulfilled in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross: He was our Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19), His blood is applied to our hearts at baptism (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27), now when the death angel appears he will “pass over” those who belong to Him (Rev. 7:1-3) and they will live with Him forever. Jesus fulfilled all of this imagery perfectly by willingly going to the cross and paying our debt of sin, and (the most important part of the event) raising from the dead three days later as prophesied and as He promised.

So all throughout the church age, resurrection has been the central element of the faith. In fact, without resurrection Christianity has no meaning, no basis, no significance (1 Corinthians 15:12-18). God’s work of redemption is founded upon Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It was the means by which God proved His victory over sin. And our hope of resurrection to new life, eternal life with God, is now guaranteed to all of those who through baptism have died to sin, been buried with Christ and raised to new life. As Paul says, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Resurrection for those clothed with Christ, then, is a certainty (Romans 6:5; 8:11).

In our fellowship, the resurrection of Christ is so fundamental to our faith, thinking, behavior, and practice that each week we commemorate this great event by eating the Lord’s Supper together. Jesus established this meal on the night He was betrayed to be a constant reminder and proclamation of His sacrifice and resurrection. We partake of it in order to identify with His life of holiness (what the bread symbolizes) and with His total commitment to God’s will (what the wine represents). And we eat it together to proclaim our unity in His body, the church. This is also the basis for the Great Commission that Jesus assigned for His disciples to engage in: He wants to provide resurrection to as many souls as He possibly can.

So in this season of resurrection, consider these few things;

1. Are you prepared to experience the ultimate blessed event (Php. 3:10)? If not, put on Christ now in baptism so you can be guaranteed of resurrection to new life (Eph. 1:13-14).

2. Are you walking in the light with God’s Spirit (1 John 1:7-8)? If not, rid yourself of sin and its damaging effects and know God’s love and peace for all eternity.

3. Are you maturing your faith (2 Pet. 1:5-9)? If not, get back in touch with your Father who is longing to welcome you home where you really belong.

4. Are you a beacon of light for those seeking a return to the Father (Matt. 5:14-16)? If not, consider those around you and their need to know and practice the truth.

Doug

Humble and Consistent Service

             God’s specially chosen corps of spokesmen (the prophets) were an amazing breed of people.  They came from all walks of life (upper-class, lower-class, royalty, priests, farmers, nomads); common, ordinary folk.  Some wrote inspired Scripture, some didn’t.  Some were honored for their work, some severely persecuted.  Some bore famous names and some remain unnamed.  Yet all of them were empowered by God’s Spirit to proclaim His word and are remembered because of their willingness to do God’s bidding regardless of the cost (physically, financially, reputation, etc.).

            Two that seem to stand out the most are Elijah and Elisha.  These two are amazing for completely different reasons.  While neither wrote anything inspired in Scripture, what is told about their ministries inspires God’s people and causes even the modern reader to notice God’s work among them.  Elijah is best known by his strange lifestyle and fiery personality; Elisha by his humble and consistent service to both friend and enemy alike.  They are a great study in contrasts.  It’s most unusual when you consider that they were co-workers laboring for God’s cause side-by-side.

            One can easily see how these two prophets, with all their different personalities and styles of ministry, foreshadowed many great missionary teams in the Bible (John the Baptist and Jesus, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy).  They were so opposite in many ways, but were perfectly matched by their faith in God and their willingness to bring Him the glory instead of seeking fame or honor for themselves.  Elijah and Elisha are a great example of unity.

            We can follow their example today during this last dispensation.  As Paul makes plain, the church is made up of a wide variety of personalities, opinions, viewpoints, gifts and abilities.  We can (and are expected to) work together in unity in order to build the body of Christ and keep it growing spiritually until Jesus comes again.  The only way this mission will be accomplished though is if each one of us is dedicated to providing humble and consistent service for Christ. 

            Reflect daily on your commitment to Christ:

            1. Ensure that it is focused on showing the meaning of humble and consistent service. 

            2. Be sure that your good deeds are done to help supply the needs of others and to bring God glory. 

            3. Understand your purpose in the kingdom and the work God has equipped you for. 

Doug

Ready At All Times

            Being a student of history, I’m always impressed how the great leaders of the past showed up just at the right time and were so perfectly fitted to the part they would play.  Is it possible the Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, George Washington, Albert Einstein, U.S. Grant and others were specifically placed into their respective time periods just so that they would be able to deliver when the world needed them most?  Or is it possible that God empowered seemingly ordinary men to rise up the challenge of the hour and be willing to expend themselves at a moment’s notice?  A study of Scripture seems to say the latter is the real case.

            Joseph was in Egypt ready to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and save many lives from a severe famine (Gen. 41).  Moses was ready for the position to intercede for the Israelites – though he didn’t think he was (Exod. 3; Heb. 11).  Gideon’s faith empowered him and a handful of courageous fighters to stand by and watch a vast enemy army kill themselves (Judges 6, 7, 8). God heard blind Samson’s prayer and strengthened him one last time to work against a godless foe. Samuel was filled with God’s Spirit from a young age and served faithfully all of his life. Isaiah volunteered to be God’s spokesman when called (Isa. 6).  Philip willingly baptized an Ethiopian Eunuch as he was traveling along the road (Acts 8).  Ananias agreed to help Saul of Tarsus complete his conversion to Christ (Acts 9).  And Paul later taught and baptized his captor, jailer and his family though he was unjustly imprisoned (Acts 16).

            These were just ordinary folk.  The honor we afford to them came after their time of selfless service; after they overcame their fear of what the future would bring; after laying it all on the line and trusting God with the outcome.  What they teach us today is that God is ready and able to do the same for us if we, like them, are willing to put our faith in the only One that could turn them into heroes.  The Holy Spirit has a long track record of perfectly fitting and enabling ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

            Simon Peter, a simple fisherman turned outstanding apostle of Christ, encourages those filled with God’s Spirit to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.  It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:15-17).  And who would know better how to encourage others to be empowered with God’s Spirit at all times and to stand firm in your faith than the one who denied Christ, but then determined never to make that same mistake again? 

            God promises to enable, empower, and to prepare us to succeed and be victorious through any challenge that comes our way (Rom. 8:18, 28); and He has never failed on a promise.

            So, will your faith in God allow you to complain, or to sing (Acts 16:25)?

            When things go wrong, do you know who to call on for help?

            Are you ready to serve Him faithfully should He call for you – at this very moment?

            Trust Him to take control of your life; He has a perfect track record on making ordinary people extra-ordinarily great.

Doug

The Great Escape

            One of my favorite movies made in the 60s is called The Great Escape.  It was based on a true story of WWII prisoners of war that planned and executed a brilliant and daring escape.  What intrigued me most about this story was the way the men worked together and patiently did their own personal part in order to accomplish their plan. And most of them did it for the benefit of others; many were not able physically to participate.

            The Bible also tells of a great escape.  It is probably the greatest breakout attempt of all human history.  Commonly known as the Exodus, the Israelites escaped from Egypt (the most powerful nation in the world) in a very daring way. 

            What a grand sight it must have been to see that mass of people walking away from 400+ years of slavery!  How excited they must have been to finally be free.  What a tremendous victory their God had just provided for them at the hands of the greatest nation on earth.  Through His Spirit, God proved beyond any doubt who the greatest force in the universe really was.

            But it wasn’t long until the people lost patience (and faith) and fear took over:

               Trapped between the Sea and Pharaoh's army!  Now how were they to escape?                  Thirsty in a barren land! Did God forget to have them bring water?

               No food! Hungry people get mean don’t they?

               The mountain is on fire! What’s become of our leader?

               Those people are BIG! We’re not strong enough to face them!

            Yet God, through His Spirit, delivered them from all of their problems:

               Crossing the Sea on dry ground!

               Water from a rock!

               What’s Manna? And all I have to do is pick it up off the ground?

               Moses shows up and we need God to forgive us!

               Forty years of wandering, yet God routed our enemies before us!

            The Exodus event was a foreshadowing of the next Great Escape: the liberation of souls from their bondage to sin. Jesus began the opening salvos of this epic battle by His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection three days later. And God’s Spirit is leading, and guiding the souls that have been redeemed by His blood to finish their quest with ultimate victory.

            So how do you think this great escape will turn out?  How many do you think are going to make it to the next Promised Land (Heaven)? Sadly, we’re told that only a few will follow the Spirit to the end. Most will lose faith and be too discouraged to continue on.  Don’t let that happen to you: don’t die in this earthly wilderness.

            The God who orchestrated the first Great Escape is also orchestrating the next and ultimate one. His Spirit has provided the sacrifice and power of resurrection from death in Jesus, and promises to do the same for you (Romans 8:12). There’s no need to guess, and wonder, and fret, and worry. God guarantees that you have been justified freely by Jesus’ blood (Romans 3:24) through your baptism into Him (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27), that you have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and that His Spirit is within you to guide you to the ultimate victory – eternal life with Him.

            So hold on. Persevere. Take courage and fear not. Follow the Spirit and be assured of a blessed life both now and forever more in God’s holy and loving presence.

Doug