Dear Church Family,
We are quickly approaching that wonderful time of year when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have heard many of you are excited about the worship opportunities being held at the church this year and I too am looking forward to these events with anticipation.
I want to encourage all of us not to allow the true meaning of this season to get lost in the business that often comes with it. The resurrection of Jesus is, in my opinion, the most important of all Christian doctrines. Paul said, “If Christ has not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17) All other doctrines and our eternal hope rest in the fact that our Lord has risen from the dead!
In Philippians 3:10 Paul expresses his desire to, “know Him and the power of His resurrection.” The power of the resurrection assures us that Jesus is the true Messiah, for He is the only one in history to rise from the dead by His own power. The power of the resurrection assures His followers that He can fulfill His promise to us of eternal life and glorified bodies. The power of the resurrection helps us to look beyond this world and anticipate the glories of heaven; to look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
As we too long to know Him and the power of His resurrection, let’s not forget that experiencing this resurrection is not found in a program or a plan, it is found in a person, Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” One of the Greek words used in the New Testament to express the life Jesus promises is zōopoieō which means “to cause to live; by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate; to give increase of life; or of seeds quickened into life, i.e. germinating, springing up, growing.” May we all experience this in our Christian life!
One last thing. Resurrection implies death. You have to die to be resurrected. That is why Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) Jesus also said; “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24) May we all die to our agendas, our pride, our will, to the useless things of this world and follow the risen Christ into the abundant life He has for all of us.
