What Will You Do with Jesus?

It's hard to believe, but we're about to celebrate Easter. I think Christmas will be here again before we know it! I remember growing up and dying eggs and anticipating all the chocolate that awaited me in my Easter basket so very early on that Sunday morning. Like everything else in our society, Easter has become a multibillion dollar business. But is it just bunnies and candy, or something more?

According the New Testament, which we've seen is historically reliable, Jesus claimed to be God and He proved to be God through miracles, and especially through the resurrection. Peter says in his first sermon in Acts 2:33, 36, "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact …Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Then Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:13-15, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead." It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Christianity hinges on the resurrection. No Easter equals no Christianity!

We can’t repeat the resurrection in a lab, or look through a telescope and observe it. It’s a matter of history. It’s an historical investigation. It should be no surprise that people deny the resurrection today. Some people even deny that the holocaust happened! So do we just take the resurrection on some type of "blind" faith or do we have good reason to believe the disciples were not deceived? We've seen that God exists, and therefore miracles are possible. And as I said earlier, we've seen that the New Testament is historically reliable. With that in mind, I believe we have very good reasons to believe in Jesus' resurrection. In fact, I think everyone should believe in Jesus' resurrection because of five historical F-A-C-T-S. Even most critical scholars will grant these historical facts as true.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:3-8, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." He wrote this in about AD 55, about 25 years or so after the crucifixion. Most of the above passage is probably a creed of the early church that was memorized and passed on to others. We can trace this creed back to about 3-8 years after the cross. Notice what Paul emphasizes. He says that Christ died, He was buried, He was risen, and then He appeared to more than 500 eyewitnesses. So lets briefly examine these F-A-C-T-S.

F - FATAL CROSS
Jesus died by crucifixion. It's hard to have a resurrection without first having a death. Time does not permit a detailed examination of crucifixion, but we can be certain that Jesus was indeed dead upon removal from the cross. He did not later somehow recover and leave the tomb as beaten and bloodied figure in order to deceive the disciples of his resurrection. Dr. William D. Edwards wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted…The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.”

A - A BORROWED TOMB
Jesus was probably buried in a borrowed private tomb that was later found empty (agreed upon by 75% of scholars). The early church simply wouldn't have gotten off the ground without the empty tomb. The New Testament says that women were the first to discover the empty tomb. As you probably know, in those days, a woman's testimony was not considered trust worthy. Sorry ladies, don't shoot the messenger. If the disciples were making up this story, why would they include such an embarrassing detail? Matthew also reports that the Jewish leaders made up the story that the disciples stole the body. The disciples, of course, were scared and in hiding and had no means, motive, or opportunity to steal the body. Apparently the body was actually missing however. If not, the Jewish leaders could have simply paraded Jesus' dead body through the streets and ended Christianity before it even got started. Yet, here we are 2,000 years later.

C - CONVERSION OF THE DISCIPLES
As I said, the disciples were scared and in hiding after the crucifixion. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by proclaiming the resurrection. Yet, something happened to turn these fearful disciples into a band of brothers that would "turn the world upside down." They believed they had seen, spoken with, ate with, and touched the risen Jesus. And they were willing to die for that belief. Tradition holds that all but one of the disciples died for proclaiming the resurrection. Who would willing die for a lie? While it's true that people die for what they believe in all the time, the case of the disciples is different. They didn't just die for what they believed in. They died for what they knew for a fact was either true of false because they were there and were eyewitnesses.

T - TRANSFORMATION OF JAMES
Jesus' half brother James did not believe in Him. Mark 3:21 says, "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" John 7:5 says, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him." Yet, later James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, was killed for his faith in AD 62. Something major happened to James. According to Paul, he had seen the risen Jesus.

S - SAUL BACAME PAUL
As you know, Saul (Paul) was on a mission to kill the early church. Yet he goes from Saul, extreme persecutor to Paul, believer and apostle just a couple of years after the crucifixion. He wrote most of the New Testament and is our earliest source of resurrection. He says that Jesus appeared to more than 500 eyewitness. In other words, he's saying, "Hey, if you don't believe me, go check it out for yourselves." Lee Strobel says if all the listed eyewitness were allowed to give a 15 minute testimony about their Jesus encounter, it would take 129 straight hours to get through it. That's almost 5 1/2 days!

There are of course other theories out there that counter the resurrection and attempt to account for the data. However, they all fail in various respects. Again, given the fact that God exists and miracles are possible (not to mention the fulfilled prophecies that we haven't even mentioned), based on our 5 historical F-A-C-T-S, everyone should believe in Jesus' resurrection because that is the best explanation of the data.

This has tremendous implications on our lives. It means that Easter is no longer about bunnies and candy. It's about a man who claimed to be God, the second Person of the Trinity, and He proved to be God by raising Himself from the dead. That means that what He says is true, because God cannot lie. And He says He is the only way of salvation and He is calling each of us to be reconciled to Him!

I shared a short C.S. Lewis quote a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to share the whole quote to emphasize this point again. He wrote, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

So the question is, what will you do with Jesus this Easter?

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

For Today We Fight

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” Mal. 4:1-2

This passage speaks of strong judgment and healing grace. Those who forsake Him or turn from His paths of righteousness will be met with a sudden and fierce torrent of judgment. The LORD will set them ablaze in an inescapable prison of His fury, at which time their knee will bow and their tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! But it will be too late. Yet to those who have feared His name and have fought the good fight, they will experience a healing grace like no other. They will be restored to the grandeur of God’s perfect ‘Life more abundant!’ Imagine no more cancer, no more tears, no more blood clots, and no more pain. In fact to those with arthritis they will be among those who are now skipping and joyfully dancing before the Lord! They will live in a state of perpetual OVERFLOW! This day is coming and one of these paths is the destiny of all human beings on earth. The question is, are you ready to meet your Maker? On which side of the coin will your eternity lay? Will it be on the side of strong judgment, or the side of healing grace?

For those who have chosen and have decided to fight the good fight, I would like to offer this poem of encouragement to you. All too often our resolve is weakened by the constant onslaught of the world, but remember this—you are not alone! God as our LORD and Savior leads us, and we as the church stand with you, and WE CANNOT BE BEATEN! So take the words of this poem and meditate on them.

For Today We Fight

The battle rages on and yet I fight.
Though I am tired, my goal is in sight.

I dare not quit for to stop is to die.
My blood mixes with the tears that I cry.

I have decided to fight for what is right.
I will stand true, through this savage night.

Our trumpet has sounded and our banner is raised.
We press on and fight on for all of our days.

It's time to grab your sword and shield,
It's time to charge the battlefield

We may not be here to see tomorrow's light.
So grab your sword for today we fight.

There is coming a day when the fight is finished and all God’s children will live in Glory. You are somebody and God delights in loving you! So draw hope from that, take up the sword of the Spirit, join the ranks of God’s army, and together let’s charge the battlefield and OVERFLOW the Gospel to all people! WE CANNOT BE BEATEN!

Smile Always,
jason

An Over-flow of Peace

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 NIV)


This was the day that the faithful had waited for since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden – and it is the day the faithful today look back to as the beginning of hope. This is the day that our Lord arose from the grave, proclaiming for all time that He had secured victory over death. He appeared to many people, to let them see that He was alive… that the grave did not hold Him captive… that the resurrection of the dead is a reality… first to Mary Magdalene, then to the disciples in the upper room, then to others. He wanted them – and us – to have peace. It’s not worldly peace, but spiritual peace… a peace that is unaffected by our circumstances… a peace that only the reality of His resurrection can give us… a peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is always with us… a peace that comes from knowing that Jesus – unlike all the other “gods” of the world – is ALIVE!!

Today, think about the wonder of that miracle two thousand years ago. Think about what Jesus' resurrection means to you and me. Think about how incredible it must have been to see Him in His resurrected state, so glorious, so perfectly the depiction of God's love. Think about how wonderful it will be on the day you actually behold Him yourself – face to face! No matter what else is going on in your life right now, think about this... He is with you. He is risen. He is alive!

Regular or Mulch

Back in November, during the Christmas sales, I bought a new riding lawnmower. As I approached the cashier, I asked him if it was a mulching mower. He said it was not but that I could make it one for an additional $45 dollars or so. I proceeded to checkout and the mower was delivered to my home the following week. Having plenty of leaves still to get up, I proceeded to mow the yard, over and over as the leaves were spit out the side of the lawnmower into an ever growing pile of chopped leaves and grass. When I finished, there was a significant raking to do-something I had hoped to avoid by buying the lawnmower. My daughter, who was helping me with the leaf cleanup, berated me for not spending the money to buy the mulch kit. Since she often ends up mowing the grass, I guess I should not have been too surprised when I was given a mulch kit for my birthday! After installing the mulch blade and cover, it was amazing to see how much neater the yard looked as the blade chopped up the leaves into tiny pieces-not to mention that raking was no longer required.

It struck me that it is easy for the church to be like the mulching blade. Everything is confined to the four walls of the church. What takes place in the church stays there. Ministry touches the lives of the members but does not go beyond the church boundary. God wants us to be more like the regular blade. He wants us to gather together for praise, worship, fellowship and sharing and then to scatter the OVERFLOW to those we come in contact with each week. It may not be as “neat” as we share with people who are not like minded. It may not be as “neat” as we encounter criticism or are laughed at. It may not be as “neat” as we are challenged in our faith. It may not be as “neat” as we minister to people who are different than us economically or racially. It may not be as “neat” as we encounter the “least of these”. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did. He could have spent all three years of His ministry mentoring his disciples and never exposing Himself to the lepers of this world. Yet Jesus was daily encountering the physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually challenged people of His day. Can we do anything less? God calls us from our “holy huddle” to draw a lost and dying world to Christ. So what will it be for you? Regular or mulch?

Desiring to have Jesus’ heart for the world,
Paul

An Overflow of Beliefs

Last week we saw briefly that Jesus is indeed God in human flesh. So if Jesus is God, then whatever He teaches is truth and can be trusted. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God and should be believed. But a lot of people out there don’t believe the Bible or they add to and take from what the Bible says, thus making their own version of “Christianity.” So what really makes a belief a Christian belief. There are four major essential Christian beliefs that serve as our compass to navigate through a world full of false and mistaken beliefs.

The first essential is the belief that Jesus is God. We’ve already discussed this. However, this belief also implies the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. That means there is one God, but He exists as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s hard for us to grasp, but it’s not a contradiction. It may go beyond our ability to reason, but it doesn’t go against reason. A simple, yet limited illustration, is an equilateral triangle. There’s one “thing” that is a triangle by nature, yet there are three distinct, yet equal, angles that exist in this triangle. Likewise, with God, there’s one “What” and three “Who’s.”

The second essential is the belief in salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Eph 2:8-9). This simply means that our sin demands justice and Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the demands of justice. We can accept His payment for us through faith, or active trust in Him. It’s nothing we deserve and it’s nothing we can earn through being “good enough.”

The third essential is the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Some people believe He didn’t rise from the grave while others believe He was “recreated” in a spirit form. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15 that if Christ didn’t rise from the grave then our beliefs are futile and meaningless. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most verifiable events of ancient history.

Finally, the Gospel message itself is our last essential belief. Gospel means “good news.” And the fact that Jesus came as the God-man, died in our place and is alive today offering all who believe in Him forgiveness, hope, and an eternal relationship with Him is the best news in the world.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Family

Eph 3:13 I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

(14)For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15)from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 1(6)that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, (17)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19)and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

(20)Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, (21)to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Over the past few days and weeks I have watched family life in action in many different scenarios...some were as a result of celebration and accomplishment, some as a result of discord and confusion, some of loss and pain, and one facing the unknown day after day. I have watched the strength of faith in the family life as prayer, tears and hugs became the oneness that held all together. I have heard the stories of family life of yesterdays...memories, laughter and yes more tears. I have heard and watched proud moments in family life, of photos taken and video's recorded.

I have also witnessed the discord, heart-ache, broken relationships and confusion of family life, where "me" takes the place of "we" and "they" are no longer part of "us". And yet there is a Father who holds all things in His Hand and gives His name to His family according to verse 15 above...who has purpose and meaning for each of His own. He is in the midst of every situation...He is Dad...He is The Father and He cares for His children....He wishes for us to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge that man can know or comprehend. He desires and provides for His family to be one...one in celebration (rejoice with those who rejoice), one in purpose, one in sorrow (weep with those that weep), one in spirit, one in Christ and one in the bond of peace. The Father desires that His Son, Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love in order that His love would Overflow through His family.

May each of us carry His family name with honor and may the Father's purpose be lived out in family life no matter the journey we find ourselves on for the moment. "know ye not, this body is not your own".

Learning,
Marty

I am un-common

During the time of the book of Acts, the church was undergoing huge changes. The Holy Spirit was being given by God to his children and people were receiving it and going out and turning the world upside down. As the story unfolded we found Peter had, had a vision in Acts chapter 10, after which he went to meet a Roman named Cornelius. Up to that point it was thought to be taboo for those who were not Jews to have anything to do with receiving the Holy Spirit. But as Peter talked to Cornelius he said,

“You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” Acts 10:28 NKJV

Peter then told the Good News to these Gentiles (non-Jews) and they likewise received an OVERFLOW of the Holy Spirit.

So what is the purpose in telling this short history lesson from the book of Acts? Did you catch the crazy word Peter used? He said, “God has shown me that I should not call any man COMMON or unclean.” I don’t know about you but that makes me smile! I have gone most of my life with people looking at me as if I was odd, but then again that could be that I wore nothing but sweatpants until I was in the 6th grade and I still to this day have no clue what matches or what is in style, but this verse says it all. I am not common, I am odd! Anyone who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them is different than everyone else. I may live in the world but I am not like them, I am not common! God has chosen to OVERFLOW His Spirit into me and that makes me un-common. Praise God for un-common odd balls! Praise God for His loving Spirit that dwells in the lives of those who call on His name! Praise God for that OVERFLOW of His goodness and grace! Praise God!

Smile Always,
jason
Eph. 5:1