As Easter approaches, we will begin to hear the story of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It’s a story that many of us have heard again, and again over the years especially if you grew up in the church. It’s a beautiful story that shows us just how much God loves each and every one of us to give his son for our sins.
As I sat and reflected on this story, I started to think about resurrection as a whole. The English dictionary defines resurrection as the revival of something. I found myself stuck on the word revival.
Revival:
Restoration to life, consciousness, vigor or strength
Restoration to use or acceptance
An awakening, in a church or community, of interest in and care for matters relating to personal religion
The act of reviving
When I look around at the world we are living in, and the situations and circumstances that loom over our heads - I see many areas that could use a good solid revival. But I can take it even further than that. When I look at my own life, I see many areas that need a good, solid revival.
What about you? Do you have some “dead” things in your life that need to be revived? There are goals and dreams that have been set on the shelf for too long. There are relationships that are dying because no one is investing the time and energy needed to sustain them. There are projects that would impact the nations that are sitting dormant, half completed … some never even touched. There are books to be written and songs to be released that could touch and change the hearts of many. There are opportunities to witness to our neighbors and co-workers that we need to seize. There are broken hearts that need to be mended. There are people that we need to forgive and release the power they have on us as we hold onto grudges.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to dwell in “dead” areas anymore. God is too good and life is too promising to allow anything or anybody to keep you from living. It’s time for an awakening … it’s time to live again.
Revive those dreams … Embrace your passion for life … Let go of the fear and negativity … Chase after those things that bring you pure joy.
Regardless of what happened yesterday, last week, last month or even this morning … declare victory and allow a revival to take place in your mind, heart, soul and spirit.
By
Tanya James
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Ultimate Disrespect
Most of us would never intentionally disrespect Jesus. I recently asked a group of American high school students, “How many of you would go into a sanctuary and curse in the sanctuary?” With a resounding “No,” all of them resisted the idea of disrespecting God in that manner.
But quite plainly, anything that is the reduced result of John 10:10 is disrespectful to the reason that Jesus has come. He shared in one of His teachings, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10: 10, Amplified)
This time of the year brings us face to face with the purpose, priority, and passion of Jesus Christ and the sacrifices that He’s already made for us. As we celebrate this period of the year that includes the Passover, Good Friday, and the Resurrection, it becomes a reminder of the opportunity that we’re presented with – either a life that is average, dull, and routine or a life that is engaging, maximized, and fulfilling! Jesus’ resurrection screams to the latter.
We slap Jesus in the face when we live beneath the possibilities and potential that Christ has made available to us. When we settle for a listless and lackluster life of going through the motions and pursuing inconsequential plans, we essentially cause His work to be of no effect in our lives. Hebrews 6:6 (Amplified) reads, “If they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance--[it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh [as far as they are concerned] and are holding [Him] up to contempt and shame and public disgrace.”
There are a lot of people that are stuck between living a life that is okay and a life that is maximized and fulfilling. They just exist with no satisfaction. They settle for whatever life throws at them. They literally live under the circumstances, rather than taking full advantage of both the good and bad opportunities presented to them. They don’t take the lemons and make lemonade, they insist on sucking on the bitter lemons alone. Before you think too fast that I am referring to a group of unbelievers or backsliders or hard-hearted religious rejects, I am also referring to folks that by all appearance are good Christian people. They have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. They are also regular church attendees, active in ministry programs, regular givers of money and other resources, and even sometimes share God’s Word with others. Yet the deception is that while they (we) can follow that list, they (we) can still be unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
Can you imagine being really thirsty, yet having a fresh fountain of water with the purest spring water available on earth and you settle for just a sip of it? Why would you do that? It just would not make much sense. Christ declared that He wants to be that fountain in our lives (John 7:38).
As you celebrate Resurrection time, remember that Christ rose again not for you to live a life of mediocrity and casualness, but a life of fire, effectiveness, and vibrancy. He’s risen to serve as an example of new life. He offers us that new life, which brings new experiences, new mercies, and new victories. I encourage you to live life maxed out! Don’t slap Christ in the face by settling for anything less.
By
Overseer Christopher J. Harris
But quite plainly, anything that is the reduced result of John 10:10 is disrespectful to the reason that Jesus has come. He shared in one of His teachings, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10: 10, Amplified)
This time of the year brings us face to face with the purpose, priority, and passion of Jesus Christ and the sacrifices that He’s already made for us. As we celebrate this period of the year that includes the Passover, Good Friday, and the Resurrection, it becomes a reminder of the opportunity that we’re presented with – either a life that is average, dull, and routine or a life that is engaging, maximized, and fulfilling! Jesus’ resurrection screams to the latter.
We slap Jesus in the face when we live beneath the possibilities and potential that Christ has made available to us. When we settle for a listless and lackluster life of going through the motions and pursuing inconsequential plans, we essentially cause His work to be of no effect in our lives. Hebrews 6:6 (Amplified) reads, “If they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance--[it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh [as far as they are concerned] and are holding [Him] up to contempt and shame and public disgrace.”
There are a lot of people that are stuck between living a life that is okay and a life that is maximized and fulfilling. They just exist with no satisfaction. They settle for whatever life throws at them. They literally live under the circumstances, rather than taking full advantage of both the good and bad opportunities presented to them. They don’t take the lemons and make lemonade, they insist on sucking on the bitter lemons alone. Before you think too fast that I am referring to a group of unbelievers or backsliders or hard-hearted religious rejects, I am also referring to folks that by all appearance are good Christian people. They have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. They are also regular church attendees, active in ministry programs, regular givers of money and other resources, and even sometimes share God’s Word with others. Yet the deception is that while they (we) can follow that list, they (we) can still be unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
Can you imagine being really thirsty, yet having a fresh fountain of water with the purest spring water available on earth and you settle for just a sip of it? Why would you do that? It just would not make much sense. Christ declared that He wants to be that fountain in our lives (John 7:38).
As you celebrate Resurrection time, remember that Christ rose again not for you to live a life of mediocrity and casualness, but a life of fire, effectiveness, and vibrancy. He’s risen to serve as an example of new life. He offers us that new life, which brings new experiences, new mercies, and new victories. I encourage you to live life maxed out! Don’t slap Christ in the face by settling for anything less.
By
Overseer Christopher J. Harris
Dying To Live
I was about nine-years-old when I first saw a dead person up-close. Some school kids heard an old woman in the neighborhood had just died. Morbid curiosity got the best of us. Before I knew it, we were making nervous tracks through a country dirt road and into the woman’s house.
The quick glimpse of death on her face scared me so fear followed me all the way home that day. My childish imagination ran wild. I couldn’t shake the dead woman’s face. And for days, I’d check under every bed for any sign of death lurking in my house.
It’s not just kids who get scared of death. Many adults can’t handle it either. You may be a faithful Christian who believes in the resurrection. But death is still a curious thing. It’s beyond man’s reach or control. Perhaps that’s what troubles us most. We can’t bear not being in control.
Spiritually, that may explain why so many Christians have such a hard time dying. For dying means relinquishing control of self. It signifies killing the flesh. And who really wants to do that? But die we must, if we really want to live.
In Matthew 16:25 Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Jesus Christ lived to die. That was his mission on earth. Now we must die to live. That’s our mission. To resurrect means to bring to life again. Since Christ raised us from the dead, we are now charged with resurrecting a dead world still trapped in sin. We do that by living a life dying to self.
John 12:24-25 reminds us of our need to die in order to help others live.“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
How many seeds are still waiting on you to die so they can germinate? How many sinners are waiting on you to resurrect them? Like my nine-year-old self, we usually run from death. But spiritual death is worth embracing, since it can offer life to so many.
The apostle Paul urged us to “mortify (kill) the deeds of the flesh.” That’s how we relinquish our will. Jesus agonized about it in the garden. He finally said, (Father) “not my will, but yours be done.” Dying demands sacrifice. Here’s evidence:
D- Disciplined prayer life. Rise early every morning. Make prayer the first order of business. Talk to God. Allow Him proper space and time to talk to you.
I - Include Holy Spirit. Be led by the comforter, guide and instructor. He teaches how to die to self and live unto God. Take on the fruit of His Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
E- Exhibit Christ. Follow Jesus’ perfect example. Walk in His footsteps. Publically display His love. That’s what draws sinners to God. They’re hungry for a taste of true love. It’s patient, kind. It doesn’t envy or boast. It’s not proud. It’s not rude. It’s not self-seeking. It’s not easily angered or offended. It keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn’t delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-6)
Such love means death of self.
As a nine-year-old child, mortal death scared the life out of me. Now I willingly die to live. How about you? It’s the only way some “dead man walking” in sin can glimpse Christ, the image and essence of true life.
By
Sharon Frame
The quick glimpse of death on her face scared me so fear followed me all the way home that day. My childish imagination ran wild. I couldn’t shake the dead woman’s face. And for days, I’d check under every bed for any sign of death lurking in my house.
It’s not just kids who get scared of death. Many adults can’t handle it either. You may be a faithful Christian who believes in the resurrection. But death is still a curious thing. It’s beyond man’s reach or control. Perhaps that’s what troubles us most. We can’t bear not being in control.
Spiritually, that may explain why so many Christians have such a hard time dying. For dying means relinquishing control of self. It signifies killing the flesh. And who really wants to do that? But die we must, if we really want to live.
In Matthew 16:25 Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Jesus Christ lived to die. That was his mission on earth. Now we must die to live. That’s our mission. To resurrect means to bring to life again. Since Christ raised us from the dead, we are now charged with resurrecting a dead world still trapped in sin. We do that by living a life dying to self.
John 12:24-25 reminds us of our need to die in order to help others live.“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
How many seeds are still waiting on you to die so they can germinate? How many sinners are waiting on you to resurrect them? Like my nine-year-old self, we usually run from death. But spiritual death is worth embracing, since it can offer life to so many.
The apostle Paul urged us to “mortify (kill) the deeds of the flesh.” That’s how we relinquish our will. Jesus agonized about it in the garden. He finally said, (Father) “not my will, but yours be done.” Dying demands sacrifice. Here’s evidence:
D- Disciplined prayer life. Rise early every morning. Make prayer the first order of business. Talk to God. Allow Him proper space and time to talk to you.
I - Include Holy Spirit. Be led by the comforter, guide and instructor. He teaches how to die to self and live unto God. Take on the fruit of His Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
E- Exhibit Christ. Follow Jesus’ perfect example. Walk in His footsteps. Publically display His love. That’s what draws sinners to God. They’re hungry for a taste of true love. It’s patient, kind. It doesn’t envy or boast. It’s not proud. It’s not rude. It’s not self-seeking. It’s not easily angered or offended. It keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn’t delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-6)
Such love means death of self.
As a nine-year-old child, mortal death scared the life out of me. Now I willingly die to live. How about you? It’s the only way some “dead man walking” in sin can glimpse Christ, the image and essence of true life.
By
Sharon Frame
Applying The Power
A few weeks ago I took my daughters to their favorite spot, Chuck E. Cheeses. They were so excited that even as we drove to the restaurant, they yelled “Chuck E. Cheese! Chuck E. Cheese!” As soon as we walked in the doors my girls did a beeline to the play area and started having a blast.
But things took a surprising turn. All of a sudden my 3 year old, Ryann, started screaming and crying and threw herself so hard on me that I almost fell down. I quickly asked her what was wrong. Her answer shocked me.
Ryann says, with her voice trembling, “I just saw Chuck E. Cheese! I’m really scared!”
I was stunned. I could not believe that Chuck E. Cheese was the source of her fear. Chuck E. Cheese? The same Chuck E. Cheese whose name she’d been yelling in the car? The same Chuck E. Cheese that she plays with every time we visit? Chuck E. Cheese was causing her to act like this?
I have to be honest. It wasn’t my best parenting moment. I literally stared at her and I kept repeating, “Ryann, why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.” It was as if someone had hit “repeat” in my brain because I kept asking this frightened child the same question: “Ryann, why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
But then I got it. God was doing it to me again. He was using my child to speak directly to me.
See, earlier that day I’d had my own “Ryann” moment. I was facing a situation that I’d dealt with many times before…a situation through which God has proven to be faithful. But each time something similar creeps up again, it’s as though I’ve never dealt with it before. I find myself worked up, stressed out and overwhelmed. I throw myself a really elaborate pity party, and even have the nerve to invite God to attend.
And so in that very moment as I spoke to Ryann, the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. I could hear the Lord saying “Robin. That’s the same question I have for you. Why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
I believe this is the same question God had for the children of Israel. God had performed so many miracles in their lives, and yet each time they found themselves in a tough situation, they would begin to complain and grumble.
In Numbers 14:11, "The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?'”
In other words, “Children of Israel, how many times have I shown you my power? Why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
On Easter Sunday little children at churches around the country will recite Easter poems about the power of the Resurrection. We will all celebrate our belief that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose on the third day “with all power in His hands.”
But I wonder how many of us apply the power of the cross to our everyday lives? How many of us allow what we confess to become real in the midst of our circumstances?
How many of us find ourselves facing familiar situations, and like the children of Israel, like me, and even like my sweet little Ryann, we act as if we’ve never faced that situation before?
As we prepare to celebrate the cornerstone of our Faith, let us remember that because of the miraculous power of the cross we are no longer victims to the circumstances we face! We can apply the resurrection power to every situation in our lives because we are united with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and we already have the victory!
By
Robin S. May
But things took a surprising turn. All of a sudden my 3 year old, Ryann, started screaming and crying and threw herself so hard on me that I almost fell down. I quickly asked her what was wrong. Her answer shocked me.
Ryann says, with her voice trembling, “I just saw Chuck E. Cheese! I’m really scared!”
I was stunned. I could not believe that Chuck E. Cheese was the source of her fear. Chuck E. Cheese? The same Chuck E. Cheese whose name she’d been yelling in the car? The same Chuck E. Cheese that she plays with every time we visit? Chuck E. Cheese was causing her to act like this?
I have to be honest. It wasn’t my best parenting moment. I literally stared at her and I kept repeating, “Ryann, why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.” It was as if someone had hit “repeat” in my brain because I kept asking this frightened child the same question: “Ryann, why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
But then I got it. God was doing it to me again. He was using my child to speak directly to me.
See, earlier that day I’d had my own “Ryann” moment. I was facing a situation that I’d dealt with many times before…a situation through which God has proven to be faithful. But each time something similar creeps up again, it’s as though I’ve never dealt with it before. I find myself worked up, stressed out and overwhelmed. I throw myself a really elaborate pity party, and even have the nerve to invite God to attend.
And so in that very moment as I spoke to Ryann, the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. I could hear the Lord saying “Robin. That’s the same question I have for you. Why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
I believe this is the same question God had for the children of Israel. God had performed so many miracles in their lives, and yet each time they found themselves in a tough situation, they would begin to complain and grumble.
In Numbers 14:11, "The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?'”
In other words, “Children of Israel, how many times have I shown you my power? Why are you acting like this? You’ve been here before.”
On Easter Sunday little children at churches around the country will recite Easter poems about the power of the Resurrection. We will all celebrate our belief that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose on the third day “with all power in His hands.”
But I wonder how many of us apply the power of the cross to our everyday lives? How many of us allow what we confess to become real in the midst of our circumstances?
How many of us find ourselves facing familiar situations, and like the children of Israel, like me, and even like my sweet little Ryann, we act as if we’ve never faced that situation before?
As we prepare to celebrate the cornerstone of our Faith, let us remember that because of the miraculous power of the cross we are no longer victims to the circumstances we face! We can apply the resurrection power to every situation in our lives because we are united with Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and we already have the victory!
By
Robin S. May
Monday, April 4, 2011
Resurrection:Find Hope In His Victory
The work of Christ’s incomparable sacrifice was made perfect and complete in His miraculous resurrection. It was an act that will impact souls into eternity – and yet, the power of His resurrection is available for us to live by each and every day.
The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection offers a profound message of hope and victory for Christians who call on His name in every aspect of their lives…It offers hope in times of doubt, encouragement in times of trouble and peace that passeth all understanding in every situation.
When an individual is pursuing a God-given dream or desire it is the confidence that comes from a life fulfilled by Christ and His resurrection power that propels them into their destiny. Sometimes, when a person has been hurt or abused, is overwhelmed by despair, or feels rejected or abandoned, their capacity to dream shrivels and dies. Hope feels impossible. Their will to live is gone. A resurrection is necessary!
In John 11, the Scriptures tell the story of Jesus’ dear friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Lazarus died, and by the time Jesus reached His friends’ home, Lazarus’s body had already been buried. Martha and Mary were in deep mourning for their brother. But Martha had a hope…in Jesus:
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. (vs. 21 - 22)
Here Martha was asserting her own faith and hope in Jesus. She knew that no power on earth could bring back her beloved brother…but that Jesus only had to “ask of God,” for His will to be accomplished. And she was right; Jesus was able to raise Lazarus with His mighty command: “Lazarus, come forth.” (vs. 43)
Then Jesus gave credit where it was due: Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (vs. 41)
“The glory of God,” is available for us to “see” and experience no matter where we are in life or what we are going through. As we have faith in the miracle-working power of Christ to resurrect our spirits, our dreams, and our lives and believe, we too can “come forth” in victory, as Lazarus did -- and as Jesus himself did soon after, on his own resurrection day.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8). Through Him, the victory and hope of resurrection is yours today, too! So look to Christ’s resurrection power to find hope and victory in every season of your life.
And remember – to God be the Glory!
By
Pastor Paula White
The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection offers a profound message of hope and victory for Christians who call on His name in every aspect of their lives…It offers hope in times of doubt, encouragement in times of trouble and peace that passeth all understanding in every situation.
When an individual is pursuing a God-given dream or desire it is the confidence that comes from a life fulfilled by Christ and His resurrection power that propels them into their destiny. Sometimes, when a person has been hurt or abused, is overwhelmed by despair, or feels rejected or abandoned, their capacity to dream shrivels and dies. Hope feels impossible. Their will to live is gone. A resurrection is necessary!
In John 11, the Scriptures tell the story of Jesus’ dear friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Lazarus died, and by the time Jesus reached His friends’ home, Lazarus’s body had already been buried. Martha and Mary were in deep mourning for their brother. But Martha had a hope…in Jesus:
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. (vs. 21 - 22)
Here Martha was asserting her own faith and hope in Jesus. She knew that no power on earth could bring back her beloved brother…but that Jesus only had to “ask of God,” for His will to be accomplished. And she was right; Jesus was able to raise Lazarus with His mighty command: “Lazarus, come forth.” (vs. 43)
Then Jesus gave credit where it was due: Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (vs. 41)
“The glory of God,” is available for us to “see” and experience no matter where we are in life or what we are going through. As we have faith in the miracle-working power of Christ to resurrect our spirits, our dreams, and our lives and believe, we too can “come forth” in victory, as Lazarus did -- and as Jesus himself did soon after, on his own resurrection day.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8). Through Him, the victory and hope of resurrection is yours today, too! So look to Christ’s resurrection power to find hope and victory in every season of your life.
And remember – to God be the Glory!
By
Pastor Paula White
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