Resurrection

Without the historic and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have no hope. The Bible contends that without the veracity of this single event recorded in the four biographies of Christ, we’d be wise to walk away from this entire movement we call Christianity. In the New Testament we are told that if we have no proof of Christ being the forerunner of our own life after death, then we certainly shouldn’t be submitting our lives to his directives.  Instead, we ought to “live it up” (1Cor.15:32), do what we want and perhaps begin looking for some other “lord” for our lives who hasn’t lied to us. If the Jesus the Bible posits as the King of Life, the One we are to trust as we face our own mortality­, if he himself is a permanent victim of the grave then he does not deserve our allegiance, our obedience, or even our attention. Remember when the critics pressed in on the fledgling church, those who preached a risen Christ continued to point to the facts. They reminded the skeptics that all these events, most notably the bodily resurrection of Christ ­ wasn’t some surreptitious story foisted on members of a clandestine club (2Pt.1:16). The events were out in the open, witnessed by multitudes. The accounts could be researched and verified. They were events that “were not done in a corner” (Ac.26:26). And because that young church knew for certain that Christ rose from the dead, verifying his message and validating his promises, they were not only ready to live for him, but they were willing to risk their own lives to get that message out!  As we celebrate his resurrection, I pray that we are ready to do the same!

- Pastor Mike

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