What does Easter mean to the Christian?

LUKE 9:23-27 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,[a] and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” ROMANS 3:21-26 God’s Righteousness Through Faith 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all[h] who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 6:1-14 Dead to Sin, Alive to God 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25 Christ the Power and Wisdom of God 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”[a] 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. EPHESIANS 1:3-14 Redemption in Christ 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. 2:11-13 Brought Near by His Blood 11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 The Humbled and Exalted Christ 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. PHILIPPIANS 3:17-21 Our Citizenship in Heaven 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. COLOSSIANS 1:12-23 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood,[c] the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 2:13-14 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. HEBREWS 12:1-8 The Race of Faith 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”[a] 7 If[b] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 1 JOHN 2:1-6 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. The Test of Knowing Him 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 4:7-11 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

The Cross

Easter is coming early this year. Let's take a look at what is written in Scripture on the death of our Lord on the cross. Turn to your Bibles and read these verses. Think about it, pray to the Holy Spirit to help you understand. We will pick up this lesson in a few short weeks, but let's get some Scriptural background: Luke 9:23 1 Corinthians 1:18 Ephesians 2:11-13 Philippians 3:17-21 Colossians 2:13-14 Hebrews 12:1-8 Romans 3:24-26 1 John 2:1-5 1 John 4:9-10 Romans 5:6-11 Ephesians 1:3-14 Colossians 1:12-23 Romans 6:1-19

Choice.

I must share with you a true story. I was returning home from a business trip and as we were just lifting off I prayed to God to help me make some career decisions, as well as decisions on commitment to him-- particularity, as to what he would have me do in my ministry. I prayed that he would help me not waffle in the direction I was contemplating on taking. I pointedly and directly asked God for his Holy Spirit, who is indwelling in me, to personally speak to me clearly about what to do. After whining a bit more to God, I finished my prayer and picked up my magazine, Christianity Today and opened it to an article written by Barry Cooper called "Imprisoned by Choices". If I had been on a chair, I would have fallen off it. It was an absolute Ruh Rough Scooby-Do moment. I was dumbstruck by what I was reading(and I'm not making this up. Get the article, published Jan. Feb. 2013). Cooper wrote: "Where are you refusing to choose? Maybe you're refusing to commit to a particular relationship--perhaps even your marriage? Maybe you're not truly committed to work--you have Facebook open in one of your browsers, half hoping to be interrupted. Maybe your restless eyes are on constant alert for something or someone better. Maybe you're keeping your options open with God himself, not allowing yourself to become too committed. Elijah is speaking to you in 1 Kings, and he is say, "Make a choice. You have all the information about God you need. Enough of this noncommittal, risk-averse, weak-willed, God-forgetting immaturity. Or, as it probably says in some of the more modern translations, "Grow up." Wow. Did the Holy Spirit speak to me or what? He couldn't have been more clearer--and he answered me in a couple of minutes. As my friend Ralph would say, "Can you imagine what would happen if God was mad at you?" Pray. Believe. Listen!

Being Thankful

November is noted for Thanksgiving and we should give some thought to what we are thankful for. Oh, I know we all face trouble and hardships, but truly we have much to be thankful for if we just think about it. A sunny day, a much needed rain, a happy dog, a purring cat, a laughing child, and more! Perhaps it is time to dwell on thanksgiving, than working over our problems and viewing life in negativity. We are asked to act on "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ"(Ephesians 5:20-21). Yes, we need reverence for Christ and the work he did for us on the cross. He took our sins upon himself and paid for these in his death, but he rose again ensuring us salvation. Even in the midst of our personal challenges, how can we not be grateful for the mercy and grace of God? How can we not be grateful for Jesus who loved us before we loved him? The Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010) translates John 4:19 "Therefore we shall love God because he first loved us." Imagine how special we are and how thankful we should be for God's love, for "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love" (Ephesians 1:4). God loves us! He sent his Son Jesus to save us! What a concept! So, dear brothers and sisters: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name" (Psalm 100.4) and lastly, get out your bibles, and read Ephesians 5. Walk in Love!

From Reverend Michael Faircloth:The Problem with the Tongue

We've all done it. Gossiped, complained, judged, whined...what we say can hurt,disocurage,and even alarm family, friends, and neighbors. So let's see how we can think before we speak. Get your Bibles and let's turn to some of the Lord's words. James 3-3-12. "When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." What the Lord is saying through his apostle James is that we need to be mindful of what we are saying. Before we speak consider: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it hurtful? Are we being careless and unthinking in what we say? Remember, you might have a chance to apologize, but hurts still remain. And as stated in verse 6, words can be like fire: they can spread destruction quickly and once the words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. The damage is done. So my dear friends in Christ, speak in such a way to please God.

Discouragement: What to do?

Maybe you have lost your job. Maybe you can't find job. Or perhaps your discouragement has nothing to do with employment. It could be a relationship, health, money problems? Oh, the list can go on and the sad truth is that everyone has wrestled with discouragement. Someone can help. It is the Lord. You might pray to our Father in Jesus' name with the help of the Holy Spirit. It's easy. Get your Bible out, or go on line and spend some time in His Word. Open your heart and let these words seep into your being... Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:6-8). Now go to Psalm 31:24, Psalm 138:7, Psalm 27:1-14 (a favorite), John 14:1-3 and 27, and Hebrews 13:6. Truly, if God is my helper and my salvation, who or what can I fear?

Does Good Get You Into Heaven?

There has always been discussion on who goes to heaven. Many people believe that if you are "good" you will make it to the pearly gates. As Christians, we don't believe this, because, really,--how good is good enough? Pick up the book by that title written by Andy Stanley. It's an eye opener for those who think that if they are 'good', they will get to heaven regardless of how many times they have violated their own so-called goodness by sinning. Of course there are those who don't believe in God, much less heaven, but if you do believe in both, consider what makes sense. God's truth regarding salvation or your perception of salvation? Goodness is in the eye of the beholder. Truth is a fact. As Andy Stanley says, "Good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven." Our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins so that if we believed on what he did for us, we would be forgiven and gain entrance to heaven. Our faith and our trust needs to be in what the Lord did for us, not what we do for ourselves or others. John 3:16 says it all: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Grab your Bible and read: Hebrews 11:6, Romans 3:23, John 3:17, and Ephesians 2:8,9