Easter The Resurrection Day

Easter

One of my biggest complaints about Modern Christianity is how in most cases we are effected by the world instead of being effective in it. A great example of this is in our Holidays. The two main Christian Holidays are Easter and Christmas. Let me start with Christmas and I will be brief. But Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Christ. However back in the day in order to get more people in the Church. Someone decided it would be a great idea to compromise and incorporate the Pagans in the worship of the tree and the gifts it brings. Now without dissecting the motivations of the original decision because that would take hours and probably is a book in itself, I would just like to point out where this original compromise has lead us. Today Christmas is nothing even close to the celebration of Christ’s birth and in most Churches even the Tree is the most prominent thing you see going in to the Church and in most homes people in the Church are more faithful at that time of the yr putting presents under it in their house then they are placing money in the offering bucket. To me that is so sad. footnote my Church celebrates Christmas and does so in the biggest way and we even have a tree that people stand in and sing. But we use it as an outreach to win the lost.  I don’t for one second believe people would have tolerated such a drastic departure from the Word of God in their lives if it happened all at once. See the enemy more times then not works in gradual stages so gradual that you won’t notice the difference. But looking back after time we see the effects.

Easter: It is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On this day every yr people from all over our country are getting dressed up in their very best. They are cooking amazing dinners and they are headed out. Little Girls with ribbons in their hair and bows in their dresses. Little boys in their little boys suits. And parents who never go to church on a regular basis are attending some Church somewhere.  Most people still even after today will not completely understand what Easter really is. Ask a friend. Even in the Church.  Ask them ..Here are the responses you will get. Easter eggs and candy and bunnies the kids will respond like that and sadly some parents. (I already ranted about that with Christmas so no need to beat a dead horse)  I believe and listen I haven’t done any polls but I do believe and this is based solely on observation and conversations I have had. But I believe most Christians actually believe that Easter is the celebration of the crucifixion. Even in the subconscious. In the movie the passion of the Christ The Movie is a great depiction of the Crucifixion of Jesus and the hours leading up to it. Probably never before did anyone make such a great movie telling that story. And today all over America people are going to watch that movie. and I say great because it is a great story about the torturous death our savior went through…but what about the third day. its in the movie. But you have to pay close attention its almost a footnote. Why? Because I believe Hollywood which is ran by Satan doesn’t actually want people knowing that Jesus Christ rolled that stone away and rose from the dead and defeated Death. Because that is where the victory truly is. The victory was never in the Crucifixion…History tells us that thousands upon thousands of people were crucified Jesus was just one of many. But the victory was always in the the Resurrection….

This fallacy and misbelief is evident in most Christians lives today including my own in how we walk…how we talk.  We spend so much time talking about the dead stuff and living in the dead that we have become Crucified in life but we are not yet resurrected to a newness of life.

Let me ask you when you share your testimony does it simply leave people feeling sorry for you or does it grip people by the throat and lead them to the Power of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ did not suffer what he suffered to have it end there. What makes it so remarkable is that He lived His whole life knowing the end result but chose to walk out His resurrection before it happened. Jesus Christ lived in His resurrection on Earth yet its so simple we miss it. And he did so to give us the Power and authority to do so too….Why?

So we can be effective and have an effect on the world and attract people to Him through an odd and uncommon love. Not so we can be effected by and led by the world.

On this Resurrection day I would like to ask each of you…are you living a resurrected life today. Have you taken your life down from the cross and rolled that stone away. If not its just a decision. The lost and dying world sees being Christian as giving something up…We have showed them so much crucifixion that they don’t see our resurrection…Lets live a resurrected Life.