Minister's Blog

Our Resurrection
Easter is a call to pause and reflect on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate the empty tomb and the Lord’s victory over death. There are many aspects of the resurrection that give us cause for rejoicing. We remember the words of the angel in Luke 24:5-6: “why are you looking for the living among the dead…He is not hear, but He is risen!” We encourage one another to put ourselves in the place of the women at the tomb or the disciples sometime later, and our hearts swell with emotion. This is entirely appropriate, but I hope our appreciation of the resurrection does not stop there.
This Easter I will be preaching from 1 Corinthians 15. This chapter has captivated me for a long time. It is Paul’s longest teaching in His letters on the resurrection. The Corinthians, like us, were prone to get things wrong. They did not have the full counsel of God’s Word and were influenced by the Greek philosophy of their day. The body was thought of as something to be cast off and all matter was destined to be destroyed. Paul was writing to refute this philosophy and its destructive influence on the Corinthian church. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:16-17, “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ was raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Praise the Lord for his words in verse 20… “But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The “firstfruits” refers to what is to come. The hope of the believer is the resurrection. We look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus when we will be raised, immortal and incorruptible. Our resurrected bodies will never die or experience pain, temptation, or sin. What a glorious hope! Even better though is the nature of the relationship we will have with the Lord. The resurrection will make what we can only do imperfectly possible. We will be transformed that we might serve God acceptably and commune with Him continually forever! Just as the resurrection signaled the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, so our resurrection will be ultimate victory for us. It will be the vindication of this justification which is through faith. We endure the accusations of the enemy and the weakness of these sin wracked bodies now, but Sunday is coming! Our resurrection day will come and our end, glorification, will be realized! As you reflect on the resurrection of our Lord this Easter, read 1 Corinthians 15 and meditate on the hope the resurrection holds for all who are in Christ!
Please Pray
I will be in India teaching at a Pastors conference and preaching in some of the churches represented for a week in April. I covet your prayers as I take part in this effort. Please pray for our safe travel and for my family here in Ruston. Please pray Pastor Cole and I will teach what will be most helpful to the students and pastors we are there to encourage. Pray those pastors and students will be faithful to persevere no matter the persecution or trials they face. Thank you for helping make this effort possible through your giving and your prayers!