Why would we want to be talking about a topic like marriage on Easter Sunday? Shouldn’t we just focus on the resurrection of Jesus? Well, I say that is a great question… So let me answer that with another question: Did you ever wonder why so many people just show up to church on Christmas and Easter, and zero other times during the year? Why is that?

Here is what I think. We are great at talking about the birth and the resurrection of Jesus in terms of our “eternal salvation.” Jesus was raised on the third day for your eternal soul. Thank God! I am so glad that is the case! Unfortunately, most people don’t think about their eternal soul much. It’s sort of like your life insurance. You want to get it taken care of, then just make your regular payments and hope it all works out in the end… Right? So why would the average person be in church and around other believers more than once or twice a year? That seems to be the acceptable minimum to keep up your life insurance! Set it and forget it.

The great news is that the resurrection is not only for your eternal salvation… But also for us to experience “abundant life” (John 10:10) while here! He died and was raised to redeem everything about us! In fact, marriage itself is a beautiful picture of what God is doing in us! (Ephesians 5:31-32) So, God is deeply interested in my marriage. He’s interested in your’s, too. His desire is to transform it and all the other broken pieces of our lives into something complete and beautiful. (Romans 12:2)

Maybe if we talk about the resurrection in terms of our EVERYDAY LIVES, in addition to our eternal lives, (like Jesus did) then just maybe we will win the right to have more influence on those around us for the sake of the Kingdom! How can we not talk about all of the results of the resurrection in our lives?

I really hope you will invest yourself into praying and inviting people around you to this series. I think it will be relationship-changing.

Yesterday’s Easter celebration was just awesome! It was great to just be able to worship together with everyone and know that we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with the church all around the world.



Here are a few of my thoughts from yesterday’s service:

• Our regular band members continue to have to flex around each other’s schedules. Thanks, guys, for being so flexible. As always, we are looking for more people to join this team. Let Rachel know if you’re interested.
• Loved the “It Is Finished” song that we ended with! If you liked it, you can listen to it right here.
• Our Children’s Ministry volunteers are OFF THE CHAIN!! You guys just plain rock. I hope I get to be like you when I grow up.
• The message of “The Veil” was very meaningful to me, personally... I hope you liked it too. It can be download from our podcast feed right here. It will be on iTunes by Tuesday.
• We had lots of video yesterday! Five of them all together! That was a lot.
• What a great feeling that auditorium had with so many people in it. We were just shy of 300 people... Not bad for a two-year old rural church!

For me, the BEST things about yesterday’s service had to do with God moving among us. Not only was it incredible to really sense the Holy Spirit’s presence in a vibrant way, but to look around and SEE so many people who were specific answers to very specific prayers over the last few weeks. LOTS of our body had been praying for individuals who just needed an encounter with God... To stand there and watch as person after person who we had been praying for walked through the doors was just a moving experience. I have to admit getting a little choked up before the service even started.

All in all, I know of several people that crossed the line of faith and stepped into a new relationship with God yesterday. The Kingdom is forever changed, and we had a hand in that! Praise God!

“If the cross is the payment for our sin, then the empty tomb is the receipt!”
-unknown

You probably know that the Gospels tell seemingly very different stories about the resurrection. IN fact, to the casual reader, it seems almost like this is where the whole Jesus story breaks down. We’re getting ready to deal with the resurrection on Sunday, and I thought I’d pass on a couple of great resources for you to read up on the apparent discrepancies. There is good news! The SCRIPTURE is proven true once again!

This first article is a LONG study of the evidence and testimonies of the Gospel writers. It cites arguments from an historical and legal perspective. It is an awesome read, but will take you a while.
Do the Resurrection accounts HOPELESSLY contradict one another?

The second is a much more concise rendering of the Gospel accounts into one cohesive progression. This is a shorter read, but I highly recommend at least skimming the first one before looking at the second.

Can the various resurrection accounts from the four Gospels be harmonized?