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The resurrection is at the heart of the Christian faith. The resurrection is the moment when Jesus truly became our salvation. Without the resurrection, Jesus was just another prophet, an anointed teacher, and an insightful mystic; but it is the resurrection that makes Jesus “the Christ.” The resurrection was God’s decisive blow to death, for it was the moment when the grip of death was broken and, in the Apostle Paul’s language, captivity itself was held captive. The resurrection tells us that death does not have ultimate dominion. It tells us that life, with all of its inconsistencies and absurdities, does not have to end when one’s last breath is breathed nor is the cemetery our final destination. For the Christian, the resurrection is the definitive manifestation of God’s power. It is God’s power to bring life out of death that enables the believer to be hopeful in the midst of hopelessness, faithful in the midst of faithlessness, and confident in the midst of chaos.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he writes “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Paul wanted to know the power of God in the resurrection, but Paul understood that knowing such a power comes at a great price. Paul realized that it was impossible to know the power of the resurrection without knowing the agony of the crucifixion. The suffering of the cross cannot be bypassed if true resurrection power is to be attained. If we desire to experience the glory of God’s power we must be willing to taste the bitterness of Christ’s cross.
NO CROSS – NO CROWN!
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Mike
Anonymous
/ March 11, 2010I’ve been sitting on these thoughts for about a week now.
I’m alittle hesitant to ask
but
How does this all play out
in relation to Lazarus?
We once had a discussion
in Bible Study
When did Jesus believe that Lazarus was gonna come out of the tomb?
I believe in God’s Power of Resurrection.
Every time I look in the mirror
I see the evidence.
Maybe Paul and Luke were traveling at the time when
God used Jesus to raise Lazarus-
or maybe from another town.
Maybe he (Paul) believed
but wanted to experience it for himself.
I need to think about this some more-
I think I’ve missed the mark.
Rob
/ April 2, 2010Thank You: Pastor Mike.
Experiencing The Depths OF Jesus Christ, writing by Jeanne Guyon remind me of Paul stories of imprisonment and the letters of support to the people that were concern of his well being.
Jeanne Guyon’s first imprisonment was in the city of St. Antoine, France and with the publican of this book and some of her other written she received letters from outsider asking question and provided support.
Each day I give thanks for the resurrection of our Lord “Jesus Christ” and I ask GOD to guy me in the way that he want me to go and that everything that I do be pleasing in his eye sight.
YES: NO CROSS- NO CROWN
Peace and Blessing
Rob
Ricky
/ April 5, 2010I read this hundreds of times. Chills still race down my side. The Spirit reveals such power through you, Pastor. You are a great man. Subservient to God in the most awe-inspiring way. I love you as myself. I love your Lady as myself – What a woman she is! She is utterly love!
Safe travels Pastor. You will be missed but may you be taken. May His beauty and love chase after you. I am praying with you (and yours).
See you soon .
Njeri
/ April 7, 2010Thank you for this message and another reminder that we can’t get something for nothing.There is nothing enticing about agony, but what is on the other side I hear and believe far exceeds that momentary experience. I want to get to a place that is past talking, but truly living this power. This fight with myself is annoying and it is work to push past what has been imbedded in my belief system about myself, into this new, present reality of power, liberty and a better life than I imagined previously.I must tell you that my life so far has greatly changed since becoming a part of this fcbc family. In this short time I have grown and changed in deep ways. I thank God for loving me enough to place me under such great and real leaders. I’m on my way “there”and I remain hopeful and willing to learn and I believe at this rate of breaking away from the old and the fears and truly overcoming my old self, that soon enough I will see only possibility and. opportunity and have the gall to sieze it. This is the first time in my life that I’m thanking God for the difficulties.