🙌🏽JESUS IS ALIVE!
Read Time: 4 min 17 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said."
Matthew 28:5
THE GOOD STUFF
LENT DEVOTIONAL 07: EASTER SUNDAY
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared…” - 1 Corinthians 15:3-5a
Died.
Buried.
Raised.
Appeared.
Jesus descended from heaven to earth and was laid dead in a tomb for the grand purpose of ascending back to life, appearing to his followers, and then being lifted up to the right hand of the Father. This is the trajectory of the Savior. A descent into death to rescue us from its clutches so that we could ascend with him to eternal life.
Easter is the celebration of the One who rose to life and makes a way for us to rise as well. Easter is the declaration that all our hope hinges on a death-defying Savior. Easter is our hope that we will ascend to his presence after the years of this life to spend the innumerable years of eternity with him.
1 Corinthians 15 goes on to say later in the chapter, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” We walk invincibly free from the power of death because Christ has come and removed all of death’s power for those who have believed. Walk in the freedom of the victory over sin and death that Jesus has given you.
Praise the King, He is risen!
APPLICATION
We know of the victory won for us on the cross, but sometimes we need to sit in the weight and ugliness of what put Jesus there. Our sin placed the Almighty Son of God upon a cross. My sin. Your sin.
Join us on Friday at 6:00 pm or 7:30 pm for our Good Friday services. These will be amazing opportunities to prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday as we see our savior upon the cross and praise him for the amazing sacrifice he made.
Brock Graham | Lead Pastor
P.S. Join us tonight at 6pm for the last Lent worship on YouTube.
STORY
JESUS IS ALIVE, LIKE REALLY ALIVE
For those that identify themselves as Christians, Easter is the most important holiday of the year because the resurrection of Jesus is the central and defining aspect of the Christian faith.
In fact, it is so important that the Apostle Paul, in a letter he wrote to the church in Corinth, basically says that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is futile and that we should be pitied because of our allegiance to a mere man who was crucified by the Romans.
But how can we be confident that Jesus actually rose from the dead? Is there any evidence that supports this as a historical event?
I encourage you to check out this article adapted from a series of emails that Pastor Mark sent to his coworkers during his career at Eli Lilly. He walks through the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and provides evidence that will strengthen your faith and bring you to worship.
TIP: The article is broken into nine parts. Read three parts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and you'll be ready to worship your face off on Easter Sunday!
STAFF PICKS
READ
The Chiveis Trilogy
So we’ve been on a solid run of books in this recommendation section. That made me a little gunshy to recommend another book… But these aren’t just any books. Have you ever had a movie or book or tv show that you always come back to and no matter how many times you watch it you still love it? That’s what Chiveis is for me. Not only are they an amazing trilogy, but they are refreshing to my soul each and every time I work my way through these books. Every spring I re-read them (I’m on my 5th or 6th year in a row now… I’ve lost count!). It’s a story of adventure, Jesus, romance, battles, and so much more. I cannot recommend the Chiveis trilogy highly enough. Just make sure you have time to get sucked in:)
- DJ Blatherwick, Worship Pastor
DRINK
Spindrift Sparkling Water (any flavor but especially lemon!)
Now that it’s getting warmer out, there are a lot of times where I come in from playing with the kids or working on the yard and I want a cold fizzy drink. I was looking for some healthier options last year and got sucked into sparkling water. I tried a lot of different brands but kept coming back to Spindrift as the best one! Any flavor is great but lemon is my favorite (My wife likes grapefruit)! It’s all-natural. Sparkling. Cold. Good for you. What more can you want!?
- DJ Blatherwick, Wannabe Recommendation Specialist