For Just A Minute!

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:6-8 NIV

Though many in the world celebrate "Easter," those of us who have a relationship with Christ (not a church organization) understand the real meaning of the celebration--The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They (the haters who don't understand) are alive and well today, as well and we must remember--so we don't become like them.

He Loved!

They lied on Him.

They beat Him.

They spit on Him.

They crowned Him with thorns.

They nailed Him to a cross.

They mocked Him.

They crucified Him.

They pierced His side with a sword.

He died.

They buried Him.

He Rose.

He Loves!

He Lives!

He is alive and well in the hearts of all who have accepted the sacrifice of His love, all who choose to live the way He wants us to live, and all who know how to love--all others--unconditionally and who defend the rights of the poor and the needy!

He Has Risen!

Celebrate His Resurrection by

Sharing The Love With Others!

Live like Jesus lived--always helping others in need!

Resurrection!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8 NIV
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Luke 18:31-34 NIV

It is comforting to know that everything prophesied about the Coming Messiah has been fulfilled--just as it was told.

Because of His obedience and willingness to sacrifice His life for love; we all have an opportunity to live with Him for all eternity--just as He said we would.

There are many things that have been said throughout the past week and will continue in churches all over the world today, but the most important thing that can ever be said is, "He rose from the dead so we might have life." It is through His resurrection that we gain grace--unmerited favor--to live with Him, not because of how good we are.

Actually, our entrance into Heaven has nothing to do with our being good, but on how we live that demonstrates we belong to Jesus.

Are we loving and forgiving?

Are we defending the rights of the poor and the needing?

Are we seeking God for direction in all we do or are we allowing the dictates of man to control us?

No one has demonstrated love with the ultimate sacrifice of giving their life so we might live other than Jesus.

No one has died and rose again--just as He said He would--returning to the Father--preparing a place for us--other than Jesus.

So take a few minutes or the entire day or the rest of the your life and think about what His Resurrection really means to you and enjoy the celebration!

Happy Resurrection Day!

His Word Accomplished!

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:8-11 NKJV

No matter how much we think we know, we will never know all there is to know. And when it comes to God and understanding His ways, we cannot attempt to understand Him with our carnal mind, but we must constantly be attuned to Him through Holy Spirit.

When He says, our thoughts are not His--He's reminding us we cannot begin to think like Him or anticipate what He might do next. He knows our thoughts before we even think them, and nothing we do--ever surprises Him. At the same time, we cannot relegate His ways to our limited understanding of anything--we must strive to rise above what we know and hear Him and stop trying to bring Him down to our level of thinking.

What heaven or universe have we created? What sun did we make to shine? Before we were--He was and will be, forever and if He needs to start humanity over again, He can, but can we?

Though there are some who mockingly discuss what God says, they do not understand that whatever He has said, is what will be. Those things we desire to happen and those we don't--will all come to pass--according to His Word.

Our job while we yet remain is to be a witness to others of His goodness and to encourage all we meet to receive the gift of salvation--through His death, burial and resurrection. For there is no other name by which mankind can be saved--other than the name of Jesus.

His birth foretold--done.
His death described and done.
His resurrection foretold and done.

And now we wait for His return--when the dead in Christ shall rise and the rest of the Believers will be caught up and taken to reign with Him.

His Word will be accomplished in the lives of all whether we believe it or not. For His Word and His Ways are not contingent upon our belief, but because He has already said what would be done--it will be--His Word will be accomplished and nothing by any means shall hinder His plans for us.

Encourage One Another With These Words!

"According to the Lord's Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words." (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NIV)

On a subject that not many care to discuss, but should--death. There is one reality that all must face--we are born to die, unless the Lord returns before that event occurs. However, though there is a physical death, we can look forward to rising upon His return so that we will be with Him forever.

On a secular scale--most people simply see death as a natural occurrence--and it is. But for those of us who are living a Spirit-filled life, we know that physical death is simply part of the transition to getting into heaven.

For those who are truly Believers, death should never frighten us; especially if we have lived our lives to please God. While there are those around us who are dying daily, from sickness and disease, and we're praying--we should be mindful that when a person dies who has suffered pain and anguish, death is also a form of healing for when they are gone--their suffering ends. 

And while we miss loved ones who go before us--if they knew the Lord, we can be thankful that they, too shall reign with Him when He makes His glorious return.

For this reason--so all will rise at the sound of the trumpet and command--Believers should be a witness of God's mercy and grace, telling all they can the Good News about the work on the Cross. When we become saved--our job is just beginning--for the Lord would have all men to be saved and once we have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for us and are living for Him, we should want everyone we know to know the Savior who loves us. And we should keep telling the good news until we reach the stage of our own transition.

Therefore, death as a conformity of life--should not be feared, nor should we spend time grieving over much for those who have made the transition, but we should rejoice in the knowledge that one day--they shall rise and reign with us, all with The Lord. Though our hearts may hurt for a time, our spirits should soar and heal the hurt--remembering all the good things and continuing to spread the Gospel until we are finished with earthly works.

While we yet have time to do so--and we must make the most of every hour we have--we need to share the love of God and encourage all to Believe in our Risen Savior so we won't have to be sad when they depart this earthly realm. We encourage others to get into The Word of God, develop a relationship with Him, and know that when we're gone--they will seek The Lord for comfort and be assured of our rising from the dead upon His return--before all who are left alive--whose hearts belong to Jesus.

Therefore, when we experience consoling someone who has lost a loved one or even if we lose a loved one, encourage all with these words--their end is not The End--if they know The Lord.

Why Jesus Said, "Whoever Lives By Belief In Me Will Never Die!"

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25,26 NIV)

Within John's record of the life of Jesus, Jesus says, "believes" fourteen times and in the rest of the New Covenant, it is mentioned eleven other times. Of course in the King James Version, the word believeth is used (meaning the same thing) and occurs in both Old and New for a total of forty-five times. Since I'm expounding on what Jesus said and why, let's take a closer look at why belief is so important.

Whatever a person believes--has immoveable faith in--good or bad, that is usually indicative of how a person lives. If they believe in a horoscope--they live their life according to the horoscope. If they believe Oprah Winfrey is wiser than God, they live their life according to Oprah. If they believe than one political party is superior to another, they live their life supporting that party and criticizing the other. If people believe they'll become rich by gambling, they gamble on a regular basis (and the lottery is gambling). If they believe that God's Word can ever be changed to pacify fleshly dictates, they live their lives doing whatever they want because they do not understand--God's Word never changes and neither will His judgment. 

But let's get back to what's taking place in Jesus' life when He said what He said. He had been that Lazarus was sick and instead of going to him immediately, Jesus delayed his departure. He told his disciples that Lazarus was sleep and they thought he was just asleep because of sickness. Jesus then told them, he was dead.

John 11:15-24

v. 15 And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so you may believe. But let us go to him.

v. 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

v.17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

v. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,

v 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

v. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

v. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died.

v. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

v. 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

v. 24 Martha answered, " I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

And after Jesus asked her the question about what she believed, she said, she believed. I can imagine the heartache Martha felt over losing her brother and some have said (their interpretations of her statement) that she was accusing Jesus of waiting too long to come to them. She didn't understand the magnitude of what was about to happen, but she believed that Jesus would take care of it and He did.

Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and buried so that all who observed Him would witness the miracle and share it with others. He simply looked unto His Father and then commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb and he did. Faith--can move mountains, cause the dead to rise and the sick to recover--if we will only believe--have immoveable faith in Him.

Lazarus rose from the dead to live again, but we don't know how long he lived until he succumbed to natural, then. What we do know is that all are appointed a time to die, naturally, but those who believe Jesus is the resurrection and when He returns, the dead shall rise and the rest of us caught up with Him, shall live for all eternity in heaven.

We simply have to believe--having faith in Him--and not man's suppositions about death and dying, sickness and disease, sin and holiness. If we believed and lived our beliefs in Him, the world would be in a much better place. Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we believe that His blood, shed on the cross at Calvary, was shed for us--that we might have access to heaven, through Him? Do we believe that we have the power--through Holy Spirit--to live without sin in our lives? If the answer is yes, we believe, then why aren't we living what we say we believe? Our active obedience to God demonstrates our love for Him and our belief--our immoveable faith in Him. Lord, help us!

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

He Had To Rise!

"(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)" John 20:9 NIV

The disciples who ran to the tomb when Mary told them the door had been rolled away saw the strips of linen and the cloth that covered His face when He was put into the tomb and believed He was not there, but they did not understand that He had to rise to fulfill scripture and His purpose for our lives.

It wasn't enough that He came through the womb of a virgin--but it was written.

It wasn't enough that He was persecuted, scorned and beaten--but it was written.

It wasn't enough that people lied on Him and He was arrested--but it was written.

It wasn't enough that He was crucified, taking our sins upon Himself that our relationship with 
God would be restored--but it was written.

It wasn't enough that He died on that cross, the symbol of being cursed--but it was written.

It wasn't enough that He was buried in a borrowed tomb--but it was written.

Now, He has risen is sitting at the right hand of the Father--interceding always on our behalf--it was written and it is enough, but do we really believe Him, yet?

Everything He did, He did out of love for us, that we might have an abundant life and live in peace, choosing to please the Father, not self. Are we there yet?

Some are and some aren't, but I'm praying that this day will be a reminder of His great love for us and all will choose to live a life that is pleasing to Him!

 

Why Do We Do It?

"they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ (Matthew 15:6-9 NIV)

Vanity Teaching seems to be the rule rather than a demonstration of a right relationship with God. What do I mean? Fasten your spiritual seat belts and get ready for a ride designed to shake up the traditions that have nothing to do with relationship with God.

Vanity Teaching--which appears to be prevalent in certain bible colleges (and I don't know why they call themselves a "bible" college) do more instruction to refute the bible than to teach its intent. American Baptist College comes to mind who promotes homosexuality with its choice of leadership, who affirm their stance in public forums--having the audience participate. How anyone in their right mind--not clouded or deceived by the enemy--could say that same-sex unions are not an affront to God is beyond me. But when we have titled leadership who are in those unions, is it any wonder there is confusion in the Body of Christ?

Today--traditionally known to many as Palm Sunday--does not really represent what happened in the Bible. The Word says, the people greeted Jesus as He entered the city waving palm branches--a symbol of victory in some cultures. If the people greeted the arrival of Jesus waving palm branches, why do most churches distribute the fronds as either part of the service or as they leave the service? Are we not supposed to have the Spirit of Christ living within us? If so, why aren't the palm fronds given as people "enter" the service? Is it because we really don't know why we do the things we do?

Next Sunday--Resurrection Sunday--is celebrated by many as Easter Sunday. The term "easter" was really an indicator of spring (with its goddess) and had no significance to the resurrection of Jesus Christ--until man made it so. What we get with "easter" celebrations are: colored eggs, bunny rabbits, and new clothes, and the parade of people who attend worship services to show off the new clothes. Really? What I've seen is people who are so engaged in straightening out clothes during the service they cannot focus on The Word--if indeed there is a Word from The Lord being expressed.
Resurrection Sunday is a time of celebration, but not with colored eggs, baskets of candy, or new clothes. In spite of the debate over when He was crucified and when He rose, we know that He did rise from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father. We know this--if we believe what The Bible says and have a relationship with God.

Many churches today have become clubhouses rather than places of worship. People gather to socialize, entertain, and eat in the church, disrupting attempts to teach The Word for the sake of honoring others for various reasons (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). Is God pleased with our using the places we say are houses of worship for everything but worship? I doubt it.

Here's a thought. Why don't we spend time studying The Word and allowing Holy Spirit to teach us how we should conduct ourselves in the houses of worship. Why don't we change the traditions that negate the truth of God's Word. Why don't we seek God before we do anything that would deter the rest of the world from seeing Him in us. Why don't we have Bible Colleges that teach the Bible rather than man's philosophies. Why don't we? We need to understand why we do what we do and if we discover that what we do has nothing to do with The Word or honoring God, why do we continue to do it?

If we understand the purpose of His appearance in the person of Jesus, His crucifixion, and resurrection, and have accepted Him as Truth, repented of our sins and live to please God, we have the victory!

Who Died For You?

"Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Corinthians 1:13 NIV)

n the never-ending battle over which religion or denomination is the most important, this question should actually end all discussion. Who died for you that you might have life and that more abundantly?

As great as some of the founders of various denominations may have been--none of them were appointed to die as atonement for man's sins, but Jesus.

None of the separatists--those who pulled away from the original "doctrine that Jesus promoted" have been able to say, "through their death, mankind is saved" for all eternity.

If we look carefully at each of the "religious dogmas" we find error and confusion and reason to debate.

Peter could not have been the "rock" upon which Catholic doctrine (regarding non-marriage for priests) was established since he was married (Matthew 8:14). The doctrine was established out of need to control and an inability to comprehend what Paul was saying.

Martin Luther did not die for mankind's sins.

Buddha did not die for mankind's sins.

Mohammad did not die for mankind's sins.

John Wesley did not die for mankind's sins.

This list could go on and on, but the point here is--to make people aware that we must pay attention to who we reverence and why. God has always used "people" to accomplish His will, but that doesn't mean we should give "the people" the place of honor that does not belong to them.

Though greatness is determined by those who affix the title--none of them--died that we might have life.

And this was the warning Paul was giving--though we have respect for those who do great things, we cannot give them the place of honor that only belongs to Jesus Christ. When we attempt to put "mere men" upon pedestals, chaos and confusion reign since those men (or women) are just as imperfect as the rest of us.

So, rather than argue and debate which religion is greater or which leader is the most revered, let's focus on the One, True founder of our faith (if we say we are followers of Christ) and give Him the honor and reverence that is due Him and no one else. How can we say we believe in God and not believe that He came down from heaven in the person of Jesus Christ, clothed in flesh, like a mere man in order to save us from ourselves, with the ultimate sacrifice of His life on the cross?

He is the reason for this season--His birth, death, burial, and resurrection--all made possible by His love for us. Who else could make this claim?

At The Cross!

"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God" (I Corinthians 1:18 NLT).

"At the cross, at the cross,
Where I first saw the light,
And the burdens of my heart,
Rolled away,
It was there by faith,
I received my sight,
And now, I am happy all the day!"

I am not as familiar with the author of this song as I am the song, but I can imagine that it was inspired by this verse of scripture (and others, I'm sure)--everything begins at the cross.

Paul tells us--that the message of the cross--the sacrifice made--the humiliation endured--the end results in the resurrection--that began at the cross is foolishness to those who are walking the broad path--headed in the wrong direction. But for those who know--who have had a life-changing experience once their eyes were opened to the way of righteousness, understand the power of God to save--those who were walking the broad path, but are now on the narrow path--which few seem to find--headed towards living with The King-forevermore.

By faith--we who were not at the cross when Jesus was crucified--believe and receive--the love through the sacrifice He made to provide us another avenue--redeemed by the blood shed on the cross.

By faith--we allowed the message of the redemptive work on the cross enter into our hearts and open our eyes so we could see ourselves in all of our mess and know we needed to be cleansed of all unrighteousness.

And now-that our eyes are opened and we have accepted the truth of the work of the cross, we understand the power of God, through Holy Spirit--to lighten our burdens and we can be happy in the knowledge of God's love--all day, every day!

It was at the cross--where all things became available to all who believe and accept the proclamation that Jesus is "The King..." and not just of the Jews as originally proclaimed but of all who believe!

Have you been to the cross? Make your way--by faith--understand the redemptive work completed on the cross, believe that He is our Risen Savior and receive all He has in store for you!  Hallelujah!

Resurrection Repayment!

He came into this world
Over 2000 years ago
To seek and to save all
Who are lost, unloved, lonely.

While He was here, fulfilling predestination
He healed all who believed
And they were set free of sin
Blindness, lameness, death and disease.

We crucified Him, He died, but He
Rose again to reign in the Heavens
For all eternity and how do we repay
The debt of love He freely gave
To all who believe and accept
His enduring, yet unearned mercy and grace?

By loving, unconditionally, whoever we meet
Honoring what He has done, is doing right now
Positioned, ready to receive all that eye has not seen
Nor ear heard what He has for us,
Unabashedly, proclaiming, "Jesus Christ is Lord,"
To all who will receive and accept
Our Father's good and perfect gift, His son.

(c) 2014 Mary M. Hall-Rayford

He Has Risen!

"He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (Luke 24:6,7).

And this what the angels informed Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary and other women who were with them (v.10), but when they told the other disciples, they were not believed. Peter went to the tomb and was amazed at not finding Jesus' body, but still had doubts.

How many people are still not believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The women who were first at the tomb believed because of their personal relationship with Him. The disciples eventually believed when He confronted them. Has Jesus confronted you, yet?

This is a glorious day set aside to always recall the work on the cross and the promise kept--He would rise again and with His resurrection--hell has no more hold over any who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He rose with all power in His hands and with Holy Spirit has given us the same power to overcome anything the enemy attempts to do to us.

We have the power to speak peace to any situation and dissuade chaos and confusion, to speak health to our bodies and see ourselves healed, to speak increase to our finances, and to speak love to all, for all and chase away fear.

Rejoice! He has risen and we have all we need in Him and through Him! Hallelujah!

No Quarreling Over Words!

"Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen" (2 Timothy 2:14 NIV).

Today, the day that is commonly referred to as Good Friday by traditionalists, has been the source of many conversations and arguments. The quarrel over words is because of the "rising in three days" and in which various scholars and theologians cannot come to terms over the time frame from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.

Here's a thought. Why should anyone in relationship with God care about the time frame? What we should care most about is understanding that He came, He was crucified and died for our sins, and rose again and is now sitting at the right hand of His Father.

The reason most cannot agree about a time frame that aligns with The Word is because they are trying to reduce the events to a lower level of understanding--understanding which is marred by historians and the means and methods of recording events in an actual timeline by which most of us can understand. We tend to equate all time by what we know and we know that "time, days, months, years" in times past, do not coincide with the methodology used today to determine "time of events."

So, I'm not really interesting in celebrating a "Good Friday" which was certainly not a good day, but I do contemplate what life would be like if Jesus had not submitted to His Father's Will. For that reason, instead of making a lot hoopla over which day He died, we should spend more time in reflection about what our lives would be like, if He had not died. That is a cause for thanksgiving, not argument.

To each his own and I'm sure that is exactly how the day will be acknowledged. I'm going to be spend the day resting, contemplating, and praising Him for loving me enough to die for me--no matter what day it is or what day it happened--and thanking Him for doing it. And on Sunday, I'll celebrate the fact that He rose from the dead--keeping His Word--and giving me access to the Throne--without the mediation of man.

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to truly develop understanding of Your Word without quarreling over words so we might honor all You have done for us.