Easter: Open Letter To Friends and Family

Well folks, I have been away from the blogsphere for a week or so, but not away from work that needs to be done. Hope all has been well.

Since Easter is coming up this Sunday, I will just post the open letter I sent my friends and family as a reminder to what is most important this holiday season.

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At the end of January I told you “I Love You,” but I don’t have a perfect love. I sometimes forget a name, or fail to mention every soul that has needs in prayer, and there have been times I have allowed my own struggles to cause me to lose sight that we all have them. Too often I find myself refusing to put others before myself. [1 Corinthians 13]

Around the close of February I mentioned how we are to be Soldiers for the cause of the gospel, though I do not always shine as an example of God’s mighty army. I sometimes find myself trying to cover His breastplate with mine which is dirty and full of holes. All too often do I find my feet bare, loins lacking support, and sword covered in dust. My shield sometimes slips from my grip, but there are those of you who are there to encourage me to tighten my grasp once again. [Ephesians 6]

Though I am found lacking, I would like to remind you of One who is not! This coming Resurrection Sunday, March 23rd, I would like to ask you to be mindful of Our Great Savior Jesus Christ.

His love brought Him from Heaven on high [John 3:16], though perfect, to be made in the image of sinful flesh [Romans 8:2-4], not to reign, but to suffer and die for our sin that we may be cleansed [Romans 4:25]. For this cause did He promise He would one day return with a mighty army of the saints [Jude 1:14-15] to free us from sin, the world, and the devil forevermore [Revelation 20:10-15].

During this holiday, the promotion, the rabbits, the eggs and the candy, let us not simply lightly consider the thought of the Holy Savior coming to die for us as the Lamb of God, but may we take the time to embrace the intimate fellowship we can have with our Risen Lord on a daily basis. I pray that we all take the time to speak to Him in prayer, walk with Him to church, listen to Him during the music and sermon, and to follow Him wherever He may lead us every moment of our lives. Considering through our trials, have any of us suffered equal to that of Christ, not for His own sake, but for ours.

May God keep you all close by His side.

Easter: Eggs and Bunnies, Crosses and Tombs

As you know this Sunday, April 8, 2007 is known as Easter Sunday. As you enjoy time with your family and friends I would ask that you ponder a few things.

As Christians, are we really celebrating the risen Savior, the resurrection of Christ for our justification, or is it just a holiday in which we use His name? One might say, “That’s a crazy question, of course we are celebrating Jesus Christ on this day.”

This is what I find interesting:

1. We replace worship service preaching with music services. I am not against music, but scripture clearly says that the preaching of the cross is the power of God, not singing [1 Corinthians 1:18]. You could try and argue the point that singing is the same as proclaiming the gospel, but there may be some difficulty finding scriptural support. It is a well known fact that most people that hardly ever enter the doors of a church may visit on Christmas and Easter, so why then do we give them only singing; and maybe a five (5) minute thought and alter call?

2. We claim this day has a holiday to celebrate a risen Savior and we do it by cancelling services. Oh sure we have a small sunrise service, but often there is very few which attend. If this is a special Christian holiday, why then do we worship less than the other Sunday worship days when we hold morning and evening services?

3. We emphasize an Easter egg hunt with treats to encourage the children to come and bring their friends, so can they really concentrate on the most important story of all time, that Christ give himself ransom for the sins of man? So we have three (3) or four (4) times as many children show up this Sunday, can we really boast, since most came for candy and not Jesus Christ? “But so and so made a profession of faith.” Did they? Or was it to ensure they got to hunt for eggs. I am not saying one can not get saved through this method, but I believe my point has been made.

4. We sport our new clothes we purchased just for the occasion. Are we a little more interested in how we look and what others are wearing than how our Savior hung ashamed on the cross because of us?

5. We can find no scriptural support to consider this day to be a spiritual holiday by the words of Christ nor the apostle, yet let one say that it is based in pagan rituals or that Christ could not have died on Good Friday, and we want to gnaw and gnash at them for speaking ill of our scared day. Again, if such a scared day does exist, and it is this Sunday which we call Easter, why then do we do less for God this day than more?

Just some things to consider; If we are to be separate from the world so that they can see Christ through us, what will they see different in you this Sunday when you tell your kids the Easter Bunny came, they hunt for eggs, and the church is closed?

Easter: Good Thursday or Friday

It is easy to acknowledge Christ must have risen on a Sunday, for scripture tells us it was on the first day of the week. As for Good Friday, I think we might have a small miscalculation, as do others, in the timeline.

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 8:31
And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

John 2:19
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

I would agree that a portion of a day would count as a day, meaning I don’t believe it would have to consist of all twelve (12) or twenty-four (24) hours to be consider a day.

And counting of the days is easy.
Friday end of day (1) + Saturday all day (1) + Sunday early morning (1) = 3 days.

Where the problem lies is in how one reads Matthew 12:40. Whereas the other scriptures claim “after three days” and “in three days”, this verse adds “and three nights”. It would be easy to dismiss the “and three nights” to hold true to tradition, but should tradition override scripture?

We must remember that this is Christ speaking. Had He meant to say “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be [three days] in the [grave, tomb, etc.]” He clearly would have. This is God in the flesh, not a mere man that rambles on with no intention in his speech.

Jonah was the only sign given to that generation concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Luke 11:29; Luke 11:30], and Jonah as in the whale “three days and three nights” not just “three days”.

Here lies the problem.
Friday all night (1) + Saturday all night (1) = 2 nights.

By this I suppose we have four choices:
1] Christ didn’t mean exactly what He said.
2] All Bible translations are in error concerning this verse.
3] Our tradition supersedes scripture.
4] Admit error.