As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“1. Make sure your own heart is celebrating the resurrection…. 2. Don’t forget that some believers around the world risk their lives by telling this story….4. Recognize that your job is not to impress with your oratory skills; it’s to tell the story of a borrowed cross and an empty tomb.” - Chuck Lawless
I remember my mother once saying—quoting her father—that Easter Sunday is a lot like heaven. Perhaps it is the closest thing to it that we will ever experience here upon the Earth.
I cannot prove that statement Biblically, but I have attempted to meditate upon it through the years, and I think there is much truth in it.
As Easter draws near, the Christian calendar presents us with a sequence of world-altering events—Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and later Pentecost. Each day tells a part of the greatest story ever told, and it begins with Palm Sunday: the moment Jesus Christ enters Jerusalem, hailed as a king, setting into motion the fulfillment of divine promises.
In Luke 19:28–44, we find the account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. But to fully grasp what’s happening, we need to step back and understand the broader picture.
“Resurrection Sunday… is just a few weeks away. What Easter really means to us is not determined by what we do that weekend, though; it’s determined by how we live every day.” - Chuck Lawless
“and many church members work more diligently at inviting others during this season than any other. What we usually don’t do, though, is strategize to follow up practically and personally after Easter services.” - Chuck Lawless
Ye humble souls, that seek the Lord,
Chase all your fears away;
And bow with rapture down to see
The place where Jesus lay.
Thus low the Lord of life was brought;
Such wonders love can do:
Thus cold in death that bosom lay,
Which throbbed and bled for you.
“ ‘When I think about how I’m going to talk about Easter, I’m thinking about how I’m going to talk to people far from God, because that’s the thing that matters most to us,’ Shearer said.” - CPost
Read the series.
At the dawn of the millennial kingdom on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ will reveal Himself in bodily form to all glorified and non-glorified believers. Just as He revealed Himself and His true identity to His astonished disciples for 40 days after His resurrection, often at mealtimes, so also will be His self-revelation at the inaugural kingdom banquet.
“1. A surprising number of unchurched persons attended Good Friday services…. 2. There seems to be a greater spiritual hunger in the communities the churches serve…. 3. Simplicity was effective and appropriate.” - Thom Rainer
Another Easter season has come and gone. It’s Easter Monday (yes, that’s really a thing) as I write this, and I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts about the meaning and significance of the season, as I understand it.
Discussion