This is Holy Week

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.

His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.
The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.
And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”  

 

Matthew 28:1-10 (NLT)

 

Keith Green recorded a song called the Easter Song, also written and recorded by Second Chapter of Acts. It goes like this:

 

Hear the bells ringing

They're singing that you can be born again

Hear the bells ringing

They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone

Said He has risen, just as He said

Quickly now, go tell his disciples

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing

They're singing that you can be healed right now

Hear the bells ringing, they're singing

Christ, He will reveal it now

The angels, they all surround us

And they are ministering Jesus' power

Quickly now, reach out and receive it

For this could be your glorious hour

Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

The angel up on the tombstone

Said He has risen, just as He said

Quickly now, go tell his disciples

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah

He's risen, hallelujah

Hallelujah

 

TLS ®

Palm Sunday

We are fast approaching Easter or Resurrection Sunday. This approaching Sunday is what we refer to as Palm Sunday where Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken colt. The people herald Him as the new Deliverer of Israel. This was predicted hundreds of years before by the prophet Zechariah,” Tell the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The precise fulfillment of this messianic prophecy would not have escaped the Jewish multitudes, who responded with titles and accolades fit only for a King. Jesus road on a lowly colt that day but there is another day He will ride a white horse. He was hail as the One who come in the name of the Lord. But the Lord will return one day to this earth by another means of transportation.

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)

The writer of Hebrews urges us to worship and serve God, he writes:
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

 

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What we are looking for...

We have several small groups that meet often and sometimes irregularly around the city. We are using a great book written by Andy Stanley from North Point Church in Alpharetta, GA. The titled of the study is “Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith.” Every person of faith wants to have more and bigger faith.

Andy says that the five things that God uses are:

 - Practical Teaching

 - Providential Relationships

 - Private Disciplines

 - Personal Ministry and

 - Pivotal Circumstances

Andy says in his opening statement “Imagine for a moment that you had absolute, perfect faith and confidence in God- in a personal God who knew your name and always heard your prayers. Even when life was rocky and things weren’t going your way, even when circumstances only got worse… imagine if the natural response in your mind and heart would be, God’s in control; he is going to work this out; he always leverages bad things for good purpose; and he has a perfect plan for my life. So I’ll just wait patiently and see what he has in store for me.”

Most of us don’t have perfect face and therefore God has a plan to get us into the faith posture.


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Is your mansion being prepared?

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.- John 14:1-6 (NKJV)

Death is certain, we know that. For the believer there is no second death but life. This passage of Scripture is used often at believers funerals. These are words of comfort and assurance.  Jesus assures us that He is preparing a place for us. The Bible teaches that God may be approached exclusively through His only-begotten Son. Jesus alone is the "door of the sheep"; all others are "thieves and robbers" , and it is only the one who "enters through [Him who] will be saved".

The way of salvation is a narrow path entered through a small, narrow gate, and few find it. "There is salvation in no one else," Peter boldly affirmed, "for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Thus, it is "he who believes in the Son [who] has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36), and "no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11), because "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).
 

TLS ®

The Power of God

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)

These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Why does Jesus say He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End?  Christ is supreme and sovereign. There is nothing outside His knowledge, there are no unknown factors that can sabotage His second coming. When God decides to send His Son back to earth and collect His children, those who have placed their faith and trust in Him, Jesus Christ will come back, gather His own unto Him and carry them to Heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first and those living will follow. What a magnificent scene that will be one day. I have always said I would like to be doing a graveside service for a saint when I would see him or her rise up before our eyes and then we would be next.  Just as Christ came 2000 years ago, lived, was crucified, and resurrected on the third day, He will come again.

The disciples who witnessed Jesus ascending up into heaven were told by the angels that “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.(Acts 1:11)

The last thing that Jesus said to John in Revelation was “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 

TLS ®