Now What?

Hi my dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

How you doing?  So, Easter day is past.  Christ has risen from the dead and the tomb is empty.  People have seen Him, touched Him, ate with Him, talked with Him.  Yet something is different.  At first people are afraid because, after all, this man was dead.  There were many witnesses to that fact.  The guard even stuck a spear into his side and water and blood came out.  A sure sign that Jesus was dead.  Then He was buried and then He wasn't because He walked away from His tomb.  The disciples were meeting behind closed and LOCKED doors when suddenly Jesus was standing among them!  He didn't use the doors or the windows!  Jesus was obviously who He said He was - the Messiah, the Son of God.  He is the King of kings and He is Lord over all; people and nature, time and space, sin and death.  Now what?  In Matthew 28 Jesus tells His followers to go into the whole world to baptize every nation in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach them to obey everything He has commanded them.  

Baptize?  People have to want to be baptized, right?  Otherwise it is just water.  Why would people from a strange land and religion want to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?  It would have to be because they believed in God, repented of their sins, and wanted Jesus in their hearts as Lord and Savior.  Hmmm, and how are they going to do that if they don't know who Jesus is?  2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God."  Ok, and why would someone want to change their beliefs and want what we have?  That is it, isn't it?  They have to want what we have and what we have is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)  

So for them to see Jesus in us and to believe that Jesus is real we must be Christ to the world in spite of any opposition or persecution.  No small task and the opposition will be fierce.  Sacrifices on our part will have to be made.  Thank God for the Holy Spirit.  In order for us to do our part we must call upon the name of the Lord and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives to take control.  Wow!  Are we willing to do that?  Lets remember what Easter was all about.  Lets remember that we know how it all turns out in the end and that this world is not our home.  My dear, dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we have work to do.  The world is a mess and only getting worse.  It needs Jesus.  Come Holy Spirit your will be done in us and through us.  Amen.

God loves you and so do I,

Pastor Bruce