He has Risen!

Soap Box Time

ONE DAY A YEAR! The church of our crucified Savior, celebrates, His death and His Resurrection. WHOOPIE and we can’t even get that right. The church (Main Line denominations, Fundamentalist, Pentecostals etc.) don’t even try to get it right. They would just as soon stay with the status quo and keep the boat steady. The same conditions exits today as in Jesus day which caused him to say, “the traditions of the elders have made the Word of God of none affect.”

I didn’t need to see the Passion of the Christ to know the horrible death the Christ suffered. I’ve read the Gospels. How long did it take you, for the shock and awe to wear off, after seeing Jesus beat and tortured and finally nailed to the cross? Seeing the nails put in His hands and feet. Seeing, the solder pierce His side with the spear, watching the anguish on His mother face, as her son was killed right in front of her. How long did it take for you to forget and carry on with your life? How long?
Yes, Jesus died, and He arose from the dead. For that I am eternally grateful. For me to celebrate that just once a year, would be like being a Christian only on Sunday. Maybe your not getting me here. There are many types of Christians. Even after seeing the Passion of the Christ, you still have Christmas and Eas*er Christians, you have Sunday / Wednesday Christians, you have Sabbath Observant Christians, you have people who know how to talk like a Christian, so they must be Christians.

To quote DC Talk “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and walk out the door and deny it by their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

It’s not whether you go to church once a week, twice or three times a week, once a year or twice a year. Church doesn’t make you a Christian, no more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger. How are you living your life? Are you walking the way God wants you to? Are you doing what God wants you to when He wants you to?
Are you walking in the Light and Truth of the Word of God? That’s what makes you a Christian. Don’t tell me. Show me your Jesus. Show me the God in you. Let me see your faith. No I’m not from Missouri.

I want to encourage Youth Extreme to reread the Word of God. Look at how Jesus handled situations. His whole message was one of Peace and Love. So it is only fitting that the cross, the instrument of his death remind us of how He lived His life (sinless) unto His Father (our Father) and why He died (sinless) for living His life that way. Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach and baptize and teach all the things that He taught. To be a Christian is to be Christ-like. If Jesus was soft, I’m the Marshmallow Man. Remember we are to hate the sin and love the sinner.

A lot Christians that I meet are hard hearted with a harder message, who live a compromised lifestyle, that’s why their message is so hard. That’s why people look and walk away shaking their heads.

Sunday April 16th, we will commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. On Monday April 17th we should show the world where have influence, that because of this event over 2000 years ago, we have rededicate ourselves to cause of our Savior. We should celebrate His death and resurrection everyday of our lives by fulfilling the will of God in the earth as Jesus wanted us to.