Our Hope in Christ's Victory Over Death
Townhall,
by
David Limbaugh
Original Article
Posted By: ladydawgfan,
4/10/2020 3:31:44 PM
Many things about Christianity are counterintuitive but none more than this: God the perfect Father sent Jesus the perfect Son to Earth as a human being to suffer and die for the sins of imperfect human beings so that those who believe in the Son would receive the perfect Holy Spirit and live in eternal love with God.
Scripture makes all this clear.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).
"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
Reply 1 - Posted by:
jinx 4/10/2020 3:36:29 PM (No. 375388)
Amen. Thank you for posting. This Easter reminds us that God is in control . We don't have to sit in a church to worship Him. We can kneel down anywhere. God bless America.
34 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
bamboozle 4/10/2020 4:23:30 PM (No. 375411)
He is risen, He is truly risen. Alleluia
18 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 4/10/2020 4:28:20 PM (No. 375414)
I watched the movie Paul, The Apostle of Christ last night. What an incredible story he had. He traveled over 10,000 miles over 30 years spreading the Gospel of Jesus and was widely loved and respected. The movie was about his last days in Rome, with Nero blaming him as the fall guy for Rome burning. Nero was burning Rome. He was imprisoned, beaten tortured and suffered horribly as were all Christians in the city. In the end, he was sentenced to death by beheading. The movie ended with him being united in heaven with his friends and family and others who had died, and Jesus coming to him. Pass the Kleenex.
15 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Harlowe 4/10/2020 4:38:44 PM (No. 375425)
#1- Although correct in not having “to sit in a church to worship Him,” the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 10:24-25) directs believers to gather, to meet together to hear His Word preached, receive the Sacraments, pray, sing, and give thanks (confirms Romans10:14,Luke22:19-20,Acts2:38,Romans15:30,Psalm 30:4).
A church leader has the responsibility to “manage” his own household (1Timothy 3:45, 5, 12) so with the coronavirus mandate to restrict gathering in large numbers, it is appropriate that a church leader, as a shepherd, shutter access to a church structure to protect the flock. The coronavirus edict is temporary, so closing access to churches under the current circumstance is not the same as forbidding believers to worship God; in that circumstance, God’s laws prevail over man’s laws (Acts5:29) and believers would be required to act on their personal convictions.
8 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
qr4j 4/10/2020 6:03:08 PM (No. 375512)
For Episcopalians, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter are huge. They are analogous to a week of revival services in evangelical churches in many ways.
This has been a tough week for me. I humbly confess, I am all but sitting this one out. In more than 25 years as an Episcopalian, I have NEVER once "sat out" during Holy Week. But I feel so empty because of all the separation from friends and loved ones, I can't bring myself to "virtual" anything church-related. This doesn't seem real to me.
That said, I do cling to what Christians describe as the "mystery of faith": Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. I have confessed this mystery -- mysterious because we cannot sound the depths of its meaning, not because the mystery cannot be experienced! -- hundreds of times over the years.
This is what I cling to most especially this year. It is all I have. Perhaps it is all I need. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
11 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 4/10/2020 6:50:25 PM (No. 375535)
The leftist intellectual unbeliever often justifies his or her atheism/agnosticism based on the fact that there is "so much suffering" in the world. It usually comes across as, "If God does exist then how can he allow ____ to happen?"
God restored the earth and created a Garden in which the created man and eventually woman could reside forever. It was a place of perfect peace and tranquility. There were no viruses, no bacteria, no disease, no illness, and the Lion lay with the Lamb in peace, as all creatures were vegetarians. It was when man sinned that evil entered into the world, and to this day, evil has its way with us.
God created man with volition, and He does not interfere with His creatures' volition. The fact we have birth defects, earthly disasters, starvation, disease is simply the result of that very first sin in the Garden. We made this mess, but faith in Jesus Christ is the first step in climbing out of the pit of despair. Learning to think like Jesus, through the study of His Word, gives each believer the ability to accept the circumstances in life, endure the hardships, persevere through unfair persecutions, and empower our prayer for others during our own horrible circumstances. Christianity is a marathon that only consistent faith can accomplish.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Harlowe 4/10/2020 7:48:47 PM (No. 375587)
#5- With all due respect, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are treasured and meaningful for all mainline Christian denominations, not just Episcopalians. For many life-long Christians with dedicated church attendance, the coronavirus restriction on church attendance is not easy, but understood and accepted because it is a temporary situation. It is a small “test” of faith considering what other Christians have endured throughout the centuries.
10 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Moritz55 4/10/2020 11:03:25 PM (No. 375699)
The first Easter, the tomb was empty. This Easter, the churches are empty. But the Good News is the same: Christ is risen, and because He lives, we will live also!
5 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
kono 4/10/2020 11:48:16 PM (No. 375742)
Amen to #7, though it does seem to send mixed signals about our faith when we let worldly fears cause us to withdraw from the opportunity to gather, offer thanks and praise, and bear witness to the divine life He has begun in us. How many times were the Apostles beaten, imprisoned, hauled before the authorities and sternly directed not to proclaim the Gospel in the synagogue any more (with threats of dire consequences), only to leave the hearing, singing God's praises, and going straight to the synagogue to continue proclaiming the Good News?
When the world is afraid for its life, Christ's followers have responded by reassuring the worldly to have no fear, for God has not abandoned us. And while our outer selves wear away and can be destroyed, Jesus will guard our inner lives from death if we but trust in Him.
Easier said than done, though...
1 person likes this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
ARKfamily 4/11/2020 7:14:02 AM (No. 375904)
#1, you forgot to mention opening the Bible. I don't see religious leaders encouraging this in regular circumstances.
I met someone the other day that was talking about how church meant so much every weekend. I responded that I understand but opening the Bible and reading it could help too. It was mentioned "how about a dumb person's Bible" and I understand that too. It is not an easy read but so what? Read it anyway. A paragraph at a time or page at a time. It doesn't matter. Just read and let the information simmer. If you don't understand, God will provide meaning in due time.
2 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
ussjimmycarter 4/11/2020 7:24:41 AM (No. 375916)
Amen and God Bless!
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
franq 4/11/2020 7:38:05 AM (No. 375926)
He is risen indeed. And may be returning soon. Lord help us to be faithful to the end!
1 person likes this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Penney 4/11/2020 9:43:02 PM (No. 376699)
He is risen indeed! ...The Chosen is another film to see.
1 person likes this.
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