Saturday, April 17, 2010

John 3 dot dot 16

A second grade boy attended our church AWANA Club for the first time. I opened my Bible to coach him in memorizing a Bible verse.
He said, "I don't have a Bible. My mom doesn't have a Bible either. I'd like to have a Bible."
I said, "Work on learning this verse, and I'll be back." I got a brand new Bible from the church information counter and gave it to him.
He looked so amazed.
Then I thought of using the opportunity as a teaching moment. I asked him, "Why do you think I gave you that Bible?"
"Because I'm learning this.” He pointed to the verse.
"No. That's good, but that's not why I gave you a free gift. Why did I do that?"
"Because I did what you told me to?"
"Not really. I gave you something free. Why do you think I gave you a free Bible?"
He thought some more and then had an epiphany: "Because I wanted it?"
"Yes! And that's what God does too--He gives us the free gift of eternal life when we realize we need it and want it."
Then I used the "Cross Talk" pamphlet to explain that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and give us eternal life when we trust Him for it. Not being familiar with the Bible, he read the Scripture reference like this: “John three dot dot sixteen.”
At the end He wanted to talk to God right away. He said: "God, can I have the free gift and go to heaven when I die and not have my sins anymore?"
Epiphany!
The Greek word for giving light.

Monday, April 5, 2010

He is Risen Indeed

For Resurrection Sunday at Midvalley Bible Church we included a Continental Breakfast before the Worship Celebration. Good thing we didn't plan a Sunrise Gathering because it would have been snowed out here in Utah. For the occasion we had a choir sing two very moving songs: "How Beautiful the Body of Christ" and "It is Finished--Just Begun."

Ken spoke on Matthew 27:62 ff about "The Great Cover Up." So many ironies in that brief passage:

1 - Religious leaders condemned Jesus for breaking the Sabbath; yet they met together on that Sabbath to carry out the business of securing the tomb (27:62).
2 - Religious leaders did not believe in Christ but must have believed what He said about rising after three days (27:63). They secured the grave so His disciples could not steal the body. Little did they know that the disciples had forgotten Jesus' prediction and thought He would stay dead!
3 - They called Jesus "that deceiver" (27:63) but that's what they became (28:11-14).

4 - They set a guard over a dead person so He couldn't get out! (They believed ABOUT Jesus but not IN Jesus.) and also they didn't want disciples to steal the body and claim that Jesus had risen, yet that's exactly what they told the guards to spread around.
Although the religious leaders
thought Jesus' prediction a hoax, when it came true, rather than believe it, they started propagating a hoax (28:13).
5 - The women who heard the angel ran back to the city (28:8) shortly after the guards who saw the angel ran back to the city (28:4 & 11). Both groups had the exact same news. The guards were told to cover it up (28:13-15); the disciples were told to disperse it (28:19-20).
6 - It wasn't that religious leaders COULD not believe, but they WOULD not believe. They rejected Christ. They even made up false doctrines about Him. And the men who spread the false teaching made lots of money doing that (28:15). This same thing is happening today. Sadly, people would rather believe a lie than The Truth.

In conclusion, the stone was not rolled away for Jesus to come out (He could go through stone walls--John 20:20 & 26) but so people could see in. Jesus is risen indeed. We put our faith in Him for everlasting spiritual life.