Is Easter "OVER"???

Well… the eggs have been decorated, placed in baskets, found, and even eaten.

The church service is over and the songs have been sung.

The new dresses and suits have been neatly hung back in the closet.

And, at our house, all the chocolate has been eaten, leaving only jelly beans for a sweet tooth.

But…..is Easter “over”?

Maybe at Target, where aisles of baskets and candy have been replaced with gifts for mothers.

But, for us…..followers of Jesus Christ…..is Easter “finished” for another year….

Or, has it just begun?

Jesus is the Risen Lord.

He has conquered death.

He has overcome the grave.

Do you know what that means for you?

It means, if you choose Him, you, too have conquered death.

If He is your Lord, you, too, have overcome the grave.

You are seated with Christ in the Heavenlies.

Death has no power of you.

Addiction has no power of you.

Fear has no power of you.

He has given YOU new life.

YOU are a New Creation in Christ.

The OLD has gone.

The NEW has come.

You are clean.

You are forgiven.

You are FREE.

Hallelujah!

There is reason to sing!

There is reason to celebrate!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” says the Lord God. “I am
the One who is, and who was, and who is to come. I am the Mighty One.” Revelation 1:8

We have HOPE. We have an inheritance. We have a future.

No, Easter is NOT over- it continues in us daily throughout eternity. And as we gather together and celebrate each year, we are reminded that we have a glorious inheritance- a “living hope”. Praise God!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you..” -1Peter 1:3-4

Who is Jesus? I AM Part 4

I am the GATE

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.....

I am the GATE for the sheep; all who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life; and have it to the full.

John 10:1-10

When we think of a gate, we might think of a white picket fence, or even a security gate with a guard that lets in people who have been "cleared." When Jesus talked to people in Bible times, they understood these passages because they were familiar with shepherds and gates. I researched a little and found:

"The gate that Jesus is referring to belongs to the kind of sheep pen that shepherds would use during summer months. The shepherds would stay out in the fields with their sheep for weeks at a time. They would do their best to find good pasture land, and then they would gather some stones to build a make-shift corral that would have one single opening.
Then at night the shepherd would herd his sheep through that opening into the pen. He would then lie down across the opening. The shepherd himself became the gate to the sheep pen.
He was literally the sheep’s protection. He was their security from thieves and robbers who wanted to kill, steal, or destroy the flock." -Bible notes

Wow! What I see is that the shepherd was the PROTECTION for the sheep. He lied across the opening with HIS OWN BODY. If anyone wanted to enter the sheep pen, he had to go through the shepherd first!

I love the illustration that Jesus paints for us here. He is the gate and the only way to get into His Kingdom is through him. Jesus says He is "THE" gate...not "A" gate....

There is only one way into the Kingdom of God...through Jesus.

The shepherd calls each sheep by name and leads them in and out the sheep pen.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1

Father God, thank You that You give me eternal life. Thank You that You call me by name. Thank You that I can hear Your voice because I am Yours. Thank You that You protect me. Thank You that I have abundant life here and now. Jesus, You are precious. And, it is in Your Name we pray. Amen.

This is a series I am re-posting on "Who is Jesus" during the Lenten season. Please scroll down for the first 3 parts or click here, here, and here.

Who Is Jesus? I AM Part 3

I AM the Way....

One night at Bible Study, our group of women were answering the question from our study, "Briefly describe when you first accepted Christ. How sure were you of what you believed at that moment?" Christine brought up the discussion on this topic. She shared that she never had a "moment." She always knew God and loved God, but didn't have a time she could answer the question. A wise woman at our study encouraged Christine to take that "moment." As she explained, we can grow up knowing about God, even professing love, but we want to commit our lives to Him. We want to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We want to make that profession of ourselves to Him.

I shared that I grew up in the Church. I was baptized and confirmed (this is an act in the Lutheran faith that 8th grade students make after going through 2-3 years of religious training- it is "confirming your faith in Jesus"). I said my prayers. I knew about God. I loved God. But, it wasn't until I was about 30 that I made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. It was through a Bible Study that talked about having a relationship with Jesus and freedom from strongholds that introduced me to Jesus Christ- my PERSONAL Savior, Redeemer, Lord.

For me, this was my "moment." And, how sure was I of what I believed? I knew that I knew that I knew that I knew Jesus Christ died for me, set me free from the bondage of sin and death, gave me a new life, a new hope, an inheritance yet to come in Heaven and abundant LIFE here on earth.

I knew that my life was FOREVER changed.

We encouraged Christine to have a "chat" with God on her 20 minute car ride home. Through the course of the conversation, I had likened our "moment" to a wedding- when we make a commitment to Jesus, giving our lives to Him. This was Christine's email the next morning:

For those of you who were not at the study last night, we talked about knowing when we first had a relationship with Jesus. I had a hard time figuring it out, because I never really had "a day" when I knew like others have had.

Those of you there last night, thank you so much for your encouragement.

I HAD THAT CHAT WITH GOD! Praise Jesus!

All the way home in my car. I cried almost the whole way, I was so moved by simply saying out loud to God that I want to commit my life to Him. I had no idea I would feel that way. Tracy, your analogy to a wedding day says it all.

I was almost nervous starting out, like having cold feet or something. But by the end I knew I was entering the best relationship of my life. As I started praying and talking to God, the words just flowed. I just knew He was there, in my car, in my heart, surrounding me. And you know what else? It was as if I could feel you all praying for me.

I am so blessed for all of you, really, really, really! You all were so non-judgmental last night and I am so blessed to have you all in my life. Thank you for your encouragement! How awesome of a gift is that??!! I couldn't ask for better people to take this journey with.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

In Christ's presence,
Christine

Isn't God AMAZING, AWESOME, INCREDIBLE??? And, the most wonderful thing is Christine's signature: In Christ's presence. She is EXPERIENCING His presence so much so that she felt compelled to put it as her signature! Praise God!

Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." A relationship with Christ Jesus is the only WAY to have a relationship with God. Through His Blood, by His sacrifice, and in the power of His Name, we come into the presence of the Living God. There is no other way. Jesus is the Truth. There is no other Truth. Jesus is LIFE. There are no words to explain the LIFE you experience when you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Even the words in "Amazing Grace"are inadequate, but the best I can do- I was lost, but now found, blind, but now I see.

There is nothing you can do to earn your way to the Father. Jesus has done it for you already.

Have you had your "moment?" It is never too late. Have a moment right now. It is simple. It is easy. Jesus is waiting for you with arms open wide. Simply talk to Him. Tell Him that you love Him. Tell Him that you desire a relationship with Him. Tell Him that you know you need Him- that you are desperate for Him. Tell Him that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Tell Him that want a relationship with Him. He loves you.

He wants a relationship with you even more. He wants a moment with you.

(This is series of "I AM" posts republished from 2008. Please scroll down for parts 1 and 2. Christine has had an amazing year, speaking at our church, sharing her story, and encouraging many others to have their "moment"!)