Last Sunday was the greatest Resurrection Celebration I’ve ever experienced. What made it so great was the tangible presence of Jesus in His people! I
can’t fully describe the sense of excitement, the willingness to clap
and shout and give God praise, the overflowing joy of knowing that
Jesus is alive! The Church was being the Church that day –a people called out by God to declare His praise to the world! (I Peter 2:9)
During our Celebration we opened the “Edification Mic” for people to share what God has been doing in their lives. Between songs of praise, several testified to God’s work in them: fresh
reminders of God’s intensely personal love for His children, God’s
sovereign protection and preparation of small children in grieving the
death of a loved one, an exhortation to remain utterly
dependant upon the grace of God in witnessing – not trusting our own
wisdom or experience, a step of growth in embracing our church family
as “my family”, an understanding that we need God’s Word more than
physical food, an encouragement to love one another as we are all
“messed up” but being changed in Christ, and other personal expressions
of thanksgiving to God. I was softened, humbled and challenged through these words, the words of God’s people ministering to one another.
The visitors who were present on Sunday saw some convincing evidence for the gospel. In God’s mercy, several responded to the teaching and appeal to follow Christ. While
they heard the Word of God through the sermon, they experienced the
presence of the Living Christ through the lives of His followers. Jesus is Alive – we cannot deny that He is living in these people!
I felt like we began to taste the blessings of living out I Corinthians 14:24-25. “But
if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while
everybody is prophesying, he will be judged by all, and the secrets of
his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
My heart is full of thanks today. Thank you Jesus that You are alive, and that You live in us! Amen.
