Tales from the Other Side

     Baptist Press News recently published an article regarding Lifeway's decision to stop selling books which claim to be a testimony of life after death.  Lifeway describes the books as "experiential testimonies about heaven."  This decision follows a Southern Baptist Convention's resolution which warns Christians not to allow "the numerous books and movies purporting to explain or describe the afterlife experience" to "become their source and basis for an understanding of the afterlife." The fear is that Christians will allow these books to shape their understanding of heaven instead of Scripture.
     As a pastor, I believe it is fine for Christians to read these books as long as they understand these testimonies are simply someone's claim of experiencing heaven.  There is no way their claim can be proven or disproven.  Therefore, this individual's testimony could be trustworthy or it may not be.  Our sure guide in understanding heaven is God's Word.  Let make sure we are allowing Scripture to inform our understanding of life after death!
     Here is the link to the article from Baptist Press News:
  http://www.bpnews.net/44434/lifeway-pulls-heaven-visitation-resources




I am also listing a link to a lecture given at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary by Dr. David Jones regarding this topic.
http://multimedia.sebts.edu/?p=6017

Patrick the Missionary

St. Patrick's Day is wonderful opportunity for us to think about the Great Commission.   Baptist Press has a great article about this mysterious saint. Check it out:
http://www.bpnews.net/44391/the-real-st-patrick-incredible-missions-zeal

Our Creative God

As a Church we have been studying about our Creative God.  Often we get caught up in busyness that we fail to see God's creative work all around us.  He is the only original creative person.  I thought you might appreciate this article published in WORD magazine 2 years ago.

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16352

Standing for Righteousness

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

This week we have an opportunity to stand for righteousness.  The May 8th elections are significant as we have the opportunity to vote for the marriage amendment which defines marriage as an union between one man and one women.  It is important to remember that our motivation for standing up should be love.  First of all our love for God motivates us to submit our lives to Him and His principals knowing that He is good, all knowing, and the Creator of all things.  Since we trust Him and His word we need to follow His word as it speaks to marriage or to any other issue. 

Second we should stand up for marriage because we love others.  We know that marriage between one man and one women is a good thing and when it is set inside of God's parameters it is a blessing for all.  Any deviation from it is harmful and can be very painful.  Since we love others we want to be very clear that it is for their benefit that we need to clarify the definition of marriage.  Therefore,  anyone who votes for the marriage amendment because of hatred for another individual caught up in an sinful lifestyle is committing a sin themselves.  It is our love for others, even our enemies that drive us to stand for righteous even in the midst of persecution. 

And we have experienced some light persecution because of our support of the marriage amendment.  We are labeled as bigots and haters, but we know the truth and we love those who throw around those labels.  Our prayer should be that the  marriage amendment will pass, and if it does not pass we may feel defeated.  But let us remember that our Lord cannot be voted out of office, His word will never change, and He is still on the throne.  We do not understand His ways, and He allows awful things to happen for several reasons.  One of those reasons may be to allow those who are rebelling against his commands to have their own way, and to show them they are foolish to think they know better than our Good and Powerful Creator. 

According to the Scriptures

    Christianity is a faith which is built on historical events.   It assumes the events which happened in Bible really did take place.  Therefore, the Christian faith is more than a warm cozy story we tell our children, but it is a faith based on the reality that God is the God who revealed himself through the Holy Scriptures.  The Bible tells us the Son became a man, he died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose from the grave the third day (1st Corinthians 15).   The apostle Paul goes on to tell us in 1st Corinthians 15 that if these facts were not true than our faith would be useless.   We trust the Scriptures even though there are many who reject them.  Often those with anti-supernatural bias fail to examine the evidence, for the evidence points in favor of a bodily resurrection of Jesus.  Some of the evidence we see in the New Testament Text are:

1. Women were the first to see the resurrected Jesus.

The Jewish patriarchal culture held that the testimony of women were unreliable.  Therefore, if the Resurrection was a myth which was created by the disciples it would seems unlikely that they would report women as being the first to see Jesus.  The only reason the gospel writers mentioned women as the first to see Jesus, was because that was the way it really happened.  

2. The disciple were willing to give their lives to tell about the resurrection.

All of the apostles were persecuted and every one of them except John would die a martyr.  They claimed they saw the resurrected Lord even though they faced death.  If the resurrection were something they fabricated in order to gain followers, then it would be highly unlikely they would give their life for it. 

3. Many people saw the resurrected Jesus. 

In writing about the resurrection in 1st Corinthians 15 Paul gives the Christians at Corinth the opportunity to "check the facts."  In 15:6 he reminds them that the resurrected Lord was seen by over 500 people at once, and most of them are still alive.  If the resurrection was not a reality it is unlikely that Paul would tell the Christians this because they could verify his claim.  But since Jesus really did rise from the grave and he really did appear to over 500 people at once, Paul unhesitating mentioned these brothers. 

There are many others proofs that Jesus did rise from the grave, and there are many reasons we can rest assure we have placed our faith in the Truth.  In fact we could spend most of our lives trying to convince others of this truth, but I believe we should spend most of our time telling others about the resurrection and not worry as much about proving the resurrection.  For we could provide all the proof the world could ask for, yet there are many who would still reject Christ.  In the Gospels we read the story of a man who thought that some miracle might prove to his brothers that they should trust the Lord, but he was told by Abraham,  ^"They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’  “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’  “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16).’”  

Therefore, let us be about the business about telling others what has happened according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15).

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

"In Christ Alone"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music
For more resources from the Keith getty go to www.gettymusic.com

The Significance of the Resurrection

     From the very beginnings of the early church the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has been central to the Christian faith.  In 1st Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul reminds us that if the resurrection was not a reality, then our faith would be useless and we would still be in our sins.  We know that the fact of the resurrection gives us victory and hope in this life, but a good question to ask ourselves is, "What is this victory and hope?"  In his excellent theology book, Wayne Grudem, explains this victory and hope as four applications of the resurrection to our lives.[i]

1. Christ's Resurrection Insures Our Regeneration.

Regeneration is the theological term for the new birth, which refers to God's work of awakening our soul to him (born again: John 3).  The apostle Peter tells us that "we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ form the dead ( 1Peter1:3). In Ephesians 2 we are told that we are raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly places.  As we are joined with Christ in his death (He took our place), we are also joined with him in His resurrection.  The power that God worked in the resurrection is at work in us this very day (Eph. 1:19-20, Phil. 3:10), and this power is working in our lives to make us more like Christ and to have victory over sin. 

2. Christ's Resurrection Insures Our Justification

Romans 4:25 says, " He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."  Wayne Grudem makes the point that Jesus' resurrection was "God's declaration of approval of Christ's work of redemption."  Since the tomb is empty we can rest assure that our sins our forgiven. 

3. Christ's Resurrection Insures That We Will Recieve Perfect Resurrection Bodies As Well.

1st Corinthians 15:20 says, "  But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."   In this passage Paul employs an agricultural metaphor.  Just as the first fruits are a indication of the harvest to come, Jesus' resurrection is an indication that we also will recieve resurrected bodies.  "The fact that our bodies are 'imperishable (1st Corinthians 15:42)' means that they will not wear out or ever grow old or ever be subject to any sickness or disease (Grudem 831)."

4.  Ethical Significance of the Resurrection

The reality that Jesus has risen from the dead and assured us of our justification, our victory over sin, and the hope of a future resurrection should motivate us to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  We are children of God, therefore we should live like children of God.  We have victory over sin, therefore we strive for holiness each day.  We have an eternal hope, therefore we should live as those whose treasure is in heaven.   And since we know that Christ has the victory over all  enemies let us work diligently for the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain (1st Corinthians 15:58). 

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[i] Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary.  He is the author of Systematic Theology, which is an excellent theology for any Christian to have in his or her library.  The sections Doctrinal Significance of the Resurrection and The Ethical Significance of the Resurrection (pp614-615) are the source of these points.