“By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also,” (1 Corinthians 6:14)
“Happy Easter,” I said to the young cashier in the check out line as she bagged my groceries.
A cheery smile spread across her face as she chirped, “Happy Easter to you, too.”
“He is risen!” I added joyfully.
Immediately her world of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chickens, and brightly colored eggs plummeted to the stark reality that God had invaded her vision of Easter.
She stood in perfect stillness, her face registering no expression and no understanding of what “He is risen” really meant. Utterly speechless, she turned to her next customer.
In “Our Nation Now,” The Associated Press referred to 2013 as “The Year of Dysfunction, Discord and Distrust.” Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project October 9, 2012 reported 13 million self-described atheists and agnostics and 33 million people in the U. S. who say they have no particular religious affiliation. If that is true, where are those lost souls going to hear the message that Jesus has risen from the grave?
The Barna Update, a newsletter of Christian statistics, reports that only four of every ten people who attend church regularly are born again Christians. Look around you next Sunday. Someone sitting close to you is not saved. They do not understand, “By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also,” (1 Corinthians 6:14) if we only believe.
Perhaps they think it’s impossible. But, nothing is impossible with God.
Perhaps they need proof. The disciples needed proof, too. Jesus’ death had left them scattered, disillusioned and fearful. So, “After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God,” (Acts 1:3-4).
Perhaps they need to hear the message of Jesus’ resurrection from a friend.
Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born,” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Perhaps you are that friend. Share God’s promise that, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world…he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God,” (1 John 5:4-5).
That belief comes from hearing the Word of God. So, share the good news this week, even with the girls at the cash register. He is risen! And your friends can too, if they only hear The Word.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the promise of eternal life, that “He will swallow up death forever… and will wipe away the tears from all faces.”(Isaiah 25:8).
