This past weekend we had three (yes, three!) wonderful Easter services at Grace Point. Our new Saturday service kicked of with nearly 260 people, and our two Sunday services were packed as well. Easter is one of THOSE holidays. You know, it is one of the two big ones that draw people to church, and for that I am grateful.
It is on Easter weekend that we celebrate perhaps the most amazing and crucial event in the history of mankind: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! On Easter, Christian churches everywhere proclaim to packed houses that He came, lived, died and rose again for forgiveness of sins so that we could be reconciled to God. Yes! It is true! Praise God for a way back to Him!
But what about today? What about the day after Easter? What’s next for those of us that know Christ as our Lord and Savior? I finished the book of Mark on Easter morning, and found in it a version of Jesus’ great commission:
And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. – Mark 16:15 (ESV).
It is very, very clear I think: we are to GO and we are to PROCLAIM. We all know this, and yet many of us (myself included) do not do it. Why? I asked my 14 year old this question and he quickly answered: because we are afraid people will think we are weird. In a word, we are ashamed.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NLT)
So my prayer for myself the day after Easter is a simple one. I pray that I will reflect Romans 1:16 and obey Mark 16:15. I pray that I will no longer be ashamed of my belief in the saving power of Jesus Christ. I pray that I would love God enough, trust God enough to proclaim the gospel to the world, not just at church…but everywhere I go. I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit would make all this possible. I know if I pray this, God will honor it and present me with opportunities to follow through on it…bring it on!
Easter was yesterday…what will we do today?
