The Church Testifies About Easter Everyday!

Back to work, back to the daily grind! This seems to be the way things are the day after Easter. Our worldly burdens push the thoughts of Christ’s resurrection out of our minds and we go back to our old lives, going about business as usual as if Christ was back in the tomb. It is almost like we watched some great show, when the music stops and the church service ends we applaud the performance and leave, marking our calendar as a reminder to see the show again next year.
 
Jesus is not a fictional character in a play. He no longer occupies a tomb and he lives in His glorified risen body and He continues to indwell and encourage His faithful through the Holy Spirit. When the faithful gather on each Sunday in church for worship they are testifying to the world that Jesus Christ is alive. His living body, the church, is in the world as a witness to God’s miraculous work in Jesus Christ. By the living Spirit of Christ the church is empowered to declare the truth of Christ’s resurrection. The church in the world physically speaks of the living Christ, who said, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (Luke 24:7). The church’s continued existence is proof that Christ is risen. The church lives in the world. The church is not a business or building but living proof of the Lord’s resurrection. The apostle Paul wrote, “The church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:23). The fullness of the risen Christ fills the church through the person of the Holy Spirit. By His power the living Christ reveals Himself daily in living active participating faith. As His people we are to continue the ministry as his body: preach the Gospel, call people to repentance of sins, baptize, and unite/edify believers in the family around of the Lord’s table. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) which is confirmed and made alive in the resurrection. You see, God has raised Jesus from the dead and through Christ’s death and resurrection, God raised up His church to witness to the Almighty power of God and to testify to the truth. When the church member is dead in his attendance and service He is testifying of a dead Christ.
 
As members of the church of the living Christ He expects us to imitate Him in the world every day and join together each week to celebrate His power and be strengthened by the truth that Jesus is alive. The question is: Will you fall back into the regular routine and come witness the show next time or will you remain faithful, daily and weekly gathering, celebrating, and proclaiming the eternal truth that the stone has been rolled away and Christ is alive? Stay faithful in your attendance and service show the world He is alive!
 
In His Service,
Eric Barnes