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| Blessed Good Friday and a Joyful and Happy Easter - |
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Need2Know
 Posted:
Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:14 am |
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Blessed Good Friday and a Joyful and Happy Easter
Blessed Good Friday and a Joyful and Happy Easter
Easter: A time for 2nd chances
by Greg Laurie - Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship
http://www.harvest.org/
I don't know where you are at in your relationship with God in this Easter season of 2008. You may be full of faith and spiritually strong. Everything may be going quite well, and this is a happy day for you. A bright, sunny holiday. If so, thank God for that.
But then again, that description might not fit you at all.
Perhaps this Easter finds you far away from God … and wondering how you ever arrived at such a place. To people looking in from the outside, everything might look pretty good. But deep down inside you know the real truth about yourself. Your spiritual life is in ruins. Your heart is torn with regret, and you've said and done some things that you're now ashamed of. Perhaps you have turned away from what you knew about God and the Bible at some point, and wandered far away from Him. You didn't plan on ending up where you are, but that's the sad reality.
And you're wondering if there could be a second chance for you.
If that's your situation, Easter can be a very good day for you. All over the world – on every continent, in every time zone – millions of Christians find hope celebrating the historical fact that Jesus Christ who died on a Roman cross rose from the dead three days later.
The good news broke early on a Sunday morning long ago, when three women came to the tomb of Jesus and were stunned to see the large stone already rolled away from the entrance. Entering the tomb, they see a young man in a white robe – an angel – sitting next to the place where the body of Jesus should have been.
He said: "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples – and Peter – that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you" (Mark 16:6-7, NKJV).
And Peter? Why was Peter given a special message? Why not James or John or one of the other disciples? The truth is, Peter desperately needed a word of encouragement at that moment. He felt like a complete failure – loaded down with guilt and shame – and all he could think about was how he had denied and failed Jesus in His hour of trial.
In our day, a lot of people feel ashamed to show up at church after they've stayed away for so long. And it doesn't exactly help when the preacher puts on the pressure. I heard the story of one guy who hadn't been to church in a long time. He finally made it out one Easter. As he was leaving the church afterwards, the pastor grabbed him by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him, "Son, you need to join the army of the Lord!"
The man replied, "I'm already in the army of the Lord, pastor."
The pastor questioned, "How come I never see you except at Christmas and Easter?"
He whispered back, "I'm in the Secret Service."
Simon Peter had joined the "Secret Service" after he openly denied knowing Jesus, standing before a little courtyard fire in the early morning hours. And it all took place just as Jesus had warned him it would. Hours before His arrest, Jesus had told Peter, "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny that you know Me three times!"
To Peter, the idea seemed impossible. "Even if all are made to deny You," he sputtered. "I will never deny You!"
What's that old saying about never saying never? Peter had some brave words before the crisis came. But in the terror of the moment, when the heat was on, he didn't have the strength or courage to back up those words. The truth is, Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew Peter – and warned him about his own vulnerability. But Simon was filled with pride, and the Bible says, "Pride goes before a fall." And fall he did.
The last sight he had of his Lord was hanging on a cross, so beaten and bloodied He was hardly recognizable. Poor Peter. His world came crumbling around him as all he had held dear in life now lay dead in a Roman tomb. He had so many regrets, and he'd never even had the opportunity to say he was sorry!
But the resurrection of Jesus changed all of that. In fact, it changed Peter as well as a group of disillusioned, discouraged and frightened followers into bold and courageous disciples who went on to turn their world upside-down.
Imagine Peter's shock and surprise when he was told that Jesus had not only risen from the dead, but had sent him a personal message: "Go, tell his disciples and Peter …!" Peter had deeply needed that word of encouragement.
Maybe you need a word like that, too. That's just one of the great truths Easter reminds us of. The God of the Bible is the God of second chances.
Do you think that Peter's failure came as a surprise to the Lord? Of course not. Do you think your personal failures come as surprise to Him? Absolutely not! If you need a second chance from God today, then ask Him to forgive your sin, your failures, your indifference and hard heart. Turn from that path, seek Jesus with all your heart, and experience His forgiveness and peace.
At some point after the resurrection, Jesus had a one-on-one with his discouraged disciple. Scripture doesn't tell us about that first meeting, but we know it happened. It was profound, and Peter was forgiven and reinstated. "Even so," Peter may have thought, "God could never use a man like me again."
Wrong again! Jesus appeared once more to Peter some time later and re-commissioned him. "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me? … Take care of my sheep" (John 21:16, NIV).
In other words, Jesus was saying, "Peter, I'm giving you a second chance! Yes, I know you failed. But I have forgiven you, healed you, restored you, and now I have work for you to do!"
Our heavenly Father gives second chances. And third ones, and fourth ones, and ten-thousandth ones.
God raised Jesus from the dead, and now offers us that very same power, enabling us to break the chains of addiction, selfishness and despair, and find fresh hope and purpose in a relationship with Him. Best of all, the message of Easter is that you can have all of your sins forgiven and have the absolute hope that you will go to heaven when you die.
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N2K
Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 8840
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| SavannahStar
Posted:
Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:38 am |
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I'm leaving for Good Friday worship at my church now.
Blessings to all!
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**SuperStar**
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 20782
Location: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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| SavannahStar
Posted:
Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:20 pm |
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Easter Story - Jeremy's Egg
Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. Still, his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.
At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy irritated his teacher. One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Teresa's for a consultation.
As the Forresters sat quietly in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students!"
Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."
Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why waste any more time trying?
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."
From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loudly enough for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."
Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
Yes, Miss Miller!" the children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them. That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their Math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes that is new life, too" Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."
Next Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My Daddy helped me!" he beamed.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy's, she thought, and, of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.
Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"
Time stopped. When she could speak again. Doris asked him, " Do you know why the tomb was empty?"
"Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then his Father raised him up!"
The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.
Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
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**SuperStar**
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 20782
Location: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
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| gwen
Posted:
Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:22 pm |
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SS, what a touching story. Thanks for sharing.
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AKA Gagal_05
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 14357
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| Need2Know
Posted:
Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:58 pm |
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Why Believe
Who is God?
That's a good question, but is not an easy subject to tackle. You see, it is difficult for our limited minds to grasp the limitless, eternal God. If God were small enough for our minds, He wouldn't be big enough for our needs. So, don't be exasperated if you can't fully understand who God is or why He does certain things. The Bible says that one day everything will be clear. But, until then, just know this: God is All-Knowing, Ever-Present, and All-Powerful. God is holy. God is loving and just. God is personal. God is in control. The God of the Bible is the One True God.
Who is Jesus?
Our best source for answering this question is God's own Word, the Bible. Jesus was not just a good man like many people say. He was and is the God-man.
Check this out:
Jesus is Human. He became our supreme example as God in human form (see Philippinans 2:5-11)
Jesus is Divine. Even though He became human, He still remained God (see Colossians 1:15-20).
He had a specific mission to accomplish. He came to save humankind from sin (see Luke 4:16-21).
He made the ultimate sacrifice. He endured tremendous pain, so we could enjoy eternity with Him.
He has great power to change people. He has transformed countless lives and given them purpose and meaning. He can change your life too.
He has external dominion. His kingdom extends beyond the boundaries of space and time.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious member of the trinity, which includes God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. Many struggle with the idea of God being three persons, yet one. Quite honestly, we will never fully grasp the concept until we get to heaven. The Holy Spirit has a distinct personality, and He also has specific works that He wants to do in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.
Why is the Bible Believable?
1. God is the author. Despite the fact that it was written by more than forty authors, we must recognize one important fact: the people who put pen to paper were just instruments in the hand of God. He chose to speak through these different people. The main story of the Bible is too complex to be fake. After two centuries of criticism, the outlines of the life, character, and teachings of Jesus remain reasonably clear, and they constitute the most fascinating feature in the history of western man.
2. Scientific evidence supports the Bible's accuracy.
3. Archeological findings have supported many of the complex historical passages found in the Bible.
4. Fulfilled prophesy
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events many years before they occur.
Why is Jesus the Only Way to God?
Many people just cannot believe that there is only one way to heaven. But it is important to note that the reason Christians believe Jesus is the only way to heaven is because He Himself said it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14-6).
If God is Good, why do bad things happen to His people?
This question often comes up after a tragedy occurs. In addressing this question, it is important to remember that the world was perfect when God originally created it. But, He also gave men the freedom to obey or disobey. When Adam sinned, death and suffering became part of life. God will allow many circumstances into our lives; good and bad events, things that make sense and things that make no sense at all. But, know this; each incident in our lives serves as a part of His perfect plan for us. As God's children, we know everything that happens to us must first go through His screen of protection. And, because He loves us, He will never give us more than we can handle.
Last edited by Need2Know on Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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N2K
Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 8840
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| jacqueline
Posted:
Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:36 pm |
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Thank you for your written words of yesterday Need2Know as they were greatly needed.
Savannah that was a sad but at the same time a lovely story, thankyou for posting it.
Blessed Easter everyone.
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"Petit Chou"
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 1726
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| Need2Know
Posted:
Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:47 pm |
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| jacqueline wrote: | Thank you for your written words of yesterday Need2Know as they were greatly needed.
Savannah that was a sad but at the same time a lovely story, thankyou for posting it.
Blessed Easter everyone. |
Jacqueline, may the eternal love of God and the eternal hope we have through Jesus Christ give you complete peace and joy. That peace and that joy does not come from anything here on earth, only from the knowledge of knowing the truth of God's amazing love for each and every one of us.
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N2K
Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 8840
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