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OF EASTER AND “IDENTITY CRISIS”-PART 2
Continuing to focus on the subject “Of Easter and the Identity Crisis” in the concluding section of this
2 Part series, now let’s cast the spotlight on other related subjects…
Identifying ourselves with the Resurrection power…
It would serve us well as to introspect as to whether “Resurrection power” is playing a pivotal roles in the following areas’
of our lives…
a) Saves…Dear Friend, if you have "identified" your sinful condition but are unable to liberate yourselves from the clutches of sin,
the Resurrection power
(Romans 8:11 )
of the Holy Spirit is for you to avail and break free from the grasp of sin
(Eph 2:1-6)
by making Jesus your personal Saviour.
b) Sustains…Our Lord is called the “Saviour” not only because He infuses “life” into our “dead” spirits at the point of regeneration but
empowers us from within to lead a God-pleasing life at all times (throughout the Christian’s journey till reaching Heaven)…even in the
most adverse of circumstances
(1 John 4:4/
Acts 16:25/
Phil 3:10).
For instance, overcoming hate depending on the Saviour while being at the receiving end of injustice is but one manifestation of resurrection
power in sustaining a Christian’s life.
c) Spurs…Post Easter, the Resurrection power of the Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:11 )
was now the Disciples’ to appropriate and advance the Kingdom.
If on Easter Sunday, the Resurrection power emptied the grave and brought the Son of God out, fifty days later on the Day of the Pentecost
it filled the Disciples emboldening them mightily
(Acts 2/4:31).
From that day onwards the same men who fled from the Master on the night of His capture in the Garden of Gethsamane were “capturing men in the
net of the Gospel” for remainder of their lives. Ever wondered from where the Early Church got its highest compliment albeit unwittingly
“these men have turned the world upside down”? Not from its friends but its enemies
(Acts 17:6 )!!!
Talk of a Republican Presidential candidate giving his Democrat counterpart a Thumbs up or vice-versa....That’s Resurrection power for
you and its available even today for us to use
(Heb 13:8 ).
Say Christian, are you boldly witnessing
(Acts 4:31)
for your Saviour wherever the Lord in His infinite wisdom has placed you?
d) Salvages… The same Resurrection power which opened the grave of the Saviour on the first Easter would open the grave of every “resting”
Christian too
(1 Cor 15:20.23)
on the day the Last Trumpet is blown
(1 Thess 4:13-17).
Identifying the Completion of Salvation work…
While the sixth epochal utterance on the Cross “It is finished” on the first Good Friday signified the completion of the atoning work from the
Saviour’s side, the Resurrection of our Lord on the First Easter signified its acceptance by our Heavenly Father
(Romans 4:23-24/
Rom 5:1).
It is this complete acceptance and appropriation of both the atoning work and resurrection (of the Saviour) by a sinner in his/her life that justifies
him/her before the Judge of the Universe
(Rom 10:8-9).
In the manner the High Priest on the Day of atonement carrying the sacrificial, atoning blood “disappears” into the Holy Place of the Temple from the eyes
of the viewing public whilst going to sprinkle the same on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (in the Most Holy place) and then appears before the
viewing public with the words “Shalom” so as to proclaim “God’s acceptance of the atoning sacrifice”, Jesus too who had “disappeared” into the grave on
First Good Friday reappeared on First Easter to both practically
(Matt 28:8-9 CJB)
and virtually proclaim “Shalom (read God’s acceptance of His sacrifice)”
to one and all
(Heb 9:11-12 TLB).
Just hitting the loopline…if at all proof was required for the critics of Stephen Langton (archbishop of Canterbury who divided The Bible into Chapters in 1205)
that he did an “imperfect” job (albeit credit needs to be given to him for his “labour of love”) in his “Chapters division” exercise they do not need to go
beyond the end of Romans 4th Chapter and the beginning of its 5th Chapter. They reinforce the fact the text has been divided in an incoherent way, or at
inappropriate rhetorical points. For
Romans 5:1
beginning with the word “therefore” can be properly understood only when one brings
Rom 4:25
(the last verse of the Chapter) into the picture. In other words
Rom 4:25
tells us why
Romans 5:1
is “there for”.
Identifying the “Blessed hope” borne of “Resurrection” in believers by Unbelievers…
As I mentioned earlier in my message that souls are won-over by Scripture-backed, Spirit-filled sermons.
I am recalling once again the response of those of who heard a soul-stirring sermon of Apostle Peter on the “Day of Pentecost” ….
“… ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ ”-
Acts 2:37 (TLB).
We can well imagine a repentant, convicted prostrate spirit behind it all!
Now the decisive question is… can the Blessed hope borne out of the Lord’s Resurrection in us which
empowers us to stay pure
(1 John 3:2-3)
besides helping us cope with adversities arouse the curiosity of an unbeliever (eventually leading him to
Salvation) in the manner a powerful spirit-filled sermon does? The answer is an emphatic yes!!!
One doesn’t have to go beyond the Acts 16:16-30 to arrive at this conclusion. There we see a
Philippian Jailer witnessing two Christian missionaries being the very definition of the word
“stoic” even while being whipped unjustly (Historians state that at the time of receiving whip lashes
so much is the pain that unconsciously obscene language flows out of the mouth of the those at the
receiving end of it all). Later on even while being dumped into an unhygienic cell and having their
feet cruelly fastened into stocks, the Jailer observed that these 2 men were all grace and poise in the
manner of their Master at the Cross.
More dramatic events symbolizing a thankful demeanor in trouble of this dynamic duo were to unfold before
the Jailer…whole-hearted praising of God by way of passionate singing, an earthquake and…an utterly
selfless disposition of not wanting to capitalize on the opportunity of escaping which would have sealed
the fate of the Jailer at the hands of his Superiors (as per the Roman Law... every jailor was made
responsible for his prisoner, under the same penalty to which the prisoner himself was exposed).
The end result of it all??? A similar conviction was wrought by the Holy Spirit and a consequent
similar response was elicited like the one we saw in Acts 2:37 …an offshoot of powerful preaching.
If at that time it was “Brothers, what must we do (to be saved)?” then now it was…
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” –
Acts 16:30
Do I need to say more? Did Paul and Silas preach? Or did they perform miracles to draw the attention of the
Jailer? No way!!! The thankful way they demonstrated the Blessed hope in them even in the midst of severe,
unjust suffering aroused curiosity
(1Peter 3:15)
of an unbeliever besides eventually winning not only him but also his family members to the Lord
(Acts 16:33-34).
Mind you Christian, it is indeed a severe “Identity: problem with capital “I” so to speak, if the
unbelievers who see you often have still not “identified” the “Blessed hope” in you which ought to
influence all of your conduct!!!
Identifying the times, we are living in…
Dan 12:4 (TLB)
Luke 21:25 b (TLB)
The end-time prophecy recorded in
Daniel 12:4
“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the
time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” would always resonate in the minds of all
discerning Bible students. For it identifies the time, we are living in as the end time, for at no other period in human history
than in this cyber age have global business tours catalyzed by technology revolution become more commonplace and knowledge grown
more exponentially. Latest inventions are the order of the day so much so it is News only when a new discovery in the field of
science is not made in a 24-hour span.
Also it would be foolhardy to ignore other ‘signs’ such as earthquakes, famines and wars (Luke 21:10-11), which Jesus announced,
would precede his II Coming. Aren’t Newspapers littered with news of earthquakes ravaging several countries, famines stalking various
parts of the World and wars being fought within and between nations?
As though to refute a rationalist who would attribute the afore-mentioned ‘signs’ to common occurrences’ of the past centuries too,
the good Lord sent yet another irrefutable proof on 26th Dec, 2004 and on March 2011 respectively in perfect fulfillment of His prophecy in
Luke 21:25b
“And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.” If an earth-shaking event of the magnitude
of a Tsunami (the very definition of a strange tide) that hit several coastal cities in Dec 2004 and Japan in March 2011, doesn’t convince us that
His II Coming is on the anvil, then nothing else will! Yes, our hearts go out to the victims but secrets behind some Sovereign acts can only be
understood in eternity
(Deu 29:29).
Have we identified the fact that we are living very close to the zero hour when the Church would be ‘raptured’? Are we ready to meet our Master?
Oh may we all rejoice in seeing his radiant countenance SOON even while hearing his words of commendation “Well done, my faithful servant’!
Prayer: Father, even as we Your Children are identifying the fact that we are very close to the Church rapture times, enable us not only to be
alert but also to alert others lovingly and passionately. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Yours in His service,
(Suresh Manoharan)
OF EASTER AND “IDENTITY CRISIS”-PART I
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