Easter 2014
I will never forget this past Easter.
The day started with an early breakfast at my church (7 AM). I joked that I wasn't sure even Jesus rose from the grave before 7 AM.
The breakfast was followed by 2 church services. I read scripture in the first one and prayed int he second one.
I left the second service early to go to Cornell University.
Every Easter all the Christian clubs on campus organize an event called "Easter on the Quad". This is a service of worship, testimony and a presentation of the gospel.
I was invited to give the message this year.
So, Felicia and the 3 kids and I headed up to the University. It was a beautiful sunny day.
There appeared to be about 100 students preparing for the event, setting up chairs, hooking up the sound system, a worship team was practicing.
I introduced myself to a couple of the organizers. I then told them I was going to play catch with my son until the start time got closer. Adam and I headed over to a piece of green and worked on his throwing. (He is in his 4th year of playing baseball).
After our impromptu baseball practice, we grabbed some seats near the front.
The event started with excellent (and very loud) worship music by a student led band. Their worship set included a fairly respectable rap by one of the guitar players.
A student shared her testimony which was very good.
And then I took the stage. I spoke from Luke 24.
(By the time I spoke the crowd had swelled to 700 which was encouraging).
My points were:
1. The fact of the resurrection
2. The living among the dead
3. Run and Look
My first point centered on a couple of apologetic arguments for the fact of the empty tomb. I said the best explanation for the empty tomb was the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2 reasons - the transformation of the disciples from men in hiding to men who boldly proclaimed the gospel and ending up as martyrs. I used an illustration from Charles Colson (Richard Nixon's hatchet man during Watergate). After his conversion Colson shared the following:
Second reason - the acceptance and spread of Christianity in that particular culture. 1st Century Judaism was the last group of people who would accept the incarnation of God into a man and a bodily, physical resurrection of a human being. Yet, this belief caught on among a group of people whose worldview would naturally restrict against it.
So - just as most people today resist supernatural phenomena on the grounds of a scientific/naturalistic worldview - so people living in the 1st C. also had a worldview that would have made this belief impossible.
And yet … it was accepted and spread.
The only reason had to be adequate proof of the risen Christ.
I'll share the other 2 points in the coming days.
The day started with an early breakfast at my church (7 AM). I joked that I wasn't sure even Jesus rose from the grave before 7 AM.
The breakfast was followed by 2 church services. I read scripture in the first one and prayed int he second one.
I left the second service early to go to Cornell University.
Every Easter all the Christian clubs on campus organize an event called "Easter on the Quad". This is a service of worship, testimony and a presentation of the gospel.
I was invited to give the message this year.
So, Felicia and the 3 kids and I headed up to the University. It was a beautiful sunny day.
There appeared to be about 100 students preparing for the event, setting up chairs, hooking up the sound system, a worship team was practicing.
I introduced myself to a couple of the organizers. I then told them I was going to play catch with my son until the start time got closer. Adam and I headed over to a piece of green and worked on his throwing. (He is in his 4th year of playing baseball).
After our impromptu baseball practice, we grabbed some seats near the front.
The event started with excellent (and very loud) worship music by a student led band. Their worship set included a fairly respectable rap by one of the guitar players.
A student shared her testimony which was very good.
And then I took the stage. I spoke from Luke 24.
(By the time I spoke the crowd had swelled to 700 which was encouraging).
My points were:
1. The fact of the resurrection
2. The living among the dead
3. Run and Look
My first point centered on a couple of apologetic arguments for the fact of the empty tomb. I said the best explanation for the empty tomb was the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2 reasons - the transformation of the disciples from men in hiding to men who boldly proclaimed the gospel and ending up as martyrs. I used an illustration from Charles Colson (Richard Nixon's hatchet man during Watergate). After his conversion Colson shared the following:
"I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”
People die for a lie all the time. But, people do not die for a lie WHEN THEY KNOW ITS A LIE. It makes no sense to suffer and die for what you know is a deception. And yet that is what everyone of the disciples did.
Second reason - the acceptance and spread of Christianity in that particular culture. 1st Century Judaism was the last group of people who would accept the incarnation of God into a man and a bodily, physical resurrection of a human being. Yet, this belief caught on among a group of people whose worldview would naturally restrict against it.
So - just as most people today resist supernatural phenomena on the grounds of a scientific/naturalistic worldview - so people living in the 1st C. also had a worldview that would have made this belief impossible.
And yet … it was accepted and spread.
The only reason had to be adequate proof of the risen Christ.
I'll share the other 2 points in the coming days.
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