For the Christian, the Resurrection is the touchstone of our faith in Christ. Without it, everything else in the Christian faith falls.  It is the key to everything we believe and do. Without it, being a Christian is rather pointless. There are many other worldly institutions that can do what many churches do in terms of helping the poor, encouraging the weak, and bringing hope to those touched by disaster.

We emphasize the Resurrection–because there was an empty tomb. Jesus was dead, and then he was buried by some of his followers (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus). They ascertained that He was dead. There was no mistake. He was quickly prepared for burial and then placed in a brand new tomb that belonged to the Arimathean. There they left the body of the One they had loved and followed. There they left their hopes and dreams. There was the greatest of disappointments.

But, within the space of three days, that very tomb was vacant. The dead body was gone. The disciples had not stolen it–they were cowering in fear. The women who went to the tomb early that Sunday morning were certain of its location. There was a Roman guard, with an official Roman seal ordered by the Roman governor. These men were duty-charged, at the cost of their lives, to make sure that nothing happened to disturb that tomb. Still, the tomb was empty. That remains a fact of history.

That empty tomb was the door to new life.  The Apostle Paul, in Romans 4:25, tells us that Jesus was raised to life again for our justification. That is, that because of Jesus’ resurrection, we (who believe) are declared to be right with God, just as if we had never sinned in the first place. Without that justification, we would still be lost in our sins. God cannot allow the unjustified sinner into His Heaven. So He accepts the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross in our place.

When we accept Christ, God declares us righteous, as Christ has taken on our sin, and died for it. No longer are we lost and dead in our sins.

That empty tomb was the open door to eternal life. Death is scary. It means an end to a life we know, love, and cherish.  The lament for those who have died goes up in every community every day of the year.  Yet, In John 11:25-26, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” The Resurrection does not guarantee that we shall never die physically. But it does guarantee that we shall live beyond death. We are not in a hopeless situation, anymore. With our faith in Christ Jesus, we are given a living hope, that our life will continue beyond our physical death, and someday, we will be given a new body that will complement our redeemed soul.

That empty tomb was the open door to new hope. The disciples were dejected because their best Friend had died. When they found Him alive, however, they were infused with a new hope that transformed their lives.  So it has been with all who have truly trusted Christ. As Jesus had been raised from the dead, so they, too, would be raised as well.
That hope was worth sharing, worth telling the world. And after a time of learning more from Jesus, and then watching Him ascend into Heaven, they were blessed by the Holy Spirit and then went into the world proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus. Those disciples, who just a few days before were afraid for their lives, went out without a worldly care for their lives to the corners of the known world. All but one died as a result of persecution for their preaching and faith. What transformed them?  The empty tomb–the Risen Jesus.

Do you know Jesus Christ? Do you have the hope that you, too, will spend eternity in Heaven with Him?  Do you know that death has no permanent claim on you? Are you ready to meet God? Trust Jesus by faith today! Don’t put it off!  You, too, will have a transformed life, and a renewed energy. Turn to Jesus today!

Pastor Craig Alan Myers

Quill & Scroll
March 2009

First, His suffering was almost over. The agony and the anguish of His suffering were just about done. The Father loved Jesus, His Son, yet He knew that if the debt of sin were to be paid, there must be poured out upon the Son His wrath against sin that had been accumulating since the initial transgression in the Garden of Eden. It is done. The sacrifice has been offered. It now awaits but to die.

Second, it was finished, as the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled. Beginning at Genesis 3:15, it had been foretold that there would be a Messiah or Saviour who would atone for man’s sins and bring about our reconcilation with the Father. Specific prophecies had also been given. For example, Scripture says that some would cast lots for His raiment. It happened. Scripture foretold that the Saviour would thirst and they would give Him vinegar to drink. It happened. Scripture says that the Messiah was to be deserted by God. It happened. He was to be despised and rejected by men. It happened. There is not a single promise in the Old Testament, not a single prediction by any ancient prophet, that wasn’t fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Third, it was finished, for God’s Law had been perfectly kept by Christ. On the Cross, Jesus was able to say, “I have fulfilled the demands of God’s holy law. I have been completely obedient to the Father.” He did that for the sake of His people. He did not have to die to gain His own soul’s salvation. Jesus Christ kept the Law so we could be delivered from its punishment. By paying the wages of sin (Romans 6:23), the Lord Jesus freed us from the Law. He has liberated us from its punishment. He took away our guilt, and has given us liberty through the Gospel.

Fourth, it is finished, as the types and shadows of the Law have been fulfilled. Strange and wonderful things happened, according to Matthew 27. The earth shook, and dead people arose from the dead and came out of their tombs. The veil separating the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying the fact that the presence of God was available to all who come by faith to Him. The sacrifices on the Temple altar were useless now. The blood of Christ removed the sins of His people.

Finally, it is finished, as our salvation was secured. God could have determined to leave us to our just desserts. He could have permitted us to go to hell. But He decided to do something in His mercy. He sent His Son to live and to die so that the Son could say, “It is finished!” He thus secured the salvation of all who come to Him in faith. While the sacrifice was sufficient and powerful for all, it only applies to those who trust in Jesus and throw themselves wholly on the grace and mercy of God for His solution to our sin problem.

When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” it brought great assurance. For those who belong to Christ, salvation has been bought and paid for. We can bring nothing to the transaction but ourselves.

It also brings great warning. The death of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead means nothing if you are outside of Christ, if you have never come to Him in faith and accepted His sacrifice in your behalf. The situation is not finished for the unsaved–their sins are with them still, and the wrath of God still rests on them. The Bible says, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near.” Won’t you trust Him now, and know that sin’s penalty “is finished” for you?

Pastor Craig Alan Myers
Quill & Scroll
March 2004

He was faithful to obey his father. He learned early on that he himself was not the fount of all wisdom and knowledge.He did as his father said, he followed through on his father’s instructions, and understood that there was much to learn from the older generation. It is important as young people to channel energies in good ways, and heed the counsel of those who have passed through many of the same things we have. Older people, especially parents, have been through most of the same things teenagers go through. It is a wise young person who seeks the thoughts and ideas of older people.

Joseph was faithful though his circumstances changed.  He went from being his father’s favorite to being a slave in Egypt, and at the hands of his own brothers, in the course of a few days. What a devastating change in his life! Yet he kept on being the person he was, and trusting the God he had come to depend on.

He was faithful through his sufferings. There’s an interesting piece titled “The Pit.” Here’s how it goes:

A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out. He called for help…
A subjective person came along and said: “I feel for you, down there.”
An objective person came along and said: “It’s logical that someone would fall down there.”
A Christian Scientist came along: “You only think that you are in a pit.”
A Pharisee said: “Only bad people fall into a pit.”
A mathematician calculated how he fell into a pit.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on his pit.
A realist said: “Now that’s a pit.”
A geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.
The tax department asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
The zoning department asked if he had a permit to dig a pit.
A self-pitying person said: “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen MY pit!”
An optimist said: “Things could have been worse.”
A pessimist said: “Things will get worse!!”
A charismatic said: “just confess you’re not in the pit.”
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit”
Joseph kept trusting the Lord to get him out of the pit.

He was faithful to cultivate faithfulness.  Why is it that some folks seem to turn away from Christ, and the Church, and their responsibilities, and others do not? A large part of it is how someone has cultivated their spiritual lives. The person who avoids his Bible, prayer, and going to church, is much more likely to go astray when times get tough. The person who actively seeks out the Scriptures, who actively prays, and who regularly goes to church–that is, they are cultivating their faithfulness–are much more likely to remain close to Christ and the Church.

Joseph was faithful even when far from home.  Some people in Joseph’s shoes, might think that it is a time to experiment and to try some new (usually illicit) things, now that they are out from under their parents’ and their home community. Joseph found himself in the midst of the most powerful and wealthy nation on earth. It was a pagan country when the residents worshipped the Nile River, the land, and the sky. No one would know if he became fully Egyptian in his thinking and behavior. Yet he remained faithful to the worship of the one true God, and to the customs of his own people back in Canaan.

Joseph found, in the process of being faithful, that God is always faithful to His people. (Isaiah 43:2). In all his troubles, he found that God cared, even when his brothers, his Egyptian master, his jailers, and his jailhouse friends did not.  He found that God comforted him in his homesickness, his sorrow, and his likely confusion as he confronted his circumstances.

Someone has written:

God sometimes uses:
Pits as foundation for palaces;
A cross that leads to a crown;
Tears that lead to triumph; and
Valleys that lead to victories.

May we all continue to be faithful to Christ and the Church!

Pastor Craig Alan Myers
Quill & Scroll
March 2009

Will you talk with one person (at a minimum) about Christ each week? This may be something as simple as a one-sentence testimony of what our faith means to us. We all know that we should be witnessing to people about Christ, yet it seems that it often falls to “someone else” to actually do it. Sharing with one person doesn’t seem all that hard, but think of the eternal benefits it may bring!

Will you invite someone new to church with you each week? Over the years, many people who have come to Blue River (and weren’t part of our family network), came because someone kept inviting them. They were encouraged to come with someone they knew. It is often hard for people to come “cold turkey” to church where they may not know anyone. But if we invite them, they just might say yes! Some might even trust Christ! Some might even join our fellowship!

Will you encourage someone in the church specifically each week? That doesn’t sound difficult, but again, we may not realize the long term benefits it may hold. Beyond saying, “You did a good job,” we ought to mention something really specific that has blessed us or been a glory to God. It doesn’t have to be something from a worship service. It may be a lesson taught, or a particular personal blessing we received. Do it in person, then follow up with a note in the mail. We have the “encouragement cards” available at the back of the auditorium and in many of the classrooms. Pick out a young person and give them specific encouragement. Five minutes and 42 cents seems like a very small price to encourage someone else.

Will you speak well of our church? Blue River is a great congregation in which to serve the Lord! If a person belongs to a congregation, they should be “bragging it up.” Sure, it may be easy to point out faults, but when we complain much and continually, then why would anyone else want to be a part of our church? We have so many opportunities to serve the Lord and to tell the Gospel, but somehow we overlook them. We should be glad for our youth ministry, our variety of Sunday school classes, the outreach ministries we have locally, our missionaries, our service opportunities. Let’s promote them, encourage them, and anticipate the good things that the Lord will do among us!

Will you attend faithfully each week? Many churches have become merely one more choice among all those offered for peoples’ time and attention. For real believers in Christ, though, church really isn’t an option. It is our eagerly anticipated appointment each week. I can’t wait to get to church to be with God’s people, and I can’t wait to be there more than once a week. Make a new commitment to attend each Sunday service. If we do that, then make a point to attend Sunday evening service. If we do that, then make a renewed effort to attend on Wednesday evening. The dividends will go far beyond the extra couple of hours we invest.

Will you pray daily for our church? Perhaps we “speed through” our prayers, or concentrate on those on the sick list, or pray only for our family. But think how much more powerful our church’s witness would be if every member prayed specifically for the ministry of Blue River each day. One day, we could perhaps pray for the Official Board, the next day, Women’s Work, the next day, the youth ministry, then the pastor, the church secretary, then the Sunday School teachers, then the nursery workers, the custodians, the Chain O’Lakes ministry, the missionaries we support…you get the idea. We could pray for two other members or families in the church each day. That would mean we would all be prayed for twice to three times per year specifically. There is no lack of subjects for prayer. It is interesting that the things we pray for, are the things about which God begins to excite us.

Will you give more to the work of the Church? Yes, everyone’s costs are increasing. We pay more for basic goods and services than even a few years ago. The Church is not immune from this. Some folks, though, continue to contribute a minimum–perhaps even the same amount they gave ten or twenty years ago! It is a good discipline to use the church offering envelopes, and keep track of what we have given in the past year. Then we can see if we can do more the coming year. If we each made the tithe (ten percent of our gross increase) our goal, think what God will do through Blue River. If we are already tithing, what would it do to add 5% of our tithe to it as an offering? The mind boggles at the opportunities!

One more thing: Will you see all of the above as things we get to do (as our privilege) rather than things “we have to do” (as a duty). It is amazing how our perspective changes when we see something as a privilege as contrasted to a duty. We get to be a part of Christ’s Body, the Church. We have no right to be a part, and if we look at our participation as a “duty” (in the modern view of that good word), then our involvement will be more of a chore than a delight.

This list is just a beginning. There are other endeavors that likely will build up the body of Christ. We should be ready to do them in 2009. Happy New Year to all!

Pastor Craig Alan Myers
Quill & Scroll
January 2009