Easter Wins

Jesus is not here; He has risen just as He said. Matthew 28:6a

Easter Sunday is one month away! Jesus’ resurrection provides JOY and VICTORY to every person who puts their faith in Him. Paul speaks of this Living Hope (our 2019 theme) in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, “But Christ has indeed raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

Have you ever found yourself forgetting what Easter is all about? This happened to me about fifteen years ago. As a part of the pastoral team I was responsible for the Guest Center and overall welcome experience. We were having three Sunday services, so I arrived bright and early at 5:30 am. I supervised the proper placement of massive balloon arches and went to Krispy Kreme to pick up dozen donuts by the hundreds. By the time Easter was all said and done, we had hundreds of people come through the Guest Center. A huge success, right? Well, I was so busy, I never made it into the services to celebrate. And to exasperate the Easter experience, my exhausted state kept me from rejoicing in all the people who had accepted Christ.

Let us not lose sight of the hope of Easter: God demonstrated His love for every person in Jesus. And His life in us, His love for us, changes everything. Hallelujah!

I sense the Holy Spirit is wanting to GET OUR ATTENTION so we can GET THE GOOD NEWS OUT to as many people we can. I would like to focus our sights on what EASTER WINS would look like at Shepherd’s House Church.

1) That each of us would INVITE at least two individuals/families to our Easter Services (April 21 at 9 and 10:45 am). Begin to pray about who you could text, call, email, or give an invitation card. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker, classmate, or a new acquaintance join us?

2) That we would see at least 10% of those in the adult services make a decision to open their hearts and give their lives to Jesus as Savior. So, if there are 200 adults in attendance, let’s believe for 20 first-time decisions. We are not looking to reach those who attend another church. We want to reach those who have never heard the Gospel, who have not ever walked into a church, or who have wandered off the path.

Let’s remember that our God desires to do so much more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Get ready, because I am believing that God is going to fill us this Easter: with hope, with joy and with the great celebration of new lives coming into His family and heavenly kingdom!