Gleanings for April 9

RESURRECTION DAY

Ephesians 1: 19, 20; 22, 23 NLB: “I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the SAME MIGHTY POWER that RAISED Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

“And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and He gave Him this authority for the BENEFIT OF THE CHURCH. And the church is His body; it is filled by Christ, WHO fills everything everywhere with HIS PRESENCE.”

CHRIST AROSE!!!

“Up from the grave HE AROSE, with a mighty triumph over His foes,

HE AROSE a Victor from the dark domain,

And He LIVES FOREVER with HIS saints to reign!

HE AROSE! HE AROSE! HALLELUJAH! CHRIST AROSE!!

Death could not keep Jesus in the grave! He broke every shackle and chain that the devil tried to put in the path of victory. When the Pharisees ordered the HUGH stone and armed soldiers to guard the SEALED tomb of Jesus, it was found to be of “no-effect” for we read in Matthew 28:2:

“Behold! There was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it!” The stone and the Roman Guards, who, Verse 2 tells us: “became as dead men” were no match for the Presence of God which shook the nation and proved that Satan had been defeated. Jesus had already left the tomb when the stone was removed but its removal came so that witnesses might see the evidence of the empty tomb.

Please read again the scripture from the Book of Ephesians (including the verses I did not print.) The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the CENTRAL truth for Christian faith. The Apostle Paul says in First Corinthians 15: 17: “And if Christ has not risen, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins.”

We find recorded in the scriptures many appearances that Jesus made after His resurrection, one is where the Apostle Paul relates (See Acts chapter 9) his conversion experience as he was on his way to Damascus to kill Christians. Read also, his testimony in the 15^th Chapter of Corinthians where he tells about our “Risen Christ” both should be read and studied many times—I believe they are especially helpful for someone who has had (or still has) questions concerning the reality of life after death.

When Jesus becomes the Lord of your life, the same power that raised him from the dead is in YOU; are you living in the strength of that POWER? If so, you also will find that strength is the SOURCE OF the JOY we remind you of each day:

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!!