Transformation

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 51-52

The message here that Paul had for this church in Corinth was he had good news for them about resurrection. During Easter, we celebrate Resurrection and the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross. We also have that promise of resurrection and not just at Easter, but always. As we put our trust in the One who made the sacrifice, we also will be transformed just as He was.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CROSS: Prior to resurrection, the cross was a cruel instrument of death. It was a horrible form of execution. A person who was being crucified experienced excruciating pain, difficulty breathing and a slow death. But because of His resurrection, the cross is revered as a thing of beauty and a symbol of hope. The cross is a reminder of the love God has for us.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE TOMB: The tomb was a grave viewed as a symbol of finality. Because of His resurrection, it was transformed to show us that beyond death is where life really begins and it will never end. When we consider eternity, we know that everything we see on this side of resurrection is temporary and really does not matter. Only the things we cannot see that are on the other side of resurrection are eternal.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF TIME: Before resurrection, time has limitations. In relation to eternity, even the longest life is just a mist. On this side of resurrection, time is not very long; but on the other side, there is Jesus and eternity. That changes the whole meaning and scope of life.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF LIFE: The messages we get from the world are those of hopelessness and despair. We see diseases without a cure, children being abused and unimagineable crimes. If we watch and listen for very long, it would be easy to become discouraged. If all we depend on is what we have in this world, we are in sad shape. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16  Jesus Christ came to give us real life-- to transform us, to give us joy, hope, peace and show us how to live. We can live this life and live it abundantly. We can help others to do the same.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF DEATH: Without the resurrection, what promise do we have after death? None. But after the resurrection we don't have to fear death anymore when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. When we lose a loved one, we mourn. But we mourn as those who have a great hope. Because he lives, we too can live forever. When we have Him in our heart  our concept of death is transformed. We have a promise of a new life in Him forever. Death in this life is the beginning. It is the beginning of living forever with the Lord.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory, Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55

We can personally be transformed, because of what Jesus Christ did for us, as we accept His Sacrifice on the transforming cross; and because His tomb is empty, then the grave that awaits us at the end of this life will not hold us, but rather it will only hold the remains of where we used to live-- because we will be transformed!

Yes, our life and our death can be transformed, and that is what Jesus did for us, and that is what Easter is really all about. He is Risen! 

Explore Your Potential

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20 

For archives From the Pastor's Desk visit: Each of us has potential and much greater than we can even fathom. We each have potential to do mighty things for God. But it is the main purpose of our enemy, Satan to rob us of our joy and keep us from reaching the potential that God has in mind for each person who knows Him. There may be problems or issues that prevent us from knowing what God has in store for us. Sometimes the barriers in our lives keep us from achieving our true potential. As we put our faith in the Savior, He makes all things work together for our good. As we consider our potential, we need to explore where it originates. Can we truly appreciate the power that is made available to us through Him?

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." Ephesians 1:18-21 

We have a glorious inheritance. We have an incomparable great power and that power is available to ALL who believe. It is exciting to know that we have within us the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. That is amazing potential and it is up to us to realize His power that lies in us.

In order to reach this potential, we need to be awake. We human beings tend to coast through life at times. As we are coasting along, there eventually comes a time when we suddenly realize this potential we have. This realization is often accompanied by some change in our lives, a coming to our senses. With Jesus Christ in our hearts, we need to be awake to what God is calling us to do. Our potential is so much higher than what we can imagine. So we must be awake!

We must also be aware. In our minds, we may have contemplated what we have been called to do. But we allow ourselves to find as many excuses as we can to keep us from grasping our full potential. We may feel we are too small; or we consider ourselves unworthy, or not smart enough. We may feel like we just don't deserve to reach this potential. There are so many things in life that can come between us and our awareness. Sometimes we struggle through what may seem to be the darkest times in our lives. During these times, most of us cannot see any good to come from this. But God takes the trials and tribulations of our lives and uses those for our good, and for the good of others. We must stay aware of His will for us. We cannot choose to be confined to what this world would have us be. Our human struggles can blind us to the goodness God has in store for us; but we need to stay aware of the potential He has placed in each of us.

Finally, to really be open to our potential, we need to be alive to our responsibilities. We have many responsibilities in this life: to ourselves, our family and friends, our church, our community, but most importantly to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to be and must be alive to the opportunities God gives us and be willing to live up to our potential. 

The opportunities are there and only with the help and power of God, can we be awake, aware, alive, and live up to this awesome potential. 

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13