Early Easter

                This year, the Easter Season begins March 24 with Palm Sunday. It seems I can never keep up with the “early” verses “late” thing. It is very complicated and has to do with the changing date of the Passover, lunar cycles and so on. In fact, the Western Churches and the Eastern Churches celebrate on different days. Confusing as it is, once again there is a lesson in all this.

                Whenever man gets involved in trying to set up a system involving “God” things, man inevitably makes it more complicated. Man wants to always add his two cents worth, thinking he can improve on it.

For instance, the Pharisees’ added hundreds of laws to God’s originals given to Moses, making life more difficult for the faithful. Jesus had to explain it to them again, by condensing the whole law to two simple commandments (See Matthew 22:37-40).

Some denominations require the sinner to perform some kind of “work” to attain salvation. The Apostle Paul simply said Jesus did the work, and you can’t do anything to attain it, it is by God’s “Grace” through faith in Jesus Christ, or we would boast of our achieving the goal on our own (See Ephesians 2:8,9).

Many want to put oaths, creeds or written membership into God’s Church, adding man’s rules, guidelines or misinterpretations almost to the point of becoming a club. Dividing walls are not the Church Jesus set up. No man is the head of the church, Jesus is. The bible simply says He will ad to His Church daily those that would be saved (See Acts 2:38-47).

                So what is the lesson I spoke of concerning the changing dates of Easter? As we need to look every year on the calendar to see when it is, we should be looking towards Heaven for the return of the One who was resurrected. We don’t know when it will occur, but it will, the same as Passover and Easter. We need to be reading our bibles, asking for discernment and staying prayed up and packed up! Will He return early or late? Will He find you ready to stand before the judgment seat?

                We don’t have the luxury to set back and think we have all the time in the world. He may come early this year!

               

Ressurection Stories Not Nornally Told

     Did you know after Jesus was resurrected from the tomb, He walked and talked on earth for 40 days? Not many do. I blame this on teachings that seem to omit this important fact. It is usually left with the idea He was seen at the tomb by the women, and then went straight to the meeting with the apostles before going to Heaven. Nope!

     There are eye witness accounts of Jesus in Israel after the crucifixion. Many saw the wounds, spoke with the Lord and even ate with him! He made it real to the followers; it was right before their eyes. Jesus was not a spirit, or a hallucination, but a walking, talking risen Savior! Just as He is today! That is why they went to their deaths never recanting their stories, after seeing Jesus resurrected, how could you?

     But why don’t people know more about this? I blame it in part on man wanting the reader’s digest version of the Jesus Story. Few want to put the time into actually learning why the followers believed in Him as they did. But these testimonies are for us to read. It’s all in the Bible.