Happy Easter

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here" (Mark 16:5-6).

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God....On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 11-13 &16).

For many, life is just a process of death. Every day, they move closer and closer to the finality of physical death. But the good news is this: for those of us who are alive in Christ, life is a process of constant regeneration and resurrection. Every day for us is a revival. We have "taken hold of that which is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:19).

This message is not just for Easter. Every morning when we rise, we should remember that, when Christ rose from the dead, we did too (Romans 6:4). In His resurrection, we also have a new name.

After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him (Hosea 6:2).

Your new name is Beloved. Redeemed. Righteous. The message of the cross isn't crucifixion but resurrection.

And, if you're distressed about a world that is dying, here's some even better news:

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

The Great Commission isn't about running around the world to "convert" people, build churches, and baptize as many people as possible as fast as possible. It's simply about reaching out a hand to a dying people, awakening them to the revelation that there is a Father who wants to be reconciled to them in order that they might live.

I could write a long time about Easter, about the cross, about the resurrection, and about what it all means. But today, just remember that there is a man who didn't stop at death. He rose so that you could, too.

Happy Easter!