Easter Sunday was great at First Baptist Church, Dallas, Ga. (the church I pastor). And, if you attend a local church on a regular basis, I imagine it was good in your church as well. But, it normally is. There is an electricity in the air on Easter that isn’t present every Sunday. I wish it were like that every week and, honestly, it can be and should be.
Every Sunday is resurrection day. The early church gathered on the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection. They had been accustomed to worshiping on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. But they gathered on Sunday because that was the day that Jesus rose. And still, 2,000 years later, Christians gather on Sunday to remember the resurrection.
But celebrating the resurrection means more than just gathering on the first day of the week. That’s definitely a big part of it but, it means allowing the power of the resurrection to make a difference in our lives.
There is a scripture from Philippians that I really like. The apostle Paul said, “…that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection…” (Phil. 3:10). What does Paul mean by “…the power of His resurrection?”
Paul wanted to experience, in his daily life, the power that brought Jesus from the grave. Think about that. Paul is talking about the power that brought a dead man to life. He is talking about the power that caused a heart to begin beating after it had stopped for two days. Paul said, “I want to know that power.”
You and I can know that power as well. But, how can we experience it?
Every day, the Bible challenges us to “…be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). The Holy Spirit represents the same power that brought Jesus from the grave. So, when we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, we are being filled by and led by the same power that raised Jesus from the grave.
That means that whatever challenge we are facing; whether it be financial, physical, emotional or spiritual, the power of the Holy Spirit within us can help us to deal with it. So, we can experience the power of the resurrection every day.
What challenge or challenges are you facing
Identify them and give them to the Lord.
I encourage you, this year, to experience the power of the resurrection every day. Don’t let Easter be a one day event.