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Dear
friends and Family:
Easter Sunday will soon be upon us. On this special day
what will we learn and practice that makes this day special? Often times
error an illusion play a role in our society masking the great Truths that have
been given to us by God and all His glory. One of these things is Easter
Sunday. Who exactly is traditionally remembered this Sunday and for what
reason is this person remembered?
Contemporary Society remembers the “Easter Bunny” but why is he
remembered and what exactly did/does he do for the individual and family and how
often does he play this role? If he does anything it is childlike in
nature and very short lived. He is an imaginary bunny that lays eggs
invented by some person who intends to exploit you and make a dollar off of you.
This day each year has been so commercialized that someone out there on this day
is profiting on this amazingly pretend creature who capitalizes on a continued
Christmas theme of, “what exactly does the Easter bunny have for me”?
For those who are a bit older they hope to find the same thing their younger
siblings look for but they look for it from their parents. Thus mom and
dad inherit the greatly coveted role of the Easter Bunny. Why is it that
this role is coveted? Because every mom and dad likes to see the smile on
their child’s face for a make believe bunny type hero that brings chocolates,
candy, and games of all sorts to brighten the day of their child but a few times
a year with these special very commercialized holidays.
Maybe if the true story of Christmas and Easter were told it would not
induce sugar related hyperactivity and games in which brothers and sisters will
fight to see who wins and than argue as to whether someone really won that game
or not. Later to involve mom and dad to become the referee to a
failed and short-lived holiday. Now I know this is not everyone's
experience with Christmas and Easter but I am sure that it is many families
experience. So what could this true story be that would last all
year long and be of more value to a timeless invented story that has absolutely
no truth’s to it whatsoever? The obvious and un-coveted story of a
Savior who came to pay the price that no one else could pay so that all may have
a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. So that all might
have eternity of peace and happiness; where chaos does not reign but is utterly
abolished by obeying and following Righteous and Holy mandates and precepts in
which all would benefit.
The true story is Resurrection Story where popular belief conceived in
selfishness and the claim that others are close-minded Jesus is dead because
they choose to believe He is dead they feel now that they are not required to
live honorably amongst one another. To decide that there are no rights and
wrongs and whatever you desire is okay because you can claim that you are the
master of your universe. This whole system is corrupt, bankrupt, and
without any integrity and is why we live in a world full of school violence,
murder, rape, envy and the like.
Easter Sunday or (my preference) Resurrection Sunday is something that all
could be filled with joy about. Something that will answer is the long
rehearsed question (if it is in fact desired that it be answered). There
is a God, He in fact is loving regardless to anything you have done to yourself
and anyone else He is not only able but willing to forgive your sins in which He
was crucified for. What is His death supposed to teach? It is to
teach us to be more like Him. Why? For this we were created so that
He could fellowship with us. If He can give up His life for the
forgiveness of our sins than the very least we too can learn forgiveness and be
available to forgive those as well who have wronged us any many a-ways.
I, myself and familiar with being wronged no doubt many of you are.
What happens when we hold on to that hurt? We become angry and bitter, we
allow ourselves to be consumed with pain. Often times this leads to the
breakdown of our family and our homes. Who wins? You? I hardly
think so. Marriages that you may have spent time building collapse,
children that you spent your life raising become directionless and lost to
confusion and drugs and the occult as the answer, which inevitably continues a
vicious cycle of everything we read above. Everything that is considered
close-minded is the things that keep families together and violence out of our
schools and prejudices from our hearts. Once again what is this
close-minded thing I am talking about? Jesus, His Life on earth that
showed us unconditional love and His death for our sins that showed us the
ultimate sacrifice His willingness to die in our place because of our sins and
Resurrection Sunday which continued to show that He desires wholeness and
happiness to every individual. His desire to give us Himself in a full
relationship with Him to give us a full life not filled with selfish desires
that only bring joy to self but that we may have friends and family and joy
unlimited.
His Word tells us. “I am the door, If anyone enters by Me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief (who often is
celebrated figuratively or even literally) does not come except to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy. I have come that you may have life and that you may
have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
gives His life for the sheep (John 10:9-11).
When I was in school I was told that being a Christian is close-minded but
to be willing to listen to music that mocked God. To be willing to
adultery the body with drugs to desensitize the feeling of pain that came from
abuse in the home or the death of loved ones now that meant you had an open
mind. To read books of the occult and open your mind to magic and
witchcraft today is considered even more so the norm. The teaching of
there is no God, or if there is He is not your friend because it would mean
giving up too much is selfish. What has the absence of God brought this
world? What is it that God ask you to give up? A poem out of one of
my very latest newsletters that went out last year said it was self called
liberties.
Why do people wish to deny God? Because they are comfortable with the
temptations of life that say: its okay to have sex before marriage. It’s
furthermore okay that you have sex with just anyone and never really be
committed to that person. To do drugs to make the flesh experience states
of ecstasy or altered realities. People who live for these pleasures may
tell you that they are living that life that God promised more abundantly and
how dare He expect anything of me. I didn’t ask Him to die for me.
I didn’t swear my allegiance to Him, and I owe Him nothing. You wont
believe this but the person who is the butt of the joke is the very one who
makes that statement. Jesus is God and He is our creator and He has rights
over us whether we choose to believe this or not. If we choose not to live
for Him we willingly give possession of our rights over to the enemy of God who
in the first place blinded you and deceived you of the things you now believe
and speak. And one day, maybe, not to far off someone gets to collect what
is His/his. There will be a judgment that day is coming and to think that
we made our own way and forgot to look at the very one who died 2,000 years ago
and resurrected on that great Sunday which is now celebrated under counterfeit
short lived joy. Joy that is selfish and not Holy. Joy that give
allegiance to self and self-gratification.
You don’t believe in God, well not everyone else in the past did either.
The Romans were the most pagan culture in the land during the life of Jesus
coincidently this world since then has made a very large bid for that record.
Yet, even they would change their tune at the time of His death just 3 nights
before Resurrection Sunday on Good Friday this is what they experienced.
Jesus sentenced and judged to carry the price of death was made to carry His
instrument of death out of the city and up and long and arduous hill He made His
ascent. Earlier on they had pummeled him with insults and blows forced
down upon His head in mockery a crown made of thorns. Now upon this hill
He would then willingly lay down upon His cross so that they could proceed to
drive nails big enough to hold him to that cross-made of wood into his wrist and
ankles. Lifted into the air just so that they could drop Him with all His
human weight bearing down on that cross into the ground where for hours He would
have to lift Himself up just to breathe. As His blood flowed out upon the
earth below cleansing the sin of His crucifiers and all else from times past to
times present who would in their actions trample upon His Love and gift.
No greater Love had any man to lay down His life in such a matter then spoke
out the words, “Father God, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke
23:24). “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His
spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split open, and the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and
coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city
and appeared to many. So when the (Roman) Centurion and those with him,
who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened,
they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Mathew
27:50-54).
Whether you believe Jesus was real or not, whether you believe He died for
your sins or not and whether you believe He came out of the grave on
Resurrection Sunday is of no matter. The fact is He did. Whether
anyone outside of the Puget Sound area of Washington State on the day we had an
Earthquake of a 6.8 magnitude believe such an event occurred matters not.
The truth is it did happen many people will remember it as I myself do.
But your believing it in my behalf matters not. If 2,000 years from now
people say that it is incorrect history that such an earthquake occurred in 2001
or even scientifically impossible to prove matters not.
Jesus did die for you 2,000 years ago and He did resurrect by His Father in
Heaven and this is so. The only difference between the two is whether you
desire to have a relationship with God be called His daughters and Sons and have
an inheritance worth waiting for. That will last longer than just one day
for it will last for eternity. No more death, no more pain, no more tears
you can hypothesize with the world what it would take or what solution can be
mixed in the labs to make everyone love one another, or you can go with the time
tested, proved, lasting and perfect formula of Jesus Christ. This is so
simple accept His death for your sins read His word and live it out in your life
till that day He returns for us and know that from then on sin will not rise a
second time.
This day we all look so patiently for please look and hope with us.
Practice God’s formula in your life and remember Jesus is the reason to
celebrate this up-coming Easter Sunday and all yearlong. For He is the one
who loves you infinitely and perfectly and He desires nothing less than to have
a real, walking and talking relationship with you.
AgapeForever,
Jeremy Koch
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