Dave’s Monday Blast – April 8, 2019
On our recent trip to Israel we visited the tomb where the body of Jesus was placed after his crucifixion. (Actually there are two very plausible sites and we visited both). Do you know what I observed in both tombs? Empty! 
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was/is the defining moment in all of human history. Why? Because His resurrection proved that He was/is exactly who He claimed to be. God’s plan to redeem mankind was set in motion before the foundation of the world and the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus completed the plan. As a believer in, and follower of, Jesus I love to read Matthew 28:1 – 7 over and over. Verses 6 & 7 are unquestionably two of the most powerful verses to be found in all of Scripture: “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come see the place where He lay (past tense). Then go and quickly tell his disciples that He has risen from the dead…”
Remembering what Jesus did for us is good. Being confident in the Truth about the resurrection is good. Responding to our Kingdom Mandate of testifying to the good news is not only good, but it is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1 & 2).
There are 8 practical ways that we can be part of the Redemptive Plan of our Heavenly Father: Here are the first 4!
1. We are to take the Gospel (Good News of His Resurrection) to the world. Jesus called us to be “fishers of men”. A fisherman cannot catch fish without going to where the fish are! (Acts 17:17).
2. We need to verbally communicate the Gospel. People need to hear and understand the message of the Gospel in order to receive it (Romans 10:14 – 15). Ultimately people must be told of their need for salvation and of the grace of God found in Jesus Christ.
3. We must relate to people and build relationships. We must remember that people’s hearts as well as their heads must be won! The apostle Paul provides a great model for us in this area (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
4. We need to build bridges for the Gospel. This means we are to be looking for opportunities and openings for Gospel conversations from within another’s life, culture or religion. As the apostle Paul demonstrates in Acts 17, it is wholly appropriate to use non-Christian sources to make connections to biblical truths for the sake of communicating the Gospel.
I would encourage you my brothers during this Easter Season to be INTENTIONAL about sharing the Good News. God will be INTENTIONAL about who He brings into your sphere of influence…don’t miss it!
