Happy Eastertide
from
This week's featured Lectionary hymn is
Close to Thee
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By His resurrection, Christ conquered sin and death. Following the
resurrection,
the Bible tells us that Christ remained on earth for 40 days. He
appeared
to many people and did many wonderous things. He ascended into Heaven
and
sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and from there He
will
come again.
He did not leave us here alone, though. Christ promised to
send the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit. The disciples received miraculous gifts from the Holy
Spirit
on the day of Pentecost, and God continues to equip us with the gifts
that
we need today.
Ministry Gifts
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 A
study of Ministry Gifts is particularly appropriate during Eastertide
as we wait to celebrate the ascension of the Lord and the miracles of
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. A Ministry Gifts survey is posted here at
HymnSite.com. You are encouraged to take the survey. For more
information, follow this
link. |
Back to Eastertide. Here is a short description of the events
from the morning
of the resurrection through the day of Pentecost. I hope you enjoy
them.
God bless you--
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| The story of Christ did not end
with His resurrection. The story continued while He remained on earth,
and it continues today as He lives in us and gives us life. The period
of time following the resurrection and leading up to Pentecost is
sometimes referred to as "Eastertide." Christ remained on earth for
forty days following the resurrection. He appeared to the disciples and
many others and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He spoke
of the Kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 |
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On the first Easter morning, Mary
Magdalene and other women went to the tomb where Jesus had been laid on
Good Friday. The Lord's burial had been done in haste, and the women
had come to finish the work. Matt 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1;
John 20:1 |
| The women were worried about moving
the heavy stone that had been rolled over the entrance to the tomb. To
the amazement of the women, the stone had been rolled away and there
were angels at the tomb. Matt 28:2-7; Mark 16:3-7; Luke
24:2-8; John 20:1 |
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Some disciples also went to see the
empty tomb. Peter went inside and saw the burial cloths that had been
placed on Christ's body. Luke 24:12; John 20:3-9 |
| When the tomb had been sealed,
Roman guards were posted to make sure that no one stole Christ's body.
When the stone rolled away, though, the guards were scared. When Christ
was missing, they went to the Jewish priests. The priests paid the
guards to say that they had fallen asleep. Matt 28:4, 11-15 |
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No one had stolen Christ's body,
though. He had risen from the grave and he appeared to many people.
Christ appeared first to women, and especially to Mary Magdalene. Matt
28:8-10; Mark 16:9-11; John 20:10-17 |
| The women shared with the disciples
the exciting news that Christ was no longer held by the tomb. He is
risen! Luke 24:9-10; John 20:18 |
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Christ also appeared to others. He
walked along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus with two of His
followers. They did not recognize Him until He broke bread with them. Mark
16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32 |
| Christ appeared to a large group of
the disciples and shared food with them. Matt 28:16; Mark
16:14; Luke 24:36-49 |
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Thomas was not with the other
disciples when they first saw Jesus. He said he would not believe
unless he could see and touch Jesus himself. A week later, Thomas had
the opportunity to do just that, and Thomas believed. John
20:24-29 |
| Christ appeared again to the
disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. The disciples were fishing when Jesus
instructed them to throw their nets over the right side of their boats.
The catch was too large to pull into the boat. John 21:1-14 |
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Sitting with His disciples, Jesus
asked Peter, "Do you love me?" Just as Peter had denied Christ three
times during the trials, Peter affirmed his love for Christ three
times. Christ told him, "Feed my sheep." John 21:15-17 |
| Before ascending to heaven, Christ
gave his disciples many instructions. He told them to go, preach the
good news, and make disciples. He also told them to wait in Jerusalem
until their baptism by the Holy Spirit. Matt 28:19-20; Mark
16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:4-5 |
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Christ raised His hands, blessed
the disciples, and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand
of God. Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:1-2, 9 |
| When Christ had ascended, two men
dressed in white appeared next to the disciples and asked, "Why are you
looking into the sky?" They assured the disciples that Jesus would
return again. Acts 1:10-11 |
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Judas took his own life after
betraying Christ. The disciples selected Matthias to take his place. Acts
1:15-26 |
| On the day of Pentecost, the
disciples were all together. The sound of wind filled the house and a
flame appeared, divided, and rested on each of the disciples. They were
filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 |
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The apostles preached the good news
in many languages. The people in Jerusalem were amazed. Peter delivered
a powerful message of repentance, and 3,000 were added to the followers
of Christ that day. Acts 2:5-41 |
The messages of the resurrection and Pentecost are still as
important today
as ever. We need the message of salvation, and we need to share the
message
of salvation. God bless you as you go forth to hear and to share the
good
news.
God bless you--
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