As Christians whenever we’re celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we need to be very cautious, so as not to be carried away with the religious festivities and forget the significance of the occasion.
The religious festivities are often used by the enemy, to take many away from the core message of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – Eternal Salvation.
The reason for taking the Holy Communion is the same reason that makes us to rejoice about Christ’s resurrection.
The Apostle Paul told us that:
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV
Whenever we are taking the Holy Communion, we’re actually proclaiming His death, resurrection and ascension until He comes back again.
What a glorious hope to have in knowing, that Jesus will be back again to reign on the earth?
The religions of this world can never offer such a hope concerning the return of their gods.
Jesus is the only hope for eternity here on earth. That’s why Christians do celebrate His Resurrection.
Celebrate His Resurrection not Easter!
The religious orgies that many often indulge with at “Easter”, is deeply rooted in European paganism.
It is the worship of the Germanic goddess called -Èostre or Ostara.
All of the so-called Easter bunnies, eggs and candies are deceptions of the enemy, that are designed to sway people away from the core message about Jesus’ resurrection in Christianity.
There is nothing in the Bible about all these things. There is no scriptural basis for Christians to be indulging in them.
They absolutely have nothing to do at all with Christianity, but this so-called European tradition had managed to get its way into the Church in Europe during the nineteenth century.
The Truth about celebrating His Resurrection.
As Christians we do celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is risen from the dead indeed. And today He is alive, seated in glory at the right hand of God, the Father.
He now is waiting on us as His believers here on the earth, to prepare the way for His return, as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
So, as we are rejoicing about His resurrection, we must remember not to get ourselves carried away with the religious orgies of paganism from Europe.
The primary purpose for our celebration is, that Jesus is coming back again.
And we all do have the Christian duty as His followers to prepare the way for His return.
Get wiser in dealing with the world.
In the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1-10, Jesus told us about the five wise virgins and the five foolish ones.
The ten of them were eagerly awaiting the return of the bridegroom. But while they were all waiting the scripture text says in verse five:
“The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
Matthew 25:5 NIV
All the ten virgins fell asleep, in the same way as many have become drowsy and fallen asleep today within the Body of Christ, especially within the Babylonian world system.
They are all falling asleep irrespective of what denomination or church group they do belong to.
Thank God that Jesus is not coming back for any denomination or Church group.
He is coming back only for those who have made themselves ready for Him, like the five wise virgins.
It is even more interesting to note in this parable, that the presence of the extra oil (a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit), with a group of the smart (wise) five virgins in that Parable, could not stop them from falling asleep.
Why?
This is because being filled with the Holy Spirit and the evidence of tongues, as the heavenly language without a solid foundation of the word of God creates a spiritual junkie of a Christian.
Many today are filled with the Holy Spirit, but spiritually asleep. They need a reawakening from their slumber or sleep.
In most cases the enemy finds it easy to exploit these deceitful people within the Body of Christ, to serve his own purpose of manipulating and confusing Christians, with the aim of ultimately controlling and destroying them.
Now, that has always been the devil’s plan for all ages. He has not and he will never change it (John 10:10; 1John 3:8).
Get yourself ready, rooted and grounded.
When Jesus returns to reign here on the earth, faith in His Holy Word in our lives as His believers is what He will be looking for.
Even then tongues may have faded away (1 Corinthians 13:8), but His Word will still remain.
His written and living Word will stand the test of any time, season, age or generation.
As Jesus Himself said it:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
(Matthew 24:35 NIV)
The Church needs to be ready with the living Word of God, because that is the language we will all be speaking in heaven.
So many people within the Body of Christ can speak the language of their unsaved world these days, and you do then really begin to doubt the genuineness or authencity of their salvation.
Watch out for them, guide your heart and be ready for Jesus’ return!
Jesus is coming down physically to the earth again.
He is coming back only for those who are ready and prepared for Him.
That was the message of Christ in the Parable of the ten virgins.
And it ought to be the message about His resurrection to the world today.
Don’t be found naked like Adam.
He came back again into the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve had fallen, and they were both found wanting and not ready to meet Him, due to the presence of sin in their lives (Genesis 3:7-9).
His judgement came down so speedily at that time on them. And it will come speedily also when He returns again.
Remember:
…”However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8b AMP
Be ready and prepared!
The children of Israel had just finished crossing the Red Sea after God’s great acts of deliverance on their behalf.
God then came down again to meet with them. Before He came down He warned them:
“And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”
Exodus 19:10-11 NIV
His message to them at that time is the same message to us today:
“separate yourselves from this evil world of sin and death, set yourselves apart from them for me, and be ready, I Am coming back again.”
We do live in a world that is fast-pace, to the extent that many within the Church are not even paying attention to this very important warning from God.
Just like in the wilderness, the Israelites complained about every little thing and many of them died while complaining.
And because they paid no attention to the several warnings from God to repent – they died.
Many in our world today are complaining also, just as the Israelites did in the presence of God while in the wilderness with Him.
Get yourself ready! Put your house in order! The King is coming back again!
At that time, in a nation of tens of millions that was hanging out in the wilderness, the smartest guy of them all was the only one who knew to pray instead of complaining.
He knew complaining will not help in resolving anything with God.
So, when they all complained, Moses prayed and God spoke directly to this smart guy. His message to him at the time was simple:
“Get the people ready, I am coming back down to earth.”
Today from the streets of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and all over the world that same message is still ringing from the mouth of those who are smart (because they are praying).
Their message is still the same everywhere – “Get yourselves ready, God is coming back again!”
He is coming back with judgement and vengeance on the wicked. What His return will be like is revealed to us by Him through the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”
Revelation 19:11-16 NIV
I remember an artist who still lives in the city of Berlin, who once tried to paint the image described here.
But while trying to do the painting of the image of Christ’s return as described here, what he was painting became so real to him and got a hold of him.
He dropped his paints and brushes, he immediately repented of his sins, as he wept asking the very Jesus whose image he was trying to illustrate into his life.
Today, he is preaching the message of the Man that he once tried to paint.
Be ready, consecrated and separated to the Lord.
If you think that what John wrote on the Island of Patmos, is probably coming out of the world and its system.
Well, get your bible and read it for yourself. This is no superman’s fairy tale or your silly “Harry Porter’s joke”.
This is the real deal my dear brothers and sisters. Get yourselves ready, God is coming back again to reign on the earth.
How do we get ourselves ready, you may be asking?
God is saying to you today:
“Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV
Separation from this evil and corrupt, messed up world is what God is calling every believer into today.
If indeed we are to be ready, we will be separated from them and their evil deeds.
You may say;
“But I still have to be relevant in the lives of the unsaved people around me whom I love so much”.
“Am I supposed to be separated from them also?
Read therefore Matthew 24:36-51 and get your answer directly from the mouth of Jesus.
Separation is some advice from the God who loves us.
But it is compulsory for us to be separated from the evil world (even though we still live in it), and be glued in union with Him, if indeed we want to see Him.
As the scripture says:
“Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14 AMP
Holiness is not a religious cliché!
It is what God expects of us as His people.
Separating yourself apart from this evil and messed up worldly system prepares you for it.
You may heed His advice, or you may refuse to be separated from the evil and the pleasures of the world around you.
It is a matter of choice that comes with consequences.
By the way, as a bible believing Christian, you are not supposed to be hanging out with that unsaved group in the world anyway; except if you are truly walking in dominion and authority among them.
That is how many are being deceived today. They think:
“I am with them, because I want to be the light in their midst.”
Well, the truth of the matter is that, if your light is truly shining among them, they will be getting saved, they will be getting healed and delivered from that very darkness into the light of Christ Jesus.
No wonder your language has changed lately, because their darkness is gradually overcoming you.
You talk and use foul languages very much like them.
To exercise spiritual authority in the dark places of the earth, you do not need to be pretending to be who you are not.
The devil messes up people who pretend to be children of light in his darkness.
We have to be the person that we are in the light of Christ, even in the midst of the darkness of this world.
Do not change and do not compromise your authority in the name of Jesus.
That is why you have to be separated from the people and things that are keeping you away from the things of God.
So many Christians are compromising, for the sake of socializing with the unsaved world.
How is it possible to socialize with the ungodly, and not expect them to mess you and your testimony of salvation up?
Remember that all of Israel complained in the wilderness when asked to get separated from the worldly people around them.
They never listened until the Lord God finally came down with His angel among them.
Many of them died in their rebellion against God with the golden calf (Exodus 32:34-35).
It will be too late for you to get separated when He returns. You will not have the time to do it at that time.
Remember the Parable of the ten virgins and just do like the five wise ones.
Be separated and be ready! He is coming back for real!
Ministers of the gospel – get yourselves ready.
For every Minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter what you’re doing in the Kingdom of God; you need to take God’s Word to Jeremiah as His word for you today.
Jeremiah was a minister of God to the hardened nation of Israel at that time.
The people behaved at that time, just as you’re seeing them behaving today, in the evil and corrupt world in which you live.
But they never listened to the words of warning from Jeremiah.
Why? Because the worldly influences within Israel at that time, had started affecting the message that God gave His people through His servant Jeremiah.
And your messages and preaching today may not be winning souls into God’s Kingdom, because of the very same reason as in the time of Jeremiah.
You are preaching a corrupted message to please the itchy ears of your listeners.
The Lord God had told Jeremiah to adjust his message, so that He (God) may work and flow through him, to change his world and the lives of the people within it:
“Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece. [But do not yield to them.] Let them return to you–not you to [the people]. And I will make you to this people a fortified, bronze wall; they will fight against you, but they will not prevail over you, for I am with you to save and deliver you, says the Lord. And I will deliver you out of the hands of the wicked, and I will redeem you out of the palms of the terrible and ruthless tyrants.”
Jeremiah 15:19-21 AMP
God’s Word to Jeremiah is the same Word to you today:
“Get yourselves ready, separate ‘the vile‘ in your preaching from ‘the precious’ Word that God gave to you for the people.”
Do not try to “sugar coat” it! Say it, declare it just as God gave it to you.
“Sugar coating” the message of God was the mistake of Jeremiah in his time; and many in the world are making the same mistake today.
Remember that God told Jeremiah never to compromise or go down to the level of his evil world.
He told him, the people will come to you in droves when you begin to separate “the vile from the precious”.
Do not go down to their level. They must and they will come to your own level; which is the place that God intends for them to be at.
Get yourselves ready for the great move of God across the world. I can see it coming!
The unsaved world is ready for the harvest. It is what God is bringing to come to pass to get His people ready for His return.
Remember that Israel never listened to Jeremiah, until after they went into the Babylonian captivity.
But the Word of the Prophet Jeremiah came to stand.
Your world will listen to you as you begin to listen to God and do exactly what He says to you, by separating “the vile from the precious Word” that God gave to you.
Never go down to the level of your world so as to compromise the Word of God.
They will come up to live according to your own standard, because it is the standard of God’s Word.
Till next week, begin to separate yourself from the worldly system, around you.
Begin to get ready, God is coming back into your midst.
