IT IS NOT OVER YET

Image courtesy photobucket.com

Our minister Pastor Jerry at church on Sunday used Mark 16: 1-8 as his scripture.

Early on Easter morning the women came to the tomb and finding it empty were terribly distressed. An Angel told them to go and tell the others that Jesus was not there for he had risen from the dead. The women told no one at first because they were afraid.

When they gained courage they ran to find the disciples who were weeping and grieving and told them that Jesus was alive but they refused to believe. His faithful followers did not understand even after they had been with Jesus for three years and heard his repeated message that he must die but in three days he would raise from the dead.

It took several appearances by Jesus to finally convince them that He was risen indeed as He had said. Finally Jesus appeared to over 500 at one time as He gave the great commission to go and tell others that all was not lost and that it was NOT over yet.

Each of the New Testament Gospels ends with his disciples going and telling and working miracles as Jesus commanded them to do.

Pastor Jerry told a story of a group of 60 Seminary students who were instructed within 12 minutes to prepare a 10 minute sermon on the Good Samaritan. They were then to rush to the recreation room where cameras would record their sermons. What they did not know was they were being “set up.” An actor had been hired to lie along the path that they would take. He had fake blood on him, his clothing was torn and he appeared beaten up. Of the 60 students 57 hurried past him, thinking that someone else would attend to this fellow. Three of the 60 students stopped to offer help to the supposed injured man. The lesson for them that day was - - Not to be in such a hurry to GO and TELL their message, that they neglected to consider people who were hurting.

Another illustration was a story of a young youth minister who gathered young people from his church and also from the neighborhood to minister to them. Some had little or no knowledge of the life of Christ and what He had accomplished. One day the Youth Minister dressed in a shepherds robe and gathered the young people in the church basement around a simulated bonfire. Beginning at the birth of Jesus he took them through his baptism, the miracles and finally to the garden. As he told of the arrest of Jesus and the beatings he endured all was silent, but when he began to tell of the nailing of Jesus to the cross to die, one young boy in tears yelled out, “Man Stop.” One of the Christian young people bent over and whispered “It is alright, because “IT IS NOT OVER YET.”

Today it is up to us as believers to tell the story that Easter is Everyday – Jesus is risen and He lives.

There are many who need to know - - that “IT IS NOT OVER YET.”

This post is linked to Deidra’s Sunday Jump Tandem 

And to Michelle’s,  Hear it on Sunday