This morning, at church, I was singing with great enthusiasm, enjoying being with my friends, worshipping God, when suddenly I couldn't sing any more. The truth of the words sunk right down into my consciousness: death has lost its sting because our resurrected King has rendered it defeated! When we talk about death, here, it's not just about physical death, but about the power of death in our education, culture, relationships, marriages and lifestyle. Death pervades everything - everything is tainted with corruption, which is basically the outworking of death - except where the kingdom of Heaven breathes new life. Hallelujah for Easter Sunday, hallelujah for the resurrection of Jesus!
God's kingdom - here now - explosions of salvation all over the world, where lives are touched by the presence of God - where selfishness is thrown out and love reigns - where purity and honesty fill lives which are reborn and changed into lives filled with the Spirit of God - where dancing is full of joy and worship, and there's no longer any sexual innuendo in humour or need for alcohol in order to have a good time. You know, it's time we believers in the Lord Jesus showed the world how to party! Out with the bland and in with colour! Let's not spend our days stuffing takeaways, but cook wonderful meals and take time to enjoy them with our friends! Let's dance and sing and laugh and laugh and laugh some more! We should tell more jokes and listen to more music with live instruments (you can tell I'm a musician!), climb more mountains and read more poetry.
And we should not be afraid of giving ourselves to change the world a little bit at a time.There will be a time for crying out to God in prayer, for fasting and weeping for the world and its people, but let's not be bland! (If you want to know what God thinks of blandness read Revelation chapter 3 when He speaks to the Laodiceans)
Jesus is not dead, He's alive and He wants us to be alive too.
It's time to party!
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