A Word from the Pastor - April

Time continues its steady march and spring is here. In just a few days we will gather to celebrate the most important holiday on the Christian calendar - Easter. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul says, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” As Christians, we should never lose sight of the cross. It has been said that the believer who tires of hearing the gospel may not be a believer. The cross is the central theme of our belief structure. Jesus died in our place.

Notice that Paul doesn’t say that the cross is powerful to those who are saved. He says that it is the power of God to those who are being saved. It is true that God saves us as soon as we believe, but there is also a sense in which we are being saved everyday as we follow the Lord in obedience. The cross is what brought us to God and the cross is what keeps us in His presence. If we ever feel like we are slipping away from God, we need to go back to the cross. That is the purpose of observing the Lord’s Supper. We are to remember what Christ did on the Cross in our place.

As we reflect upon the cross in the course of our daily lives, we will find that the cross will bring us closer to God. The more we study the cross, the more unworthy we feel to receive it. As a result, we will serve the Lord with a deeper gratitude and commitment. We will serve the Lord with a greater sense of humility and will reach out to others in the same way. We will come to church looking for ways to serve rather than ways to be served, and we will find that we are more in the center of God’s will than ever before.

We do not deserve the cross. We deserve punishment, but God is a God of love and reaches across the gulf of sin to make a way for us to enter His kingdom. Oh, the glory of the cross, and oh, the power of the resurrection. Don’t let this Easter simply be a day of mandatory church attendance and enjoyable family gatherings. Reflect upon the cross and the Savior who died in your place.

Thank God for the cross!
Thank God for the Savior!
Thank God for Easter!

Bro. Anthony P. Langley, Pastor