Why Do Christians Celebrate Easter?
Back in the 1880’s Nietzsche declared that “God is dead,” and before the turn of the Twentieth Century, Shaw and Wells chimed in saying the 20th Century would mark the end of the world’s “religious phase.”
Yet, today a church now meets in Russia’s Museum of Religion and Atheism-the former center of atheism. Nearly half of the United States’ population attend Worship on a regular basis while revival is sweeping through Latin America and Christianity grows behind China’s iron curtain.
Nietzsche, Shaw and Wells have long since decayed in their graves, and God continues to live! That’s the message of Easter. He is risen. He is risen, indeed!
Muhammad died, and was buried. His faithful followers take pilgrimages to visit his remains, the same is true of Buddha and other religious leaders. But it is not true of Jesus. You cannot visit His remains, you can only visit His empty grave, because He isn’t there. He Arose!
That’s why we celebrate Easter!
Dr. James L. Wilson
used by permission, all rights reserved. www.freshministry.org.
Jesus Christ is alive and He loves you!
He created you and longs to have a personal relationship with you. You can know Him personally by receiving Him into your life. Receiving Christ involves trusting Christ to come into your life to forgive your sins and make you want He wants you to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of your will.
Praying is simply talking to God. He knows you. What matters is the attitude of your heart, your honesty. We suggest you pray the following prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I thank you for your love and that you came into the world to die for me. I confess that I have directed my own life and that I have therefore sinned against God. I now want to put my trust in you and receive you in my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Make me the person you want me to be. I thank you that you answered my prayer and that you are now in my life. Amen.”
Other Easter Reading:
The Easter Story – the story of Christ’s death and resurrection
Easter Poem: When I say… “I am a Christian”