8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...
As he wrote later, he pressed on in the Lord. And, sometimes, we have to press on ourselves - we may have faced defeat or failure, but in our loss, we can encounter the gain, the hope, that has been made possible through the resurrection of Christ. When we are pressured or depressed, we can press on because of the power of the Lord released in our lives. We can step out in faith and know that God's plan for our lives in not over, that He walks with us, and He will give us strength and direction by His Spirit.
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We celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and can explore the powerful truths of what Christ has
done. 1st Corinthians 2 says this:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
Resurrection. The promise of new life. The hope of another chance.
These are all powerful themes that we can take away from the celebration of Easter. And, another powerful statement:
It's. Not. Over.
The person who has never dedicated his or her life to Christ or the believer who thinks that he or she cannot be forgiven can have the knowledge that there is forgiveness available. There is the resurrection power which brings new out of old, light out of darkness, and life out of death.
There is a powerful story out of Sutherland Springs, Texas that communicates this powerful concept of not giving up, of recognizing that even when there is tragedy and hopelessness, because of Jesus, there is hope - and it's not over.
You're no doubt familiar with the mass murder that occurred at that church a few months ago...a gunman bursting into a Sunday morning service and opening fire. He took the lives of 26 people, eventually leaving the site and taking his own life. A place of hope had become a place of terror; but hope is being restored.
And, one of the ways that the church can receive closure is to construct new facilities. According to the Baptist Press website, pastor Frank Pomeroy, whose daughter was killed that day, a day on which he and his wife were away, announced the plans recently for a new worship center and education building, in association with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
He stated, "Our primary goal is to lift up Jesus in our community," adding:
"Sutherland Springs has a certain distinction because of the enormity of the tragedy that took place at our church, but every community is touched by tragedy. Every family and every person has hurts and sorrows. We want to be a lighthouse. The light of the Gospel shines hope, even in the deepest darkness."The article gives some insight into the plans:
The planned worship center features an exterior of stone and glass. Two towers on the corners of the building will emanate glowing light. Inside, the worship center will provide seating for 250 people. A memorial to the 26 people who lost their lives in the attack will be located in space between the worship center and the education facility.Pomeroy stated: "We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers, for the love that we have felt," adding, "So many have done so much for us, and it has been a huge blessing. The purpose of these new buildings will be to serve God and serve others. That is why we exist."
So, it's an initiative that strengthens the local church, but is also a partnership that is open to thousands of other Southern Baptist churches - to repair and to restore.
We recognize, of course, that bricks and mortar alone are insufficient for redeeming the human heart. But, these structures represent a new beginning - not only to provide practical ministry, but to provide a powerful symbol to the community and the world that even though lives were lost and faith was shaken, the ministry goes on. The spirit of a people can continue, even though it has been damaged.
And, it's not over!
One of the powerful truths of Scripture, one that we celebrated in churches throughout the world, is that what the enemy intends for evil, and, make no mistake, pure evil visited First Baptist Church that day, God can use for good!
As the Scriptures state, if those who put Jesus to death had realized the incredible growth and impact that He would have through His death and subsequent resurrection, they would not have crucified Jesus. Indeed, God's ways are higher than those of humanity.
After devastation, we can be motivated to take the necessary steps to healing - I am convinced there has been incredible restorative ministry that has been done in that Texas city. And, the church is positioning itself for greater effectiveness - in this new project, they are communicating to the world a sense of hope and new life; the message of new beginnings and the power to carry on. When we have been affected by a devastating situation, we can move one step at a time toward restoration.
When we are thinking about giving up, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to provide hope and direction as we reinforce our faith in Christ. The message of resurrection can help to strengthen us when we are feeling hopeless or see no way out of our current situation - but God is mighty; He shows Himself faithful, even though our faith may be tried.
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