The Apostle Paul said, …our citizenship is in heaven. In other words, heaven is our home. However, as we are reminded every time we hear the breaking news, every time we pass a hospital or cemetery, every time we find ourselves in the midst of relational conflict, we are not home yet.
Easter Sunday marks death's ultimate upset - when Jesus crashes His own funeral and turns the grave into a doorway to life. This revolutionary interruption transforms death from our greatest enemy to a defeated foe, establishing the pattern for every believer's story. His resurrection becomes the ultimate funeral crash, proving that no situation is too dead for His life-giving power.
Every one of us knows what it feels like when hope starts slipping away…The diagnosis that changes everything. The relationship that seems beyond repair. The dream that feels like it's dying. The sudden loss that leaves us empty and brokenhearted. In those moments, death seems to have the final word. In the weeks leading up to Easter, we'll encounter four extraordinary moments when Jesus interrupted death's plans and brought unexpected life.
As you read the book of Acts, you witness a church that was constantly growing and expanding. The early church was a church on the move, advancing the kingdom of God throughout the world. Each advancement in Acts serves as a picture of what happens when ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, move toward God’s call in their everyday lives. It's a narrative of individuals who, despite uncertainties, responded to God's call with generosity and action. The collective church was so focused and unified on their mission, that they saw everything they had as a means by which to advance the gospel.
