Secondfruits of the Risen Christ

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep // 1 Corinthians 15:20

Dear “secondfruits” of the risen Christ,

Jesus is the firstfruits; he rose as the first to be resurrected. Now all who put their eternal security in his hands will also rise from the dead in what the Bible calls the final “harvest.” He went first; we will follow him.

It was great to be able to celebrate with you on Easter Sunday! There was a lot of excitement here and whether you worshiped at Mt Olive or with another group of Jesus’ disciples, the message of rising again one day, just as Jesus did, is exhilarating. That means that nothing is truly lost in this life. Time will be eternal; possessions here are old and stale compared with what we will enjoy in heaven; even friendships on earth are so limited, but not in heaven.

Because of the resurrection message, we all can now go forward with a renewed passion to think differently, to act differently, to plan differently. Our next sermon series at Mt Olive will reflect this resurrection zeal. We will be taking up a new series starting the first Sunday in May. It will simply be called, “Values.” For five weeks I will be speaking on the five different values that our Council has established in order to inform our thoughts, words, and actions as disciples of Jesus. In turn, these values will enable us to develop and grow as followers of Christ.

I’m excited for this series because of its potential to clarify and solidify all that we do. More on this in two weeks.

This next Sunday is also very special because we have the privilege of welcoming three Chinese [soon-to-be] graduates of Grace Bible Institute, a division of 316NOW. The service will be in both English and Chinese; even the Sunday School children have prepared a song that is English with a Chinese refrain.

Please pray for these three graduates as well as the worship service. God has blessed us with a special opportunity to worship together and we all desire that it is a great reflection of the power and love that Jesus has for all his followers.

Blessings to you, in Christ,
Pastor Al