Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....Easter.....April 12, 2020
Aloha Family, I pray you are all well. This coming Sunday is the Holiest of days in a Christians life. However, even though it is the holiest, Easter to many Christians is "just another day" in our lives. So this year I will ask you all this question.....
What does Easter really mean to us personally and are we encouraging others with the truth?
Most people call Easter what??
Is it alright to use the word Easter for today? Or is it just another day in this evil world??
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines Easter “a feast that commemorates Christ's resurrection and is observed with variations of date due to different calendars on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon”.
Now, how many of you think the word “Easter” is in the Bible?? In fact, please have your Bibles open during your reading of this teaching.
Open your Bibles to Acts 12:4. You may not see the word Easter in your Bible, but here is how Acts 12:4 in written in the King James Version of the Bible:
"And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." KJV
In your New International Version, Acts 12:4 reads: "After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover." NIV
Most English translations of the Bible use the word “Passover” instead of “Easter” for Acts 12:4. Which translation is right?
What’s the first thing we should do in determining what the Bible is really saying??
Pray!
And yes, when studying the Bible, we must always look at words, phrases, and passages in context.
Does that sound familiar to my students??
Now, you can do this later if you’d like, but I can tell you right away that even a study of this word Easter in context in Acts 12, you will not find a direct definition of the word.
What else can we do to try and have an understanding of an English word in the Bible?? Check the original Greek word!
The original Greek Word for “Easter” or “Passover” in Acts 12:4 is “pascha”. Guess what? The Greek Word pascha can mean many different things! “Pascha” can mean a date, a length of time, dinner, a pagan feast, or an event.
Acts 12:4 really doesn't help us define "Easter" does it?
What’s the point? Let’s go back to the KJV of Acts 12:4….. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
If you heard the word quaternions for the first time, would you know what it meant? What’s the point? The words we use are only as good as how we define them!!
And so, is it alright to use the word Easter?
The answer of course is it depends on how you define it!
Here’s a quick life application from this teaching:
Are we clear on the definition of the words we use? How would you define Easter if someone asks you? We say that the truth will set us free. If someone tells us “Happy Easter”, why don’t we take the time to ask, what do you mean by Easter? Actually, I think a great question to ask when someone tells us “Happy Easter” is, “What does Easter mean to you?”
I’ll try and remind us next year of this. But this thought also applies for Christmas doesn’t it? When someone tells you Merry Christmas or even “Happy Holidays”, ask them what that really means to them!
By the way, in the same thought, if someone tells you they are Christians, ask them what that really means to them; and hopefully, and do it prayerfully, that you would have an opportunity to share what it truly means to be a Biblical Christian.
This is a long introduction but this is the main point of the teaching this week:
Sunday is what most people call Easter – What does it really mean to us personally?
Is Easter just a time to get up really early and see the sunrise?
Is Easter making sure you catch on television the Easter Parade in Disneyworld?
Is Easter about eating ham and turkey?
Is Easter about bunnies and eggs and chocolate?
I encourage you to look into these things about Easter because many of your friends celebrate in those ways. Perhaps you celebrate in those ways.
But God tells us that the truth will set us free! And when God tells us the truth will set us free, God is talking about truths from the Bible. Again, I encourage you to look into the meanings of the things people do during Easter, but the main thing we need to know first and foremost is what God says. For us Christians, the Easter Sunday we celebrate is really Resurrection Sunday!
Let’s read what God says about Resurrection Sunday then we will discuss what it should mean to all Christians. Please refer to your Bible and let’s go back to the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28:1-15……
And so, what can we note happened?
v1: Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday!
v6: Jesus rose from the dead while the tomb was secured.
v6: The women were the first to see the empty tomb.
v9: The women were the first to see and touch the Resurrected Jesus!
v11-15: Roman Guards were witnesses of the resurrection but were paid to lie.
Now look at Matthew 28:16-20…
The Great Commission "16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What did the Resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to the first Disciples?
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ gave all authority to Jesus Christ!
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a key to following Jesus as Lord!
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ gave Him the power to always be with His disciples!
Did you notice what was said in v17 of Matthew 28?
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped but some doubted!
Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ have a real meaning to each one of us or do we doubt?
I will close this teaching as ask you to take a few minutes and ponder these questions:
1. Do I really believe that Jesus Christ died for me but also rose from the dead for me?
2. Will I truly worship Jesus Christ as my Lord for everything or will I doubt Him?
3. Do I live “Easter” as God defines it and tell others this truth in love?
What does “Easter” really mean to you!
Please believe me when I tell you, Matthew 22:14 is REAL...."For many are called, but few are chosen."
I pray for people in their end of life everyday that tell me they are not sure....please, please do not be unsure family.
Please take a moment to think and pray about this!
Then click on the video below and watch what our Savior did for us!!!
When you have watched this video, say to yourself...This is what my Savior did for me and all Christians.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
The Bible is actually a library of 66 books, written by 44 authors over a period of about 1500 years. The 39 books of the Old Testament were composed between 1400 and 400 B.C., the 27 books of the New Testament between A.D. 50 and A.D. 100.
When the Bible was first written, there were no chapters or verses as today. In fact, many of the early, handwritten manuscripts were written without spaces between the words! Stephen Langton divided the Bible into chapters about A.D. 1228. The Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in A.D. 1448, and Robert Stephanus divided the New Testament into verses in A.D. 1551. The first complete Bible with chapter and verse divisions was the Geneva Bible of A.D. 1560.
Books of the Bible:
Old Testament: 39 books
New Testament: 27 books
Complete Bible: 66 books
Middle book of the Old Testament: Proverbs
Middle book of the New Testament: 2 Thessalonians
Verses:Old Testament: 23,214 verses
New Testament: 7,959 verses
Complete Bible: 31,173 verses
Middle verse of the Bible (KJV): Psalms 103:1,2
-(There are two middle verses, since the KJV has an even number of verses.)
Middle verse of the Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 20:17
Middle verse of the New Testament: Acts 17:17
Shortest verse of the Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 1:25
Shortest verse of the New Testament: "Jesus wept." John 11:35;
"Rejoice evermore" 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Longest verse in the Bible: Esther 8:9
Verse containing all letters of the alphabet except "J": Ezra 7:21
Verse containing all letters of the alphabet except "Q": Daniel 4:37
Verses most alike: Psalm 107:8,15,21, 31
Chapters:Old Testament: 929
New Testament: 260
Entire Bible: 1,189
Middle chapter of Old Testament: Job 29
Middle chapter of New Testament: Romans 13
Middle and shortest chapter of Bible: Psalms 117
Longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119
Chapters that are most alike: 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37
Words:In the Old Testament: 592,439 words
In the New Testament: 181,253 words
Complete Bible: 773, 692 words
Longest word in the Bible (18 letters): Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:1)
Words occurring only once in the Bible: eternity (Isaiah 57:15); grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5); gnat (Matthew 23:24)
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
What does the word "resurrection" mean to you?? This week, we look at this most important word for Christians...
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, the belief in God's saving grace through Jesus is destroyed. When Jesus rose from the dead, he confirmed his identity as the Son of God and his work of atonement, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation. The resurrection was a real, literal, physical raising of Jesus’ body from the dead.
Jesus was arrested, tried and found guilty of claiming to be a king. His body was hung on a cross between two thieves. After his death, Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen clothes and placed in a tomb with a large stone rolled across the opening. On the third day, an early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary came to the tomb and found it empty. Sitting on the rolled away stone was an angel of of the Lord who told them to not be afraid because Jesus had risen. As the women left to tell the disciples, Jesus Christ met them and showed them his nail pierced hands.
Both the Old and the New Testament speak of the truth of the Jesus being raised from death - Jesus testified of his resurrection before he died on the cross and his disciples witnessed his body after the resurrection.
Luke 24
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
May God Bless you all and keep you in His Heart:)
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou