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Over a Billion Will Celebrate

It’s really astounding to me how in a few days over a billion people will celebrate and commemorate Easter. It boggles my mind that something which happened over 700,000 days ago can still fire up a passion in people to get up early, (some before sunrise) and go to a house of worship or some public arena to be among those whose attendance on this day proves the fact that Jesus Christ is still the most popular person in all of history. There is no other comparable at the core of any other religion or cult. He is absolutely matchless!

Jesus Christ, never traveled more than a couple hundred miles from his home. He never married, never attended college, never wrote a book, matter-of-fact, the only record we have of him writing, was in the sand, and no doubt the first rain washed that away. He died homeless and poor.

More songs have been sung to him and more books written about him than anyone who has lived on this planet. At least a hundred films have been made about him. There are even Jesus wrestling federations, such as Wrestling for Jesus, The Christian Wrestling Foundation and Ultimate Christian Wrestling.

The Scriptures record nearly forty specific miracles that Jesus performed. In Mark’s short Gospel alone, roughly one-third of the verses deal with miracles. The popular Jewish historian Josephus reported that Jesus was a “doer of wonderful works.” But it’s His resurrection that has captivated millions for the last 2000 years. Thomas Arnold (professor of modern history at Oxford), said “No one fact in the history of mankind…is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort” than the fact that “Christ died and rose from the dead.”

Gary
Fort Myers Vineyard Christian Fellowship (Fort Myers Churches)

Reflecting

I was just reflecting on the verse of the day (April 5th), 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or anything in the world, if you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” I am trying to get a good mental picture of what that looks like in practical everyday life. Like you, I am guilty of saying things like: “I love that place, that food, that song, that color, those shoes, that outfit”, and so on. Do you really think that’s what John is forbidding here? Can we not enjoy and even find some satisfaction in any “earthly” things? Are we to be numb or dull to all that the world contains and only light up when the conversation turns “spiritual”? Or is it possible to enjoy people and places and food and entertainment and even shoes and outfits to the glory of God?

If we consider another scripture, 1 Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”, we may get a better perspective. So with that in mind, my image of “not loving anything in the world” has changed somewhat. What about yours? Perhaps what John is trying to teach us is that finding our satisfaction and enjoyment and even “love” for anything other that Christ will result in death, whereas, finding our pleasure and satisfaction and even “love” in anything — only to the point that it can glorify God is acceptable, even good. In other words, God desires that we “love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. The key is that we not tamper with, interrupt, or find another recipient for the love and allegiance which belongs to God alone.

Cathy
Fort Myers Vineyard Christian Fellowship (A Fort Myers Church)

Weaker or Stronger?

With the economy in a free fall, Washington rocked by a new scandal almost daily, and a nation gripped by fear, what passages of Holy Scriptures have been the greatest comfort to you? Has your Christ-centered faith become weaker or more muscular?

Our New Website

Welcome to the new website of the Fort Myers Vineyard Christian Fellowship.  We hope that you will enjoy the new site and that you will come here often to see what’s happening at the Vineyard.   Change is sometimes difficult and we will be saying good-bye to our old website that we have all gotten used to:

On our new site, you will be able to stay current with what’s happening by checking out the Vineyard Blog for the latest updates.  You can also tell your friends to visit the site if they have any questions about the church.    If you have any questions or comments about the site let us know by adding a comment at the end of  this post or by using the contact page.    We look forward to the ministry that lies ahead for all of us and let us continue to pray not only for the Fort Myers Vineyard but for all the churches in Fort Myers who are serving the Lord.