God's Life-Raising Work

As we conclude Resurrection Week we remain with our minds fixed and focused on the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thankful for how we too are able to live resurrected lives in Him, we cannot but bask in complete marvel and wonder. We have no choice but to give undiluted praise and thanks to the Holy Ghost for His immeasurable gift of learning.

Thanks be to the Holy Ghost for this treasure. Amen!

We conclude with the repeat of a Scripture Passage, which has come before us with a difference.

But God raised him from the dead. Acts 13: 30.

Paul and the other servants of God, are visitors here in Pisidian Antioch. It is the Sabbath and they have gone to worship in the synagogue. At the appropriate point in the worship service, these visiting servants of Jesus Christ are given an invitation. Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak. Acts 13: 15b. The invitation is gladly accepted and Paul brings the message. In speaking his word of encouragement, he tells the people all about God raising Jesus from the dead. It is from Paul’s discourse concerning God’s marvellous and miraculous ‘Life-Raising’ work in Jesus that this enlightening and encouraging word comes to you.

Here are ten life-raising facts, which have been made available to us, for our enlightenment, encouragement and endorsement. Receive in faith and by faith.

God’s Holy, Begotten Child suffered death.
God did not stop the cruel, criminal hands and minds of evil from ravishing His Beautiful Child.
God let His Beloved Child descend to the very bottom and for a time, be in hell.
God’s Blessed Child was not just stripped of some things, but of everything, except love.
God’s Bountiful Child became too weak to help Himself and laid there helpless.
God chose to give this experience to His Benevolent Child, who became obedient, even to the cross.
God never cheated suffering and death for His Bleeding Child.
God never deceived the world, nor hid from it all about the suffering of His, Born of a woman, Child.
God always was with His Blest Child, and kept Him, the same in death, as in life.
God raised His Child in His time, for no one but God’s Hand raised His Beloved Child.

God still has children, His beloved children, whom He chooses to know suffering and death, in their manifold forms. The deceiver gloats, but not at the evil he is able to do to a child of God. He gloats and celebrates when the child of God begins to throw off his or her tackle. It is when, the mind, heart, soul and strength are deceived into seeing all the horrible and terrible things as undeniable, confirming proof that God has abandoned you. It is when all around you uphold this premise in thought, word and in deed. But God is unfailing in His works. His Life-Raising Work continues in His children.

What a message of encouragement for all believers, sinners saved by our Lord’s grace. What a word of endearment! Does it not lift you up and propel you to continue as people who have died with Christ and have been raised with Him? Our God’s life-raising work is never done, as long as the earth remains.