Celebration Center Celebration Center

The early church shared a deep sense of fellowship around their belief in the risen Christ. They supported each other’s faith based on their shared love for Jesus and their commitment to living out His teachings. They shared with anyone who had a need, spent time reading the scripture, and fellowshipped together. This spirit of community was what allowed their numbers to grow each day and for the Gospel to spread far and wide. Today, believers can enjoy the community that comes from faith. Being a part of God’s family helps us experience all that God has for us.

One of the greatest obstacles to growing in our faith is the inability to fully accept the forgiveness of God. Our past mistakes, shortcomings, and failures too often hold us back from all that God has for us. God invites us to live with a future focus. Rather than dwelling on the past, we are called to live with eager anticipation for what lies ahead.

Easter morning revealed an empty tomb because Jesus had risen from the grave. The two women who first made the discovery had a choice to make. Do they trust the good news or do they ignore the evidence in front of them? The resurrection of Jesus was good news that changed the lives of the disciples and by their impact, the world. We have the same choice to make as the woman did. When we choose faith, we are found “in Christ” and our lives are made new.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people were excited! They so desperately wanted their savior to come and rescue them, but what they weren’t expecting is where he would start. He didn’t storm the palace and kick out the romans, in fact, he went to His own temple and started with His own people there. The people wanted a regime change, and Jesu brought it, but not at all in the way they were expecting.

The only imitation we should be striving for in our life is to imitate Jesus. This means we look like Him in how He loved others. This love was unbelievable to those on the receiving end. This love was unconditional and not based on performance. This love was self-sacrificial and not selfish. The only urge we should give into is the urge to be more like Jesus.

God, because He decided to use us to accomplish His mission in this world, calls us His “ambassadors.” We are called to be God’s voice to reconcile people to Himself. This includes the willingness to speak up and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.