The Resurrected Life:

If I was to say to you that your life as a Christian should be one that testifies to The Resurrection, what would your response be?

It could be, “Seriously? How’s that when I’m not one of the eyewitnesses…I believe in Jesus isn’t that enough?”

Yet I’d have to say that the Bible says much more: James says that our faith without works is dead…that even demons believe - and shudder! Read more here: James 2:14-26.

Now this obviously has nothing to do with the free gift of salvation which is NOT received by any merit or work of our own! Indeed we can come to the cross, seeking forgiveness and new life through Jesus, JUST AS WE ARE in all our sin and filth…because He cleanses us by His blood…FREELY…this is the meaning of grace!

No amount of good deeds can ever cleanse us from ourselves!

So let me ask you again…Does YOUR life testify to The Resurrection?

If this question is confusing just stay with me a little longer…because you may be someone who has been to church but has no idea what I’m talking about because all you’ve heard is, “Just believe”…and that’s okay, just hang on and you’ll follow along.

You see Jesus was the first to rise from the dead for all eternity. He appeared to hundreds of witnesses, for 40 days and told them (before ascending into heaven) to wait for the gift of the empowering Holy Spirit BEFORE going out and proclaiming the Gospel…that being; forgiveness of sins and eternal life was available to ALL people of ALL nations through Jesus Christ alone!

Jesus told His disciples to BAPTISE believers – as baptism represents drowning to the old, former life, and rising up to the NEW RESURRECTED LIFE that is promised to all believers because of the seal of the blessed Holy Spirit living within them!

You see, the RESURRECTED LIFE BEGINS NOW when one is re-born; filled with the Holy Spirit! As believers we must be reborn to be able to faithfully proclaim – we must be empowered by Him!

Are you empowered by Him?

Does YOUR life testify to the resurrection?

So how will we know?  Scripture says, ‘Test yourselves to see whether you are living the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realise that Jesus Christ is in you?...’ Read 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Now, it’s actually very simple; we will know Jesus is in us if we are like him and live our lives for His glory.

Personally I don’t think focusing on any one particular gift to TEST is the right approach, because that may lead to us comparing ourselves to others, and not JESUS! We must look to Him! Jesus said people will know we are His disciples by our LOVE…for God is LOVE!  He also said we cannot bear any good fruit for His Kingdom without being a branch connected to Him, the True Vine!

Jesus said those who belong to Him, hear the Word of God and obey it. You see, people OBEY HIM because He is the living Word of God which is why Jesus also said those who LOVE Him will obey His commands…

Yet do we know what Jesus was like?  Do what He taught?  Do we know how He loved?

If we don’t know scripture we are so less able to examine ourselves…So let me ask you again, for it is a question we all need to ask ourselves.

Does Your life testify to The Resurrection?

Let me finish with a helpful illustration…

There was a local prostitute.  

She hated her life.

She had an alabaster jar of ointment…a really expensive, extravagant gift probably given to her from a wealthy client. She knew who she was…a despised whore but she wanted out…she wanted more. She’d heard Jesus was in town and she knew He was a man of God from all the miracle stories.

Maybe He could set her straight?

So she entered brazenly into a wealthy religious teacher’s home, whom was hosting Jesus for dinner, in a likely attempt to outsmart Him. She did not care about the looks from the learned men. 

She had reached her precipice…

Tears began streaming down her face, so she kneeled behind Him as he sat for dinner. Unable to speak while weeping, she began to wipe His feet clean, now soaked in her tears, with her hair…she then kissed His feet and to anoint them with the expensive perfume.

The religious leaders scoffed, thinking, ‘If Jesus was a prophet He’d know the woman was a whore!’ Yet Jesus basically said she showed such amazing love because her sins, which had been so great, were now forgiven…

This woman’s story is still in the Bible today because it testifies to a Resurrected Life!

A sinful woman approached Jesus and became transformed forever….a transformed life! She then went on to become a disciple…no longer a prostitute…freed from her life of sin!

If someone was to write a eulogy for YOUR life would they say YOU kissed Jesus’ feet?  I hope they would of me…for this is a true RESURRECTED LIFE!

In His love...Seek Jesus and be transformed today! START living a Resurrected Life NOW!  Melanie.