I Heard from the Lord on Easter… Now What?
Growing up, I remember attending an Easter church service every year. For many Easters, even before I understood the significance of the message being preached, I remember sensing the Lord stirring up excitement in my heart. There happened to be a genuine desire to begin investigating Jesus, following Him more closely, or living my life for Him. Yet, the days post-Easter brought back old rhythms and spiritual apathy.
Maybe this experience sounds familiar this week. Easter morning often brings a spiritual mountain top experience where we genuinely hear from God. However, this amazing reality may soon unfortunately fade to an all too familiar fate. Now that it is post-Easter, the mountaintop experience will soon dissipate. Days will go by and we will slowly return to our old habits and lifestyles. The passion we felt at 11 a.m. on Easter morning will soon be a faint ember if not acted upon.
The question this week may then be, “I heard from the Lord on Easter… now what?”
For those who truly believe in the resurrection power of our Lord and Savior, for those who felt something deep in their souls as they sang about death defeated, and for those who recommitted their lives to be lived sold out for Jesus, what do we do now? How can we avoid spiritually surviving off unique worship moments like Easter and build a life around the reality that Jesus is alive?
Unfortunately for us, God rarely offers silver bullets and quick-fixes. But if you are wondering how not to waste the Lord speaking to you on Easter morning, here are a couple suggestions for how to align your life with that world-changing gospel reality.
Bible Reading Plan.
We don’t need to wait for Easter 2021, for Christmas, or even for next Sunday morning to hear God’s voice again. God promised that He would speak and work through the power of His Word. If you want to continue to build your life around the reality of Jesus, a great place to start is to read God’s Word. At Providence, we’ve been reading through the Bible-in-a-Year together. If you have not committed to this yet, jump in this week. You can find the plan and weekly teaching videos here.
Community.
God’s people are not a people of isolation, but a united community. This reality may be seen or felt more than ever for many of us. But it’s not just a current need, it's a Biblical reality. A Christian without a community is a sheep without its flock. And if you haven’t been around flocks of sheep recently, that is not a pretty picture. A sheep without a flock or shepherd is a sheep that is in danger. So too, a Christian without a church community is in danger. Don’t let Easter be the one time you attend a gathering of God’s people. Get involved with the life of the church, join a City Group, and continue to gather with us to worship every Sunday.
2 Peter.
This past Sunday, we celebrated that Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, rose again from the dead, and is now alive with the Father. As Christians, we believe that death has been defeated, but death will finally and fully be defeated when Jesus returns. The book of 2 Peter addresses the questions, "What does life look like in between the two comings of Jesus?” and “How do a people changed by the first coming of Jesus live as we wait for the second coming of Jesus?” Join us this Sunday as we kick off a new series looking at Peter’s answer of being a holy people as we wait for Jesus’ return.
Friends, don’t waste a pivotal moment in your faith. We should not write off mountaintop experiences, but we also can’t survive off of sparse spiritual highs. Instead, let’s be a people who use these spiritual highs to propel us to an enduring faith. Whatever the next step might be, I encourage you to take it this week. Build rhythms of hearing from God’s Word, invest in a spiritual family, and join us each Sunday morning to worship together.
By Andrew Rutten, Providence Pastor and Co-Planter