Jesus rose to life – A poem for Easter

Jesus rose to life

Jesus rose to life

If Jesus be dead, in the grip of a tomb,
There’d be nothing for us but fear and doom.
Life would be sad, with no way to cope.
Death would reign all, without any hope.

If Jesus be dead, in the grip of a tomb,
We’d have no future, only dark and gloom.
No life after death, no eternity in sight,
No hope, no joy, no Saviour, no light.

But…. (And aren’t we thankful there is a “but”)

But thanks be to God, Jesus rose to life.
The debt all paid, though sin was rife.
His body lay in the tomb three days,
Then up from the grave his life was raised.

Yes, thanks be to God, Jesus rose to life.
He conquered death, all sin and strife.
To those who believe, from death set free.
With hope, with joy, their Saviour to see.

A poem by John R. Cross
2013 © John R. Cross

See also another poem by John R. Cross, “Alive with a Roar”


https://vimeo.com/695892980

See also the following songs from No Ordinary Story for Good Friday and Easter:

I walked away from God and celebrated with a beer

Photo credit: Fireramsey on flickr

Editor’s note: This testimony came to us in French and has been translated into English.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour when I was 12 years old. At that time, I had recognized that I was a sinner—the deep desires of my heart were wicked and separated me from God. Thanks to Jesus Christ, I was reconciled to God.

After my conversion, I followed the Lord, not without struggle, until halfway through my sixteenth year. I knew that I needed God and His Word in my life, and yet, at the beginning of the summer of my sixteenth year, I decided to follow my own path, doing whatever I pleased. Upon telling the Lord what I intended to do, I opened a beer which I drank to celebrate the choice I had just made. I knew in my heart that this decision would continue long after the summer holidays. That was the beginning, until not so long ago, of a life filled with alcohol, drugs and sex. I abandoned the Lord for 25 years.

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Our marriage was saved by the Good News

Rob and Janette (Photo: www.secondglanceimagery.com)
Rob and Janette (Photo: www.secondglanceimagery.com)

Editor’s note: The following post is the testimony of Rob and Janette and how getting a clear understanding of the gospel saved their marriage.

Rob and I were married in October 2003. We had dated for almost two years before we took this step. Our dating years had quite a few rocky moments, but we were young and in love and went ahead with getting married. We were both Christians, but certainly not living like it. We had met during college, both of us quite heavily involved in the party scene. We didn’t have as much time for partying once we got married and were both working full-time, in fact, we didn’t have much time for each other either. In our first year of marriage, we literally passed each other in the hallway as one of us was coming home and the other was headed to work. So as a result, we did not fight a lot in the first year.

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They didn’t waste a moment

Term Seminar
Leading a TERM Seminar. (GoodSeed File photo.)

Recently, a GoodSeed team travelled to a country that is hostile to the Bible. There, they conducted a TERM Seminar. The participants were pastors and believers who had a desire to share the Good News with others. As they were taught step-by-step, the participants caught on very quickly on how they could teach as they were taught. Here are some quick testimonies from the participants.

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Upcoming conferences and training seminars

Training seminars and workshops

Interested in Global Missions? Do you homeschool your children? Want to be better equipped to share your faith? You’ll want to make it to one of these upcoming opportunities.

Global Missions time!
On March 22–23 GoodSeed staff will be present at this year’s Harvest Fest Conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. If you’re in the area, stop by for some great speakers and a wide array of information about what God is doing in global missions. Our staff can explain to you how best to use GoodSeed resources to share the Gospel. Check out the Harvest Fest website. Continue reading “Upcoming conferences and training seminars”

I just can’t share the gospel with my family… it’s too hard

FamilyIt is one thing to share the Good News with a dear friend, a co-worker or even your mechanic. It is entirely different to even attempt to share it with family. These are people who have seen you at your worst, argued with you, who know your strengths well and your weaknesses better than most. The challenges may seem insurmountable—the risks too great.

Yet, here are some stories of people who have shared the good news with their loved ones. Perhaps some of these ideas would be of encouragement to you, too.*

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Teach God’s Word to your kids amidst the busyness

Teach kids the Gospel “Where did the day go?”” John sighed to himself as he tucked his children in bed and turned off their bedroom light. Sports practice, music lessons, supper, homework, cell phones, computer games, not to mention his own hectic work schedule—it all seemed to conspire against meaningful family time. He pondered, “How am I supposed to teach my children what they need to know about God and His Word? There just aren’t enough hours in a day!”

Many parents have been thwarted from finding the time to effectively ground their children in God’s Word. There are, however, very doable solutions that have been tried and tested by parents who have successfully fitted meaningful Bible teaching into their families’ busy lives.

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Be ready for your trip: short-term missions training

Short-term mission trip
Photo courtesy of Joni Hudson

Teams in churches and Christian organizations all around the world are in the midst of mapping out their schedules for upcoming short-term mission trips. The first part of the training schedule usually focuses on preparing the “mission trippers” so that everyone is clear on the biblical mandate for missions. One aspect that is often overlooked is ensuring that the entire team is “on the same page” with regards to the Gospel. It’s risky to assume that every member of the team understands the Bible’s central message or in the same way. It makes sense for leaders to get all the team members to go through a “Gospel refresher” course so that everyone is clear on what they will be proclaiming on the field.

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Worldview Rethink curriculum: a handy gospel tool for parents

Worldview Rethink Curriculum

It is important for moms and dads to ground their families in God’s Word. But many parents (especially fathers) are so busy providing, that it’s difficult to find time to share the truths of God’s Word with their children. Many parents also haven’t had the training to feel comfortable teaching the Bible. Where should they start? How do they handle questions about death, Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice, and faith? How can they lead their children to understand that they need a Saviour? Sometimes parents are not sure they have the answers, let alone the time it takes to teach their children.

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When family rejects the gospel

When Family Rejects the Gospel If only every family were like the Richards’* family.

“It was in 1965 that my sister and I first trusted in Jesus at Sunday School. Then my mother came to church and she believed. It took a while, but finally my father came with us… he heard the message, and also trusted in Christ. God brought our entire family to salvation and now, three generations later, dozens more have been added.”

When someone understands and believes the good news, their relatives, quite naturally, are affected. When the Philippian jailer believed in Jesus for his salvation, that very night his household also heard the Gospel, were identified as believers, and were baptized (Acts 16:31-34). Testimonies like those of the Philippian jailer and the Richards’ family still happen today. Unfortunately, though, it’s not always the case. Countless believers live each day with the heartbreak of knowing their own loved ones have, for one reason or another, not accepted the Bible’s message. Family relationships are complicated, and sharing the Gospel with family can be risky and discouraging.

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