Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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Trouble reading this message? Read online or see archives
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Tuesday, April 6, 2010  One of my most treasured gifts is this small piece of art the church I served in New England gave me. It depicts our role in the crucifixion of Christ and forgiveness from the very One whom we crucified.  Listen to this message on your audio player. "Because He Lives" "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:20). This last weekend all over the world Christians acknowledged and celebrated the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. Indeed, it is true, He is risen and He lives forevermore! About 40 years ago Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song that resonated at the time and continues to do so. In fact I know a number of people who say that this song is among their favorites and is included in more recent hymnbooks. It begins, "Because He lives I can face tomorrow." I recall attending Gaither concerts in Kansas City and Springfield shortly after I became a Christian. The Bill Gaither Trio was considered a contemporary Christian singing group at that time and drew large crowds. As might be expected, the years have multiplied and the Gaither homecoming series is now seen more for "old-timers" and continues to draw large crowds! He lives! A constantly true proclamation of faith and truth, pertinent to every generation, young, old and in-between. It was a proclamation of the early church. "Christ is risen indeed!" Throughout the last two thousand years a people have faithfully contended for this truth and scores of songs have been written declaring it. Oh, how I love the resurrection songs! The faith of the Christian believer has a sound, objective, verifiable historical basis. But early in the history of the church some error had crept in and some of the Corinthians were denying the resurrection. This prompted Paul to write a powerful defense in the 15th chapter of I Corinthians in which he asserts: Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have a: 1) Lifeless Messiah (15:12,13,16) 2) Useless Gospel (15:14) 3) Truthless witnesses (15:15) 4) Worthless faith (5:17) 5) Hopeless eternity (15:18,19) Now you fill in the positive outcome. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have a:
Paul ends this part of his defense of the gospel with the phrase, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (v. 20). John R. W. Stott has observed that "Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed." We indeed serve a risen Savior! It's not merely a wishful thought or part of a religious creed. It's an historical reality. It's the central truth of our faith. Because He lives, we can also live the abundant life. In confidence and peace we can overcome any obstacle the enemy throws in our path. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, because Jesus was resurrected to life again we have the courage to work through the seemingly insurmountable difficulties that would otherwise plummet our faith. We walk in the power of our resurrected Savior that makes life worth the living in our present life and increases our hope and expectancy of imperishable life yet to come. Amen. Yesterday in Western Maryland we stopped by to visit Dean and Jill Thompson and their captivating children. (18 month old Lincoln is missing in the photo since he was napping.) Regular readers will note that our daughter, Ester, is proudly holding Wilton, one of the twins.  Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details.2010 YTD financial offerings as of 4/5/10 $3,188.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. You can also subscribe to Daily Encouragement feed updates by email.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2010 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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