A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Wednesday, April 11, 2012  Blooming tulips at our home, what Brooksyne considers the prettiest stage of bloom!  Listen to this message on your audio player."According To The Scriptures" "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). I earnestly pray that there will always be churches faithfully proclaiming the message of Christ, and believe there will be since God always has a remnant of faithful followers. The commission for the true follower of Christ is stated by Jude. We are to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 1:3). Far too many churches have abandoned the apostolic faith. They're caught up in current fads and attempts to appeal to the post-modern "seeker". Some are embarrassed by the Gospel and redemption truths such as the cross, the shed blood and the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today's verse is the only place in the Bible where the phrase "as of first importance" is found. In these verses the apostle Paul provides a wonderful summation of the Gospel. What he himself had "received" (paralambano), he had "passed on" (paradidomi). This has been the God-ordained manner for the transmission of truth for nearly 2,000 years.
In yesterday's message we learned that at the heart of apostolic preaching is the proclamation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe these three together comprise the truth that is of "first importance." This is of first importance all through the church age and indeed through eternity. This is based on the authority of the Scriptures, note that the "according to the Scriptures" is used twice as a means of reinforcement. Whatever you're facing today, hold on to this glorious truth that is of first importance, that Christ died, He was buried, and He was raised to life forevermore! The risen Christ states in Revelation 1:18, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Up from the grave He arose; with a mighty triumph o'er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, it is of first importance to the Apostle Paul to declare that Jesus is risen from the dead and is alive forevermore. So it is also of first importance some 2000 years later for those of us who hold dear the sacred Scriptures to joyfully declare the miraculous news that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Jesus is the living One; He was dead but is alive forevermore! Praise God!!* Of course the specific wording of the phrase varies by version but both the NASV and NIV use this phrase "of first importance." In all versions this sure seems to be the sense. Personal note: There is another phrase this morning that deeply touches me and I pray it will do so for you as well. Notice that Paul makes it very personal; "Christ died for our sins." Yes, I believe that! Praise God. His death was not meaningless or an accidental slip-up in the plan of redemption. No, Jesus Christ was born to die for our sins. All this week our daily encouragement messages will be on the resurrection of Jesus Christ as taught in each of the major sections of the New Testament. Monday's message was from the Gospel accounts. We tend to be most familar with the resurrection accounts that each of the four gospels have and these are the passages that most preachers use on Easter Sunday. Obviously we could develop more than one message from these accounts but thought it would be beneficial to study the resurrection in the rest of the NT. Yesterday's message examined how the resurrection was a core element in apostolic preaching in Acts. Today and Thursday we will study the resurrection teaching in the epistles and on Friday from the Book of Revelation. Work Day: Today we will be involved in an interesting service project. One day annually one of the companies we serve as chaplains closes shop (as far as regular work) and takes the entire staff of some 75 employees to work on a community project. This year's project is renovating an inner city church which has been closed for an extended period of time and convert it into a community ministry center. This year we will join the crew and expect to get our hands dirty. I believe we are both assigned to the paint crew but hopefully I (Stephen) can get my hands on some demo work as well! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources This week we will place the same songs up through the week on the resurrection! "Resurrection Song" Video Second Chapter of Acts "See What A Morning" Video Kristyn Getty "I'll Rise Again" Video Dallas Holm "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" Video "Christ Arose" Video Daniel Thornton "Because He Lives" "He Arose" Video "He's Alive" Video Don Francisco "He Gave His Life" Video Vocal Union "There Never Was A Pulpit Like The Cross" Video Vocal Union This is a southern gospel rendering of a powerful message within the song. |
 Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 4/10/12: $3,697.00 We express thanks to all who support our ministry!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 by us 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 through feedburner.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using 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 or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "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!) (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. 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 2012 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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