"WHAT HAPPENS AFTER EASTER?"

April 13   What Happens After Easter?  

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina…Acts 1:4-8  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  What is; the church going to do after Easter? We find there is a time for waiting, wondering and working!Top of Form We often wonder where we go from here when we finish the Easter season. Well, we continue the work that Christ has accomplished by reaching the lost for Christ. We have a task to complete, a job to finish and a mission to accomplish. –Several years before I entered the ministry, I was enjoying a day off, Annette was at work and Kayla was asleep in her bed.  All was well, I thought.  I was stirred from my bed by loud tapping on the back door.  I sprang from my bed to investigate, well, guess who was outside? Kayla! 

She had gotten out of bed; decided that she wanted to swing, and went outside. You realize that I was responsible for her and that I was supposed to be watching her, well, so much for that!  I brought her in and asked her, I might add, in a strong, yet loving voice, “Why did you go out without me?”  “You were asleep Daddy!”  What an experience that was! What I learned from that experience, as I applied so spiritual thought to it, is that many Christians are asleep on the job! We have a job to do & get complacent or lethargic & are not fulfilling our responsibilities as believers! If we refuse to remain awake & fulfill our charge as His body, He can & will use someone else to carry out His mission. Let’s examine what should be happening after Easter! The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, "Hello?" Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, "Is your Daddy home?" "Yes," whispered the small voice. "May I talk with him?" the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, "No." Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes," came, the answer. "May I talk with her?" Again, the small voice whispered, "No." Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message w/ the person who should be there watching over the child. "Is there anyone there besides you?" the boss asked the child. "Yes," whispered the child, "a policeman." Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he is busy," whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" asked the boss; "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer. Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A hello-copper," answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed. In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, "The search team just landed the hello-copper!" Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked, "Why are they there?" Still whispering, the young voice replied (along with a muffled giggle), "They are looking for me!" As believers, our main job is to be looking for the lost. Have you found any? Are you really looking? We should have a heart for missions and ministry! If we don’t fulfill them, then we have disobeyed the mandate! So, what do we do after Easter? Proclaim the message of Christ: IT IS OUR MESSAGE TO PROCLAIM! Jesus still saves! The wages of sin is still death! God has provided redemption to those who trust in Christ alone! There is no other message! If we fail at this we have no other options. How are you doing in spreading the gospel? How is your spiritual walk with the Lord? Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!