From the desk of Bro. Mike

Some people think the earliest Christians were naïve, even gullible. They were a simple folk who believed in Jesus. Some of them shared everything they had with their brothers and sisters in church. When the persecutor Saul was converted to the faith and was renamed Paul, the Christians in Damascus worried that he really hadn’t change. But, their naïve, simple faith allowed them to take him at his word. Saul became the Apostle Paul who wrote much of our New Testament. If a person became sick or imprisoned for their faith or wandered from the faith, these first Christians prayed to God believing their prayers would be heard and that God would intervene to help. Many of them were persecuted. When they greeted each other, some of them said, “Jesus is Lord.” If the other person could say that, they thought that the other person was a believer and not a spy out to hurt them. These Christians were naïve, gullible and they believed that no one could say the words, “Jesus is Lord,” unless it was really true in that person’s life. Of course, we are so far advanced now aren’t we?

The New Testament mentions that the basic message of proclamation by the early Christians was simple. It went something like this. “We preach Christ and him crucified. He died for our sins to save the whole world. On the third day, he rose again in the resurrection.” It was a simple, yet powerful message. Before the Gospel of Christ was written down, it was preached. In Greek, the word for this simple, Christian preaching message is Kerygma. Here is what one writer says about the Kerygma: As can be gathered from the book of Acts and the writings of Paul, the basic Kerygma always focused on Jesus' resurrection. This supernatural act of God in history authenticates the words and works of Jesus and constitutes the basis for the Christian hope. Without the resurrection, the church would be no more than a group of well-intentioned, religious people who had placed their faith in the superior philosophical and ethical teachings of an unusually gifted man. The resurrection is proof positive that Jesus is who he says he was. Thus, the Kerygma is a declaration that Christ is risen from the dead, and by that great act God has brought salvation.

As we approach our celebration of Holy Week, with the remembrance of the Cross and the Resurrection, I invite you to consider the basic message of the first Christians. Isn’t that message the core of our own faith today? We live in a confusing and often chaotic world. In some ways, it may seem naïve to simply trust that Jesus died for our sins and rose again to be our God. Yet, that simple proclamation has power for me still. It brings clarity to the events of this world and to my life if I let it. It is the basic message that transcends boundaries of theological, philosophical, and cultural differences. It unites all believers as one in Jesus Christ. That basic message connects us to the first believers who left their nets and followed Jesus.

This Easter I wonder if you can allow yourself to hear again that Kerygma, that essential preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ in your own life. You may have many burdens right now, but the message of Christ can bring peace and hope to you. I invite you to go back to the basic message of our faith: Jesus died for our sins on the cross. Jesus is risen from the grave. He is risen indeed! Amen.

Grace and Peace to You,
Bro. Mike