wfn.org | TCN Editorial: On to Jerusalem – The Passion and Resurrection of Christ

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2979 Edition

>March 30~April 5 2009

Editorial: On to Jerusalem – The Passion and Resurrection of Christ

>Translated by Lydia Ma

For many Christians, Passion Week is an important time of introspection.  When we reflect on the life of Christ, we find that He was a man who  practiced careful observation and reflection throughout His life. Luke  6:12 and Luke 9:28-29 not only mention Jesus going up to the mountain to  pray, they also write that He spent a whole night in prayer. Luke also  tells us that Jesus prayed earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane. As  Jesus was hanging on the cross, He cried out a prayer, “Father,  into your hands I commit my spirit”, before taking His last breath.  Even as a young twelve-year old boy, Jesus knew He had to be in His  Father’s house (Luke 2:49). From these passages we see Jesus  emptied Himself throughout His life so that He could constantly seek His  Father’s will and be used by His Father.

If we are being led and guided by a greater motivation and love than  ourselves during times of trial and suffering, we will find that we can  overcome great hardships and even use them to equip us and give us a  deeper understanding on life. After the apostle Paul encountered the  resurrected Christ, he became aware of whom he believed, trusted, and  relied on. Even though he later faced many physical and emotional  trials, he was able to face everything with a heart filled with joy and  love because he was inspired by an everlasting hope and promise.

After encountering Christ, Paul’s view about his life changed  dramatically. No longer viewing his life as his own or cherishing it  above all else, his mind became set on finishing the race ahead and  completing the task God had for him (Acts 20:24). Acts 21:13-14 writes  about Paul’s new determination using his own words: “I am  ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of  the Lord Jesus." Following Paul’s example, the early church  believers’ only concern was to follow God’s will.

As we approach Passion Week and Easter, let us learn from Jesus and seek  Father God’s will in everything we do. Even though He knew that a  bitter cup was awaiting Him in Jerusalem, Jesus still led His disciples  on to Jerusalem – the city where He would die to become our  righteousness.

Paul was called by God to become an apostle, and Jerusalem also had an  important place in his heart. Both Paul and Jesus submitted to the  Father’s will by returning to that city and face death there.  According to a Christian legend, the apostle Peter was fleeing his own  Jerusalem (i.e. Rome) when the resurrected Christ appeared to him. Peter  asked Jesus where He was going and Jesus told him He was returning to  Rome. Peter followed and obeyed Jesus and returned to Rome to die as a  martyr and as a witness of God’s glory.

So, let us go on to Jerusalem and witness the glory of the cross.

>********************

Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.

You may translate and re-use the articles if you acknowledge the source  as "Taiwan Church News" and list the names of the reporter and writer.
Visit our web site: http://www.pctpress.org (Chinese)

>http://enews.pctpress.org/ (English)

Please direct comments and questions to: enews@pctpress.org

If links are not working or you desire to receive e-news as plain text  attachments, please let us know. Thank you!

>********************