Life Update! Again! With the current trajectory of things… It appears my run as a salaried cold-caller is coming to an end. Obviously, no one human being can do everything, but every human being can do one thing for long enough to say… at least I tried.
My Mom, on the other hand, is seemingly blessed with her own set of wonderful opportunities – If she isn’t ministering to taxi drivers, she’s ministering to groups: The (formerly) young mothers. The Merry Widows. The Coffee Circle.
Yesterday, we were blessed to host another group. And, note, there was no intentional sharing of the Gospel… but we were all, seemingly inevitably, blessed.
I’m reminded of something I read in Facebook – “Saul tried to destroy David, but (David) still became king. Betrayal may delay your journey, but it can never cancel what God has ordained.“
In other words, no matter what comes against us, because of Jesus Christ, we are ALWAYS greatly blessed by God, highly favored (graced) by God, and deeply loved by God.
And we aren’t necessarily blessed with stupid amounts of material wealth, but, as we’ve seen with my Mom, we are also blessed with opportunities. (“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”Ephesians 2:10)
If this ministered to you, God bless you.
But let’s keep going.
The only reason why I said all of that was only to mention that when we went out yesterday, the place we went to just happened to give away complimentary newspapers of the day… and yesterday, of the many times we went to that place, Mom took one of the newspapers.
To this, I asked her – Hey, Mom, does this mean we’ll be getting newspapers regularly again, just like Dad did?
She replied, not really. Then I told her, yeah, we get news online anyway: More in quantity, and quality.
Right. Some of you are probably going to lash back at me and scream that there’s more fake news online… But, the same way that we say that “bad publicity is still publicity“, well, “fake news is still data“… And all data is usable in some way, or form.
And, well, to read more than newspapers can be a blessing, or a curse. Take the news that’s shown up in my wall and in my group chats as of late.
Updates on the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Over 50 Chinese warships spotted near Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
Mobile Surface-to-Air missile launchers deployed in Florida coasts, and even on golf courses.
Binance hacked, resulting in billions worth of crypto stolen.
Four of the Magnificent 7 in stocks have dropped in price; Even the price of gold has dropped by so much, all resulting in trillions worth of market cap lost.
Iran is threatening the undersea cables that carry the internet.
Japan declared a state of emergency in cyberspace.
Governments across the world are telling people to stockpile water, food, medicine, and so on.
Across generations represented by the body of Christ, we’re all looking to the skies, seemingly convinced that Jesus is coming back soon… and/or we WANT Him to come back soon.
Mom shared a link with me, to a post which says the following:
The Church won’t be here when the new global system is rolled out.
Until then, stay ready for whatever disruptions come our way while we wait for our blessed hope.
Take a look at 1 Corinthians, and you’ll see that whatever happens inside a church is already far more than enough to intimidate anyone.
Paul may not have had access to the Internet during his time, but he certainly was aware of multiple causes of concern, even back in his day:
- Divisions and party spirit (following Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or “Christ”)
- I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.1 Corinthians 3:6-7
- Sexual immorality and lawsuits among believers
- Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 1 Corinthians 6:7
- All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.1 Corinthians 6:12
- Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!1 Corinthians 6:15
- Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?1 Corinthians 6:19
- Food offered to idols and participation in pagan practices
- All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 1 Corinthians 10:23
- Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.1 Corinthians 10:31
- Disorder in worship, including the Lord’s Supper and spiritual gifts
- Our observance, our fellowship, and our gifts are for each other’s edification (1 Corinthians 14:12, 26), NOT for our own glory, NOT to fuel our insecurities.
- For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.1 Corinthians 14:33
- Let all things be done decently and in order.1 Corinthians 14:40
There’s obviously already so much for us to learn from all these of Paul’s observations and responses… but for purposes of the message, I’d like us to go to 1 Corinthians 15…
Because for all that’s been discussed so far, there’s one more thing that Paul thought he absolutely needed to address – that is, the claim among some in the church that there is no resurrection.
This may have come from Greek philosophical ideas (the body as a prison for the soul; resurrection as undesirable or impossible) or from a misunderstanding of the gospel.
Paul took a little more time on this one.
- He addressed that the Gospel he received, the Gospel he preached and the Gospel they received was very clear: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.1 Corinthians 15:3-4
- He shows the logical consequences if there is no resurrection:
- If Christ did not rise from the dead, we have a faith that is empty.
- But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14
- If Christ did not rise from the dead, we are liars and false witnesses.
- Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.1 Corinthians 15:15
- If Christ did not rise from the dead, we still in our sins.
- And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!1 Corinthians 15:17
- If Christ did not rise from the dead, we of all men are the most pitiable. Pathetic. Miserable. Wretched.
- If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.1 Corinthians 15:19
- If Christ did not rise from the dead, we have a faith that is empty.
- He affirms the positive reality: Christ has been raised as the firstfruits, i.e. the firstborn from the dead, the first to rise from the dead.
- Because Christ rose from the dead, so there is resurrection from the dead.
- For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
- What about the widow of Zarephath’s son, the Shunammite’s son, the man who touched Elisha’s bones, Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus, etc? Their mortal bodies were raised, but they died again. Christ died once, rose again, and now lives forever as the first of the New Creation.
- So with that out of the way, we also look at the other side of the coin:
- Christ rose from the dead, therefore we have a faith that is full, meaningful and fruitful.
- Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are not liars, but we speak the Truth.
- Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are dead to our sins, and we are alive in full righteousness and with right standing with God.
- Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are delighted. Contented. Fortunate.
- Because Christ rose from the dead, so there is resurrection from the dead.
- He addresses questions about the nature of the resurrection body.
- So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.1 Corinthians 15:42-44
- However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.1 Corinthians 15:46
- The point is, our final victory:
- So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 15:54-57
In all the issues presented to Paul, he responded with the Word and with the Holy Spirit.
A common Word has been shared to us by the Holy Spirit, ever since the middle of 2026.
In our own congregation, we’ve been telling each other since the beginning of Q3 2026 that we needed to dig deeper into the Word.
Dox from Dubai started his ‘rootd’ clothing campaign.
Online posts show other churches inviting folks to a ‘Rooted’ worship night.
Yesterday, one of our guests (who happened to be a Baptist Pastor) shared about how, in Nepal, they are more into signs and wonders… and, in his opinion, they needed to be ‘Grounded’ in the Word.
Brothers and sisters, there’s a lot of things happening all around the world.
A lot has happened in Paul’s day – there’s so much happening, even in Corinth!
Hell, among us in our own congregation, there’s ALREADY so much happening.
But something else has been happening.
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.Colossians 2:6-7
And how else can we be rooted? Sister Helen shared it to us when you appreciated us as Pastors.
It’s the final verse of 1 Corinthians 15:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58
And, folks – not only for Pastors, but for all of us;
How exactly do we stay steadfast and immovable in this chaotic world that always shakes??
We stand, knowing that Christ rose from the dead.
How exactly do we abound in the work of the Lord, in this world that has us confused and overthinking??
We move, knowing that Christ rose from the dead.
How exactly do we know that our labor is not in vain, in this world that is so fixated on productivity??
We have our being, knowing that Christ rose from the dead.
Christ rose from the dead, therefore we have a faith that is full, meaningful and fruitful.
Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are not liars, but we speak the Truth.
Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are dead to our sins, and we are alive in full righteousness and with right standing with God.
Christ rose from the dead, therefore we are delighted. Contented. Fortunate.
We’re about to worship again. I’m inviting all of us to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, to take in His goodness and glory as we start a new week and a new month, to acknowledge Him again in all our plans, to cast all our burdens upon Him.
Worship Team, you’re about to discuss the songs you’re going to lead us to sing in the coming months. As we worship, be open to the Holy Spirit – not only to possible songs, but to what the Lord wants to tell you.
To those of us here who are starting businesses and continuing their careers, let’s worship, and let’s allow the Lord to open doors and cause all things to work for good. Let’s have Him open our eyes to how He is working.
To our elders, let’s worship. Dream dreams. Prophesy.
Forget all I shared today and just remember… Christ is Risen, and You are Rooted!
Halleluyah! You have won the victory!
Halleluyah! You have won it all for me!
Death could not hold You down,
You are the Risen King,
Seated in Majesty,
You are the Risen King!
Amen.
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