This past Sunday more than two billion Christians gathered around the world to worship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus! It was a tremendously exciting day as the Church bowed its collective knee to celebrate our risen Savior.
If the worship gathering you attended was anything like the one I had the opportunity to attend, the church seemingly spared no expense or effort to reach the crowds coming to celebrate Easter. The services they put forth were the culmination of countless hours of prayer and preparation, undoubtedly leaving those who attended energized and excited.
The only question now, is if the Church will be able to turn that momentum into a Kingdom movement?
As I think about the very first Easter, I can only imagine the excitement surrounding their celebration. How could the disciples and the women who had traveled with Jesus and witnessed his crucifixion possibly contain themselves when they saw Jesus alive and well? The truth is they likely couldn’t and the reality is they shouldn’t.
In fact, just forty days after celebrating the resurrection, on a hill outside of Galilee, Jesus gathered his disciples together and impressed upon them the great commission. With his resurrection in mind, Jesus said…
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20 ESV)
Jesus told his disciples to make disciples! In other words, the resurrection should not only lead to celebration but also to multiplication.
The same disciples who celebrated the resurrection together that first Easter would, in short order, launch a movement that would reach more than three thousand people on its very first day. The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection propelled them to proclaim the good news as quickly as they received it.
I love how the Apostle Paul says…
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV)
The resurrection is a tremendous source of celebration but it’s also motivation toward multiplication. What we receive we must also pass on, that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was raised again!