The gospel
Easter quotations
Image from Liquid Library
A selection of Easter quotes to stir our hearts.
Does God really love us? I say: “Look to the crucified Jesus. Look to the old rugged cross. “ By every thorn that punctured His brow, by every mark of the back-lacerating scourge, by every hair of His beard plucked from His cheeks by cruel fingers, by every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head God said: “I love you!” By all the spit that landed on His face, by every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground, by every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross, by every beat of His loving heart God said, I love you. - Billy Lobbs
The Christian community is a community of the cross, for it has been brought into being by the cross, and the focus of its worship is the Lamb once slain, now glorified. So the community of the cross is a community of celebration, a eucharistic community, ceaselessly offering to God through Christ the sacrifice of our praise and thanksgiving. The Christian life is an unending festival. And the festival we keep, now that our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us, is a joyful celebration of his sacrifice, together with a spiritual feasting upon it. – John R. W. Stott
We see in that cross a love so amazing, so divine that it loves us even when we turn away from it, or spurn it, or crucify it. There is no faith in Jesus without understanding that on the cross we see into the heart of God and find it filled with mercy for the sinner, whoever he or she may be. - Robert G. Trache
When Christ died He left a will in which He gave His soul to His Father, His body to Joseph of Arimathea, His clothes to the soldiers, and His mother to John. But to His disciples, who had left all to follow Him, He left not silver or gold, but something far better– His PEACE! - Matthew Henry
Take with you the joy of Easter to the home, and make that home bright with more unselfish love, more hearty service; take it into your work, and do all in the name of the Lord Jesus; take it to your heart, and let that heart rise anew on Easter wings to a higher, a gladder, a fuller life; take it to the dear grave-side and say there the two words “Jesus lives!” and find in them the secret of calm expectation, the hope of eternal reunion. - John Ellerton
This selection was published in FIRST! Mar/April 2007, by The Faith Mission, Edinburgh
Does God really love me?
Does God really love us?
I say look to the crucified Jesus. Look to the old rugged cross.
By every thorn that punctured his brow,
by every mark of the back-lacerating scourge,
by every hair of his beard plucked from his cheeks by cruel fingers.
by every bruise which heavy fists made upon his head, God said, “I love you!”
By all the spit that landed on his face,
by every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground.
by every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross.
by every beat of His loving heart, God said, I love you.
– Billy Lobbs
This article was published by The Faith Mission, Edinburgh, in FIRST! magazine March/April 2009When God stepped out of the picture
By David Holdaway
Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary doctor to India gave the following insight to help us capture the heart and meaning of the Christmas message. He describes a small child, standing before a picture of his absent father, who, turning to his mother, wistfully said, ‘I wish dad would step out of the picture!’ This little boy, said Jones, was expressing the deepest yearning of the human heart. We who have gazed upon pictures of God in nature are grateful, but not satisfied. We want our Father to step out of the impersonal picture and meet us as a person. What we long for is a personal relationship with God not just a religious understanding. No philosophy or principle is able to meet the deepest needs of the human heart.
God has revealed himself
God has revealed Himself through His creation, the psalmist could look up into the clear night sky with awesome wonder proclaiming: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork’ (Psalm 191). Yet it is still just a picture, an insight to what God may be like, His greatness and majesty, but not enough to know Him personally.
The Jewish people had the Tabernacle and the Temple, the sacrifices and offerings, but they were still only a picture, a shadow, a type of who was to come. They had the Word of God, the Law and the Prophets, the principles of God enshrined in the Scriptures, but still they longed for a Messiah, someone to come and step out of the picture. Over 2000 years ago in the small town of Bethlehem, in moments words cannot adequately describe, God stepped out of the picture.
The impossible actually happened
When the space craft Apollo 11 landed on the moon and man took his first steps, the world looked on and held its breath. The impossible was actually happening. Just seventy years before, man could not even fly. Commander Neil Armstrong took those first historic steps with the famous words: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ It was Jim Irwin, however, another Apollo astronaut and moon-walker, who made a far more significant statement:
‘God walking on earth is infinitely greater than man walking on the moon.’
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David Holdaway is a pastor and author. He has written over 20 books, including No more Fear and The Burning Heart.This is an extract from The Wonder of Christmas, and is used with permission. You can buy this delightful little book, and other publications of David’s, from his website, www.lifepublications.org.uk.
This article was published by The Faith Mission, Edinburgh, in Life Indeed magazine November/December 2005Don’t put it off!
By Lin Pearson
Have you heard of the TV programme The Life Laundry? Viewers allow the presenters into their home to de-clutter it. Some of the basements, garages and garden sheds they visit have remained untouched for decades, yet the team bring order to the chaos!
I recently read of a woman who could have done with being on The Life Laundry!
‘My sister was bemoaning the fact that she had procrastinated cleaning and organizing her house for a long time. Since she was planning to entertain visitors, she felt a lot of pressure to get moving.
That afternoon she phoned, sounding glum. “I went to the bookstore,” she explained, “and I bought a book on how to get organized. I was all fired up, and decided to clean out all the shelves in the living room. While I was working, I found the same book. I had bought it a couple of years ago!”’
We smile, but procrastination is rarely helpful. Putting off becoming a Christian is dangerous.
How do any of us know what tomorrow will bring? Will we still be alive? If so, will we have the mental ability to make a choice then? Will our hearts still be tender enough to respond to the love of God, or will our consciences be hardened? Perhaps the Lord Jesus Christ may have already returned and it will be too late then to plead for forgiveness.
The words of a popular song from a few years ago got it right: ‘Yesterday’s gone…Tomorrow may never be mine’.
But you do have today! Here is what the Bible tells us:
‘Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation!’ (2 Cor.6:2 – Amplified Bible).
‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’ ( Heb 3:15 – NIV).
Whether it is reorganizing the home or the life, it is easy to have good intentions, but to fail to follow through on them. Why put it off any longer? Make today the day when you receive the salvation which God so freely offers. ■
Real happiness
Posted in Christian life, Personal stories, The gospel | 
Tags: salvation, testimony, transformation | 
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