Dr. Mcswain:The hardest thing in life for me -- and I suspect the same is true of most people -- is staying here and now. So this is my daily spiritual practice. And when I do this, I've discovered a kind of resurrection all it's own -- a resurrection within my attitudes, my actions, as well as my sense of inner peace. At times, this inner peace is so wonderful, I could not imagine anything MORE wonderful beyond this life. So what I'm saying is something similar to what my favorite French writer, who is also an atheist, Andre' Comte-Sponville said. In one of his books, he asked, "Why would I want eternal life when I'm experiencing it already?"
Keelan: Ummm……… his favorite writer is an atheist?
Dr. Mcswain: There was at time in my life when I would not have understood what he was saying at all. But ever since that moment I describe in my book, I now get it. This is the miracle of the resurrection to me. It is this Jesus whose life, influence and teachings, when practiced, so transform today that there is little interest in you for yesterday or tomorrow. This is a resurrected Jesus I can relate to -- and I do.
Keelan: Jesus is not who we want him to be He is who He says he is. Many create their own Jesus, the one they can relate to. If one says he is going to do something (resurrection bodily) and he doesn’t he is a LIAR. If one says he will do something (resurrection bodily) and knows he has no capability of doing it He is a LUNATIC. If one says he will do something (resurrection bodily) and does it he is LORD. I lean to the latter perception of Jesus Christ. I have not read his book so I have no idea what he is talking about here. Personally I don’t think he does either. The Gospel is not Be like Jesus. It is Receive Jesus.
Based of what I have heard in this article, I would not encourage anyone to read his book. Much of what I discern he is rooted in Secular Humanism. His views are not Christian by any means.
Dr. Mcswain: And this is precisely the second reason why the Easter story need not be literal to have transformative power. My own experience gives witness to this. For example, when I tried to believe the things I was told to believe and that questioning my beliefs was a sign of weakness and lack of faith, I tried to conform. For much of my adult life, I ignored my questions and said silly things like, "The Bible says it, I believe it; that settles it." But then, a death in my family, as well as the death of a marriage and a few other traumatic things, caused that weak foundation to give way. My life shattered. So did my fragile faith. I realized I could no longer ignore my doubts or my questions. So, I let them rip. But, amazingly, what I discovered is, instead of being obstacles, they became the building blocks of a resurrection faith.
Keelan: Faith is the gift of God. Man is his natural depraved state will never believe God on his own. The natural man does not accept the not things of the Spirit of God for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (Eph. 2:8-9, I Cor. 2:14)
Apostle Paul said of Israel, Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. They are guilty of INSUBORDINATION. They want submit to God’s plan so the develop their own. (Rom. 10:1-3)
Dr. Mcswain: You can delude yourself into believing that questioning things is a lack of faith. But I would be inclined to remind you that until you DO question your faith, you really have no faith at all. What you have instead is a collection of beliefs -- beliefs that a frightened little ego in you will cling to for a sense of security and identity with other little egos that cling to a similar set of beliefs -- but these beliefs will not translate into personal inner transformation. They will not sustain you through life either. They didn't for me. It was not until I questioned and doubted the things I was taught, including the bodily resurrection of Jesus, that I met, and believed -- or, fell in love with -- a genuine and believable Jesus whose teachings, whose enduring spirit, and whose eternal influence continues to guide seekers into a transformative relationship with themselves and with the Divine. So, this Easter, I have a lot to be grateful for. And, I am.
Keelan: Certainly there are times when even a Christian question things and even doubt, however this is not a call to create a Jesus of their liking. The goal is not make God come to my frame of thinking but for me to be brought to the place of His thinking. My failure to understand why God does what he does in my life is not a call for God to change but for me to submit and trust in the fact that he is God and I am not. Does the clay shape the potter or the potter shape the clay? God is Sovereign He does what he wants when he wants and to whom he wants all in keeping with his nature and purpose and no one can stay his hand. We can write our own bibles but we can’t rewrite THE BIBLE. Many say God said it I believe and that settles it, but the truth is GOD SAID and THAT SETTLES IT. My belief only has impact me not what God says. For God’s Word will not come back void but shall accomplish what He purposes. Any attempt to celebrate an Easter without the Bodily Resurrected Christ is invain.
Conclusion.........By Pastor Keelan A. Atkinson
Church we must have spiritual discernment. This will not take place without sound biblically teaching from our pulpits in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pastors we must give time to prayer and the study of God's Word. Pastors we must get away from the entertaining style of preaching and start feeding the people of God good solid bible doctrine. There is too much focus on how a man says it and not on what he says. We are agreeing with preachers and not preaching. God is going to hold us accountable for every word we speak. It is time out for wanting to be popular. Popular and preaching don't go together.
God has called us to speak for Him not for the people nor ourselves. May God grant us discernment to know the truth from error. May He gives us discernment about what institutions we send our young preachers and children. Many of them are prestige in name but are only instrumental in the destruction of their faith.
Philippians 1:27-28
For His Glory In All Things
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