Did Jesus Really Rise From the Grave?
So, did Jesus really rise from the grave and defeat death? This is the real question for all of us on Easter.
Often, I think it's easy to get caught up in this holiday on a calendar, the gathering of the family for a big meal, kids running around the yard for Easter eggs, and some strange creation of an Easter bunny. 
We go to an Easter service, do a little work in the yard, and Monday comes from another busy work week...
If Jesus didn't defeat death and simply died, Christianity and the pursuit of our Faith would simply be a waste of time, a waste of giving money to a "feel good" organization, and we'd all be better served to move on and do something else.
After Jesus died, his disciples were holed up in a room fearful for their lives, confused about what happened to Jesus and all they had believed for the past three years, and probably felt some shame and embarrassment to even show their faces.... after all, they were "all in" and now this Savior of there's was dead. Stepping out of that room meant great ridicule for these dudes at a minimum and possibly risking their lives. But something happened, something changed.
This was the game changer: Jesus appeared to his disciples (and scores of others over a 40-day period). If there ever was an appropriate time to say "Oh my God" it was then.... OMG... Terrified followers turned into bold, Christ-following leaders of "The Jesus Way".
- Most of these early followers were executed for their continued teaching and spreading of the good news and Hope in Christ- would you do that for a dead Savior? I think not.
- They put their reputation on the line and it became their life mission to share this news with others. If Jesus had simply died, it would have been much more reasonable that they would have tip-toed their way back to their fishing boats and kept their mouths shut murmering "what were we thinking?"
- A handful went on to write the New Testament Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John- miraculously through all the persecution, the Bible exists today and we're still celebrating the resurrection of Christ today. If Jesus simply died, how would the energy sustain to keep a false belief system going past a generation? Why would people waste the time to record the miraculous life of Jesus? If lives were not continuing to be transformed over scores of generations- would we really be talking about this Jesus today? I think not.
To believe that Christ is risen has massive implications in our lives. It's probably easier for many to ignore it, pass it off as "I don't know", or to keep Easter in a safe box never to be examined.
But what if, it really did happen? What if there is a God and He actually sent his Son to this Earth?
This is what I believe, and the implications for all of us are huge. We do have a life of purpose. There is more than our measly 70-80 years on this planet. We do have a foundation of Truth to model our lives around to maximize the time we have here. And Jesus Christ was, is, and will forever be the Game Changer.
Unexpected Places
Jesus didn't lock Himself in the temple and call or demand people to come there to meet Him. He went
to the home of a tax collector, He interacted with people of different people groups and lowly positions in society, He surrounded Himself with a misfit group of fishermen, and brought "up there" down here in all shapes and sizes. He walked one on one with a man with many questions, He healed people in the countrysides, He challenged those who considered themselves "religious", and He seemed to "be the Church" wherever He went.
Jesus can and will show up in unexpected places and is not confined to four walls of a church.
This truth is one of the many reasons why my wife and I are jazzed about supporting The New Normal Project. We are setting out to redefine Church as something "we are" rather than a place "we go". We get to show people that Jesus is already right where they are in the most unexpected places. He's everywhere and anywhere looking to bring Hope to one's life, people just don't always see Him right under their eyes.
What might happen when we launch to "be the Church" to meet people right where they are at? I believe Jesus, like He's always done, will continue to show up in prisons, bars, coffee houses, fraternities, and any other unexpected place you can imagine.
I believe when love, joy, peace, self-control, patience and kindness fills one's life... a family can change, a neighborhood can change, and communities can and will change. This is the Hope of our world.
Can Jesus show up online? He was here before any of us ever got here...
Do You Feel Invisible?
This week we had a heart-breaking conversation with my 10-year old son. He loves sports yet is a mediocre athlete. 
He's a deep feeler but is still figuring out how to communicate at school, with his peers, etc. We had a conversation with him this week where he painfully described what he's going through at school and on the playground. Through his tears he made a few very poignant statements:
- "I just want to be respected"
- "I know I can do things, I just need a chance to show what I can do..."
- "I feel invisible."
Ouch. As a parent that pretty much rips my heart strings.
What does it mean to "belong"? Where in your life do you truly feel connected or do you too feel invisible? I believe there are millions upon millions of people that feel alone, invisible, disrespected, or shunned. It may actually be more common than those who actually feel connected somewhere and with some peers.
As we talk about "Essential" churches, one of the essential elements must be us reaching out and locking arms with others, doing life with them, and accepting them for who they are and wherever they are... Jesus was all about helping others- if anything, He has a bias for the lowest tier of society. We must be intentional about this.
We have a great opportunity to "be the church" online and to connect with those who aren't connected and to make visible the invisible. We all matter to God. We all have a purpose that was not meant to be dusted under a rug.
If you feel invisible, you are welcome here. I don't know what your pain is, who hurt you, who's ignoring you, what failure you've had in your past, how you were raised, or what dream has been shattered. What I do know is that there is another day, there is a plan for your life, and you are loved by God though it may not feel like it today.
So it's not a gimmick, you can lurk for awhile, and we're not asking anything from you- but we'd like to connect though. Who's qualified? You are.
You can email us at idochurchonline@gccwired.com, drop in a service at idochurchonline.com at 12, 6:30, or 8:30 EST every or any Sunday, or connect with me through Facebook: facebook.com/maximeyer... You are not alone.
Online Groups, Are You Interested?
Community is often brought up a one of the challenges to the concept on "Online Church". How does one have a
genuine relationship with someone that is hours away or possibly someone they've never met in person? Can you really be a close friend if you can't physically help them?
Ten years ago, we simply couldn't do the things we can do today and every month new technology rolls out that improves communication tools, allows for better streaming, and provides options on how we can stay connected from anywhere around the globe.
We know we can connect through chat, Twitter, Facebook, and other social community means... As a next step we'd like to try an online video conference group! Imagine seeing 8-10 people, with a leader, and options to send questions, comment, and more all online...
A few churches are already testing and running online groups, we'd like to try it out! Let's focus on what we CAN do online and see how we can best connect. (In all things in life, if you simply focus on "can't" you won't get to the "can"..
Over the next two weeks we're going to do a trial run with some of our volunteer team to test the technology, in the next 30 days we'd like to launch a "pilot" group for 4-weeks to work out bugs and learn some best practices. Interested? Shoot us an email at idochurchonline@gccwired.com that you'd be interested and we'll keep you posted on the details!
It's great being part of the online community with you all, have a great week!
Mark M
Raising the B.A.R. Online
Over the next several weeks, we are going to be rolling out the vision for the next 5 years at GCC... What does that
mean for you and me, the online community? Here's what I'm jazzed about:
- We are launching 2000 new churches in all shapes and sizes- That's going to be in homes, coffee houses, businesses, dorm rooms, and any other imaginable venue and location on the globe!
- We will be training leaders on how to best impact their communities from Indiana to California, from Germany to India... One leader with a few friends can ignite change in your city...
- We will continue to push the edges of technology to have great content available to you- through as many means possible (Computer, IPAD, phone, TV, you name it)- so you can best bring the hope of Christ right where you live and with the people you do life with...
- We will be more connected than ever as we push our community online through various social media outlets and portals- we'll be able to do online coaching, share and collaborate on strategies that are working in other locations, and more...
- We will be One, united community under the banner of Christ. We will celebrate what's happening across the globe, we will share resources, we will be "for" each other, as we see lives changed through Christ everywhere!
Whether in Granger, Lansing, Orlando, or Munich- we get to do this together. Many more details will be rolling out over this next month or two- this is our time!
Picture This
The problem with conventional wisdom is that sometimes, it’s just the comfortable thing to do. And often the comfortable thing to do, is the very wrong thing to do. What would it take to stir our imagination, ignite hope and motivate individual change towards a shared, un-common good?
Picture all the things around you that deserve a different outcome. There are difficult questions to be asked and dearly held assumptions to be challenged, but if we raise the bar…the rest of our days can be the best of our days.
“The Me I Want to Be”
Sometimes it seems as if hours, days, weeks, and sometimes months seem to slip away. Am I really doing the 
things I was created to do? Am I living the life God intended for me? Have I really done anything with my life or is it just wasting away?
80% of our culture wants us to conform, be "normal", and will discourage and even ridicule you for trying to break the mold. The problem is "normal" doesn't give Purpose to your life. "Normal" doesn't change communities or families to be something greater than it could ever imagine. And "normal" certainly won't allow you to become "the me I want to be".
God has created you for a great purpose that isn't normal. As we press into this series, take heart, we are for you and praying that you embrace the new plan and roadmap intended for your life. You can do this. No, really.... you can and 2011 will be a year you'll forever remember.
Check out Romans 12:1-2 (The Message):
1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Is Your Faith Wandering Aimlessly?
We live in a very confusing world. In the area of Faith, there are an overwhelming amount of voices working to
define who God is, which can lead to unanswered questions, and ultimately cause one's individual faith to seem to wander aimlessly at sea. How do you define what ultimately guides you in your faith?
What it isn't:
- The consensus'. A sampling of 20 people could give you 20 different answers to questions about faith. It's as if you've been given 20 different compasses each with a different calibration of true North. Think about the conversations you've had in your neighborhood, a party, at a bar, or at work...
- The latest. New ideas, new belief systems, new churches, a new friend, a new book, or a new zen position most likely will simply be a new faith flavor of the month which will change next month.
- What's popular. In our culture, what feels good, what I want right now, and what I can justify in the moment is the message. If faith remains undefined and open to every individuals interpretation, ultimately everything goes. If it's OK in my mind and world, I can do as I please.
What Helps Me:
- Seeking Truth. I need to regularly seek knowledge and put myself in an environment that will build my Faith. I work to be a lifetime learner in what I read, the podcasts I listen to, and taking steps to act on the Truth I learn. Truth won't land in your lap and consume your mind. Seek it and you will find it.
- Choose my peers wisely. I want to surround myself with people that demonstrate joy, love, peace, and genuine Faith in their lives. Why would I want to align myself with someone wandering aimlessly in life simply growing older? I want to learn from people that are focused and intentional in their lives. These same people will encourage me, help me be a better spouse and parent, and help me get back on the path of Purpose.
- Know myself and my weaknesses. For me, I can get consumed in my work and often get in "overdrive" spending 60-70 hours a week hyperfocused on performance and getting tasks done. I often find myself trying to grab control of my life's steering wheel and relying on myself rather than God. My faith can drift into the background... How about you? What trips you up? Work? Unhealthy relationships? Substance abuse? Money? Does anyone else know your tendencies and have you given them permission to help you?
In my life (and for full disclosure), I've found the life of Jesus Christ and His story through the Bible to be trustworthy and life-changing. To be a Christ-follower doesn't mean I need to be judgmental, a homophobe, or holier-than-thou. It's quite the opposite. I'm called to love people unconditionally, live out my Faith in a way that can bring Hope to others, and to serve others. I fail everyday. However, I believe each of us have a purpose to be part of God's story to truly change our world despite all our flaws and missteps.
Proverbs 29:18 (The Message translation)
If people can’t see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
they are most blessed.
A Vision for your Community
One person can be a catalyst to change a community. If you're reading this, why not you? On the heels of Christmas and hearing the story of this baby Jesus, what does that really mean in our day to day lives? How does this even translate to our hussle and bussle of work, relationships, health issues, people in need, mindless entertainment, and anything else that moves across our to-do lists?
Is it simply a story or a tradition engrained in our culture or is it a game-changer?
Christ came to bring Hope to a world that would otherwise be dark. Really dark. Here are five thoughts I'm asking myself moving into 2011:
- If I truly believe what I believe, it changes everything. What is my role in bring Hope to my community?
- What are the biggest issues around me? Unemployment? Homeless? Disease? Crime? Hunger? Marriages in trouble?
- What am I doing with my time that has no real value? Where could I repurpose that time?
- What is holding me back from engaging in my neighborhood or city? What fears do I have? What voices are in my head giving me excuses to do nothing?
- Am I taking steps to learn more about Faith, my purpose in Christ, and how that translates in my daily life?
No matter where you live, you have the opportunity to "be the church" right where you live, right where you work, and with the people you already connect with. Let's do this, our time is short.
11 States and 3 Countries!
The beauty of Church Online... the first showing of Once Upon a Midnight Clear was seen in 11 states, Spain, and the 
UK! Join us again at 6PM EST today to see it again or join us for our Christmas Eve service tonight at 11 PM EST. Merry Christmas!
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