Motivations Will Be Revealed
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

One of the things I miss about living in a bigger city is the abundance of ice cream shops. On slow summer nights, it’s so nice to sit with a group of friends while eating ice cream and watching the sun go down. An ice cream shop does show us something about ourselves – we all have unique opinions. Think about it. Many shops have 20-30 different flavors to choose from. What’s the first thing you ask someone after they make their purchase? “What flavor did you choose?” Some people buy plain vanilla every single time, while others like to be adventurous and try all the flavors. We all have opinions, or judgments, about certain things. Many times, our judgments are harmless. It’s just reflective of our uniqueness that God gave each of us. But there are other times when our judgments move from neutral to either sin or obedience.

Servants and Stewards
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

What is the measure of success for the minister of the Word? It’s a difficult question for us to answer because we are influenced by the world around us and by prideful desires within us. Some people act like a minister’s success is measured numerically, whether it’s by finances, years in ministry, membership rolls, or baptisms. Others know better than to look at numbers, so they may consider spiritual matters to be the mark of success, like spiritual fruit in the lives of the congregation. While none of these are bad things – of course we want more people joining local churches and growing spiritually – God doesn’t measure a minister based on what man considers success. Instead, God looks at the faithfulness of those whom He calls into ministry. When we understand a minister’s role, this makes perfect sense.

For the last article in the Easter series, let’s look at what it means to be raised with Christ. In other words, how are we made alive with our Lord who is alive?

The claim that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead had spread across the known world at the time. Whether one believes in the resurrection or not, its impact on the birth and growth of the early Church is undeniable. The followers of Jesus, once fearful and scattered, became emboldened proclaimers of the risen Messiah. We have looked at the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection, and now we will look at the impact of the resurrection on the Church and the world around it.

The claim that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead had spread across the known world at the time. Whether one believes in the resurrection or not, its impact on the birth and growth of the early Church is undeniable. The followers of Jesus, once fearful and scattered, became emboldened proclaimers of the risen Messiah. We have looked at the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection, and now we will look at the impact of the resurrection on the Church and the world around it.