Between Monday and Sunday

This article is courtesy of Biblical Illustrator Magazine and is outstanding material to strengthen your Easter message. In this article , Beeson Divinity School's Jerry Batson asks, How did first-century Christians come to believe in the reality of the resurrection? How did this belief change their lives? He says that answers to these questions are as important to us as they were to them. Batson presents the following evidence of the reality of Jesus' Resurrection: Resurrection Appearances The Christian Movement The Uncommon Life The Early Confession Changed Lives Access this complimentary article now... View our Easter Resource Index for more last minute help...

I created a new PowerPoint template to go with the Easter sermon that I posted earlier this week. I have set it up so you could use it with any sermon. I used an image that portrays Jesus as Light of the World. Access the PowerPoint here ...

I found an excellent Easter sermon by Frank Lewis in Let's Worship Magazine and found out that not only did they print the sermon but they included three audio messages on the CD-Rom that comes in the back of each issue. I really like that they are doing this. They include audio interviews, children's worship bulletins, PowerPoint templates, and this type of sermon audio content. I wanted you to see the quality of the sermons and the audio that Let's Worship has, so I got permission from them to post both the manuscript and the audio in Proclaim Online. This model Easter sermon by Frank Lewis is based on John 8. The sermon actually sets up the Lords Supper Observance. In the sermon, Frank says, "When Jesus claimed to be the light of world, He was making a claim to be the Messiah. The Jewish ears in the audience when Jesus said this would have really perked up, probably much more so than our ears. You may view the manuscript and download either a PDF version exactly ...

I've posted the Palm Sunday sermon I preached last year. I hope it will give you some ideas as you prepare for your Palm Sunday services. You can download the manuscript, PowerPoint presentation, and listen to the audio . I used a video clip from The Nativity Story to portray the volatile political situation at the time of Christ's birth. I did this to help our church family understand the type of Messiah people were looking for as Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem.

I was really grateful to find this one today. Ed Stetzer and the folks over at the "Center for Missional Research" at the North American Mission Board (http://www.namb.net/cmr) released a new study last week showing among other things, that "75 percent of Americans believe in the Resurrection." You can view the study along with support materials here . Be sure to note the research they did related to James Cameron's recent documentary, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." It's fascinating. Their main takeaway is... So, what can we learn from these numbers? First, the general public, and even those who only show up at our churches on Easter and Christmas, may actually agree with the greeting, “Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!” Our message to congregants on Easter Sunday may not require a defense of the physical resurrection so much as an explanation to its meaning and redemptive power for the individual sitting in the pew. And guess what—people carry their ...