
Bethel Baptist Church
Worship Service @ Home
Easter Sunday
17 April 2022
Service available on Youtube, or as text (below), or for audio see the Podcasts page.
Welcome
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!”
Lk. 24:5
A very happy and blessed Easter to everyone!
Testimony
“When the plug has been in contact with the electricity we get the power. So it is with the Lord through spending time in His Presence, in prayer, and in His word, the power of the Holy Spirit will permeate our whole being; we will be on fire for the Lord and even see miracles and healings (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 4:20).”
Stella
Worship
© 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing. CCLI: 7068424
Word
Please read: Acts 1:1-11
After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3
A Roman Catholic lady recently asked me to pray for her as she was unwell. She invited me into her house and with two of her family members present I prayed for her. She then started to pray and repeatedly, again and again, asked the Lord to forgive her of all her sins. When she had finished, I shared with her that Jesus Christ died on the cross for her and the moment she puts her faith in Him, her sins are forgiven. We never have to go back to those sins again. As Corrie Ten Boom reminds us that the Lord buries our sins in the depths of the sea and then puts up a sign that reads: “No fishing” (cf. Micah 7:19).
We can stop at a number of places in our spiritual journey and never get past those places. Jesus Christ was born a baby, lived a normal life with his family, and at the age of around 30 years He began ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit; He was crucified; He died and was buried, and on the third day He rose again; He appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days and taught them about the Kingdom of God; He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father from whom He received the gift of the Holy Spirit; He has poured out the Holy Spirit upon His Church:
Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Acts 2:33
Paul says something radical:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
1 Cor. 15:12-14
I read two other radical statements that initially shocked me but as I thought about them had to agree to their truth:
“Calvary without Pentecost would not be an atonement to us”
Dr R. C. Moberly
“Jesus’ death and resurrection go for nothing and are wholly ineffective without the gift of the Spirit”
James D G Dunn
Wow! But it is true. Think of all those who do not believe in Jesus, the cross, the resurrection, the ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are wholly ineffective in their lives. We need to continue in our spiritual journey and be open to all that the Lord has to give us and seek these things with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and believe until we receive them, Amen!
Quote of the week
“No resurrection, no Christianity”
Michael Ramsey
Verse of the week
By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also.
1 Cor. 6:14
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we praise and thank You for all You have given us through Your Son Jesus Christ and through the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Lord may Your church believe and receive all You have to give us that we might be more effective in Your work; that we might see those signs, wonders, miracles, healings, and the salvation of souls that the early church saw in and through Jesus Christ, Amen.