USA (MNN) — Today is Good Friday, the day Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins. Huchcraft Ministries’ Ron Hutchcraft says the coming weekend is more than a holiday for millions of believers worldwide.
“When you go to Easter morning, you see at that empty tomb three life changers,” Hutchcraft says. “One is the proof. Some people think Easter is just a historical event, but it’s much more than that.”
Resurrection Sunday holds deep personal meaning for those who follow Christ. Thomas, one of Christ’s disciples, was forever changed by the proof Jesus offered Him in John 20.
(Photo courtesy of Sixteen Miles Out/Unsplash)
“The ultimate significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that it’s a deeply personal event. It was only after Jesus rose from the dead that Thomas said, ‘My Lord and my God,’” Hutchcraft says.
“He’d heard every sermon, he’d seen every miracle, but it was only after the resurrection that Thomas said, ‘He’s my Lord now. He’s my God now.’”
Christ’s resurrection also proved His divinity and His authorship of salvation.
“The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof that there’s only one way to get to heaven. To give eternal life, you have to have it, and the only one who ever proved He had it is the Man who conquered death,” Hutchcraft says.
“Out of the billions of people who lived on this planet, one man walked out of his grave under His own power, and that’s Jesus.”
Historical evidence and personal conviction of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection lead to transformation. “The second life changer is the hope. The hope that that tomb represents is one of the most powerful forces on the planet,” Hutchcraft says.
“This is not hope, the sentiment; this is a death-crushing Person who is a living hope.”
With the hope of a risen Savior, Christ-followers have a new life mission. “If you’ve come and seen and have a hope like this, go and tell. It’s all there in Matthew 28,” Hutchcraft says.
One look at our broken world provides the reason for the season. “People are starved for peace and hope. We have it. They need it. It’s time to deliver it.”
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Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash.
