Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

I remember Easter Sunday as a child dressing up for this great occasion. Of course, I was a kid, but I got new clothes, lots of candy, and made colored eggs that always seemed to drive my mother crazy. Those days are gone. Now the word “Easter” has a different meaning. In fact, I call this time “A Celebration of the Resurrection.”

Over the years of studying the Bible and looking at the evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus, I no longer take the Resurrection by faith. I see it as fact. It is factual information Jesus rose from the dead. Knowing this truth makes a big difference in worship, because we are encountering a living Jesus.  This is why one of the Foundational Truths of Mission Encounters International (MEI) is Encountering God. 

The Resurrection was not just something to be remembered, but experienced. Every time I meet with God, He speaks to me, shares with me, and transforms me into the image of His Son. God is alive, so I can be in His presence. He wants to be in my presence, and I want to be in His. In the garden in Genesis, God calls out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” God is seeking them to have fellowship with Him, to deepen their love relationship, and be changed or transformed. That is why another foundational truth of MEI is Transforming Lives, for Christ is the only one who can do this.

Jesus encounters us, transforms us and sends us out. He changed Saul to Paul and sent him out to preach. Jesus saw the woman in the sin of adultery and told her to go and sin no more.  She could show forth the life of Jesus where she lived. The woman at the well was converted to Christ. She went quickly back into the city to tell others. She was impacting her hometown, her heritage, her family, and her nation. Therefore, the third foundational truth of MEI is Impacting Nations. 

The Resurrection does not impact only one Sunday in the year. It is the force of all spiritual life. We need not merely hear about the Resurrection; we need to experience the power of the Resurrection. In my lifetime, we have gotten into hearing about Jesus, and we have moved away from experiencing Jesus. The Resurrection is an experience we must all enter into, if we are going to have a God-centered life. God is life. Everything else is less than life. Join me, Experience and Celebrate the Resurrection. 

Because He lives, 

Larry Benson, Executive Director