We’ve got a super group of churches that form the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association. I love collaborating with these fellow pastors, that have become great friends along the way.
On Good Friday we are combining together to present a Good Friday service. Please join us at 7pm at the Cedar Springs High School auditorium. We’ll enjoy some worship from a worship team combined from all of our churches, and a time of Communion too. A nursery will be provided for children 4-years-old and younger.
And I am very honored to have been asked to deliver the message in this service. I’ll be sharing a powerful illustrated message entitled Paid In Full.
Today is Ash Wednesday: the start of the season of Lent. For the next 46 days, people all around the world will be preparing themselves to celebrate Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Resurrection Sunday.
Whether you have celebrated Lent for years, or you aren’t quite sure what Lent even is, I’d like to suggest a great tool. I love how YouVersion has made the Bible so accessible. Not only in multiple languages and a variety of translations, but via smart phones and the web, it’s so easy to read the Word.
There is a daily devotional plan now available for the Lent season. You can access it by clicking here. This is a 46-day Bible and devotional reading plan. I started it today, and I encourage you to read along with me.
Let’s keep learning more and more about the amazing work Christ did for us on Calvary, and what our response to His atoning work should be. As I tweeted this morning:
Keep learning: "The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge & the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for & craving) knowledge"
Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
That seems unfair! We receive double (!) for our sins! Here’s a brief video where I explain what this means culturally –
Only when invoices were paid-in-full did they get doubled-up.
The Bible tells us that we’ve all sinned, and that the invoice or penalty for our sin is death. We have the IOUs of sin nailed to the door of our heart where God says “You owe Me your life!” But we cannot pay this debt by ourselves.
But Jesus can. And Jesus did! Check this out –
He personally carried our sins in His body on the Cross…. (1 Peter 2:24, NLT)
Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us. This He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to His Cross. (Colossians 2:14, AMP)
That’s what is good about Good Friday. Jesus knew that taking our sins on His body, and then allowing His body to be nailed to the Cross, would double-up and nail-down our sin once and for all!
When Jesus said, “It is finished!” He was really saying, “It is was paid-in-full!”
My favorite weekend of the year is here! I love remembering what Christ did on Calvary, and then celebrating His resurrection. Please make plans to join us for two special services this weekend—
Good Friday Service at noon on Friday, April 2. We’ll reflect on the meaning of the Cross, especially focusing on exactly what was nailed to that old rugged Cross.
Conspiracy! An Easter Breakfast Drama at 9am and 11am on Sunday, April 4. Join us for breakfast, an original Easter drama, uplifting music, and a look at what really makes our hearts feel alive.
Looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend.
We had a great time Rockin’ For Haiti on Friday night! This was our fundraiser for Convoy of Hope, to assist them in their work in both Haiti and Chile. Based on the amount of money we raised, we’re helping COH provide nearly 500 meals!
We’ve already got our next benefit show planned. Save Friday, April 30, for Rockin’ For Smiles. More details coming later, but Edge From Falling will be our headline guest.
A couple other things to keep on your radar screen (and your calendars):
Tomorrow we’re wrapping up our two-part series on the life of Andrew. This is an amazing disciple of Jesus. Although he’s only mentioned by name 13 times in the Bible, and only has 27 words recorded, we see something desirable about his life: all he did was bring people to Jesus. I could talk a lot more about this man (and we will do so later on), but we’re wrapping up Be An Andrew on Sunday.
Passion week is coming up quickly. We’ll have a noon Good Friday service on April 2. And don’t forget about Conspiracy! An Easter Breakfast Drama on Sunday, April 4. Breakfast, music, a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, and an original Easter play. It’s going to be fantastic.
One final thing. I’m really excited for our special guest speaker next Sunday, April 28. Our Assembly of God Michigan District Superintendent will be with us. I love Bill Leach, and you won’t want to miss the powerful word he is going to bring.
So many great opportunities to invite your friends to meet Jesus—just like Andrew did. I hope to see you at Calvary Assembly of God soon.
Craig T. Owens 