What is that to you? You follow Me !

     Today is the day before Easter, which means this is the last day of my writing the devotionals from the Chronological Gospels leading up to Easter. It’s been a joy and a challenge, and some days were more inspired and inspirational than others and some days the Lord woke me up with a devotional on my heart and some days I felt I was waking God up to ask Him to open the Scriptures so that I would have something to say. Thank you for reading not so much my words, but the words of the Scriptures. Thank you Rocky, my dog, for inspiring me to write on our walk that day. Thanks also to Melissa for allowing me to wake up so I could write at the strange hours the Holy Spirit would punch me and tell me, "Hey, Tim, come here, I have something to tell you!" I really feel His Spirit did beckon me to come.

     Thanks also to Melinda Russell, the Lord’s ultimate education secretary who faithfully put the readings each day for the church to read on Facebook. I do plan on having a daily reading for the final portion of the “Rest of the Story” to be found on Facebook and also as a bookmarker on Easter at church.

Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter 3/30/2013

John 20:19-31; John 21:1-25; Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:1-12

     I jokingly refer to churches which call off Easter Sunday evening services (like our church on March 31) as having a “St. Thomas Memorial Service.” I even preached a sermon on Doubting Thomas on an Easter evening service on a couple of occasions. I personally love Sunday night services, as it is the last “pump up” word before a busy week. It astounds me that we can have nearly a thousand on Sunday mornings, but less than 100 on Sunday night. I personally believe some of Dr. Wallace’s best sermons are on Sunday nights, and Pastor Rief’s words and insights to the hymns and praise songs are marvelous.

     But I think we give poor Doubting Thomas too hard of a rap on missing out on Sunday night and for his words of "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Somehow I think he was incredulous that He missed seeing the risen Lord and was almost daring Christ to return. He more than made up for his doubting heart with his declaration of “My Lord and my God.” How reassuring it is that Jesus was able to impart a final beatitude for all of us with the words, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

     The final fishing trip is a marvelous word, especially in the telling of the restoration of Peter with the three affirmations of “You know I love you” to atone for his three denials. Thomas absolutely did not want to run the risk of missing Christ again so he goes with Peter, James and John. I find comfort in John’s lack of identifying two of disciples a likely indicator that his memory had faded on this momentous occasion. Yet he remembered and thought it worthy of mentioning exactly 153 fish were caught.

     We must remember too the final command of Christ, often called the Great Commission. Contrary to a primary call to Go, or even to evangelize, Christ’s central call for us in Matthew 28:18-20 is that He has all power (“All authority has been given to Me”) and we are to do our part of making disciples (“make disciples of all nations”), which includes reaching (“baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”), teaching, and ministering (“to observe all things that I have commanded you”).

Pray: Jesus, your first command to the fishermen of “Follow Me” was also their last command on the Sea of Galilee. Help me today and everyday to follow You and observe all things you commanded us. Thank you that someday, you will come back in like manner in which you left. Until then, keep me faithful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

     If you want to continue in reading devotionals and studies of key words of the church as found in the book of Acts, go to my blog, www.timothymckeown.blogspot.com. Blessings to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.  Pastor Tim McKeown