Live Out the Message of Good Friday

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

The hatred for all things “Jesus” is as evident today as it was to the members of the early church. This is particularly true throughout Asia and parts of Africa. Authoritarian governments seek to control Christian religious thought and expression, and hostile religious extremists engage in abduction, enforced detention, torture and executions of Jesus followers. Western countries are seeing anti-Christian sentiment on the rise too. Academic, social and political groups are increasingly desiring Christianity to withdraw from the public arena and remain behind church walls.These current events are troubling, but believers too often respond with over-the-top emotion to aggression against the church, much like Jesus’ disciples did when He was crucified - as if it was unexpected. We experience disbelief, fear, shock, outrage, indignity, offense, animosity, and despair. Yet how many times have we heard Jesus’ warning, “You will be hated by everyone because of me...”? (Matthew 10:22a).Seven hundred years before Jesus lived on this earth as God incarnate, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care” (Isaiah 53:3). Three hundred years earlier, David predicted in Psalm 22, that Jesus would be scorned, despised, mocked, and killed.Jesus was not surprised when the prevailing hatred against him led to the cross. It should come as no surprise to us that the world rejects Jesus still, and those who associate with him. Jesus told his disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). How then can we not expect to be rejected on some level if the Spirit of God dwells within us?How do we reconcile our emotions over the persecuted church with God’s call for us to be holy as Christ is holy? By believing that Christ’s holiness is grounded in love, and love expels all fear (1 John 4:18). If Christ’s holiness dwells within us, we can disengage from a victimhood mentality, rise above our knee-jerk, fear-based reactions, and live out the message of Good Friday.The message of the cross is foolishness to Jesus’ detractors, but power to those who believe (1Cor 1:18). On the cross of our salvation, Christ exhibited LOVE, MERCY, GRACE, COMPASSION and FORGIVENESS. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10), and embrace the power to forgive.God bless and strengthen you as you remember His sacrifice and celebrate His resurrection this weekend!Kathie FriedeleduKenya Communications Director