Easter Monday Amplify




Here are some of the pictures from our "Easter Reflections" along with some of the write-ups and questions we had at the different stations. Hope you enjoy, let us know what you thought about the night, what was impacting to you, what was God talking to you about?

Jesus in the Garden

Jesus often spent time in prayer. It was His habit to get away from distractions to spend time talking with God. On this occasion he again gets away to pray before He knows He is betrayed and sentenced to death, but He also brings his disciples along to pray with Him in this desperate hour.

Some points to ponder:

- Jesus is willing to do whatever God calls Him to do, even though He knows it will be very tough. Has God ever asked you to something difficult? If He asked you to, would you be willing?

- The disciples had a hard time staying awake and focused during prayer. Do you find it hard to keep focused on God? What could you do to help keep your attention God focused?

Peter denies Jesus

Peter thought that he’d be the one who always stuck by Jesus’ side. However, Jesus knew that when the heat was on, Peter would deny that he knew Jesus. Jesus didn’t want to guilt trip Peter, or have Peter dwell on the fact that he messed up. This is why Jesus told Peter that he would need to repent, and then build up the other disciples when Jesus died. Peter could not think of a reason of why he would need to repent, and even when Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus, he could never imagine himself doing such a thing.

Points to ponder:

- have you ever felt that your faith was so strong that you’d always follow Jesus no matter what?

- have you ever felt like you let Jesus down?

- do you find it hard to forgive yourself, even though you know that Jesus has forgiven you already?

The Crucifixion

I don’t think I’ll ever quite grasp the horror of the cross. Not only the physical pain that Jesus went through, but the pain of carrying the sins of the world. The pain of being so sinful, that God was forced to turn His back on Him. The reality is: Jesus was on the cross for us. Our sin nailed him to the cross, and His love for us kept Him there. Because we were born into a sinful nature, Jesus knew there was no way to make us pure before God without His death. He could have chosen to be rescued from the cross, but He didn’t. He knew that his death meant that we had a chance to experience eternal life.

Points to ponder:
- do you find it hard accept that God loved you so much that Jesus would willingly go through an extreme death like crucifixion?
- how do you respond to such an amazing act of love?
- have you decided to give your whole life in following Jesus because of what He has done for you?

Jesus is alive!

It’s proven through history that Jesus died. Where the step of faith comes in, is in believing after Jesus had been dead and buried, He conquered death by coming back to life. Jesus’ beatings, His humiliation, and His death on a cross would be only be a tragedy without Him rising from the dead.
Paul writes “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.” (1 Cor 15)

The resurrection is the most important event in all of history. It wasn’t enough for Jesus just to die, He had to defeat death so that we could be free from sin, we’re no longer enslaved to Satan, and we’re free from the grip of Hell.

Points to ponder:

- do you understand that without the resurrection there is no hope for you when you die because you’re still dead in your sin?

- have you taken that step of faith from just believing Jesus died to believing that He also rose from the dead?

Communion

The first communion took place when Jesus and His disciples had the traditional Jewish Passover meal, which later became known as the Last Supper. Jesus took elements of that meal, and asked his followers to use them to remember and proclaim his death until Jesus comes again. He is coming back!

Communion is a way of remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Take some time to read this scripture, then when you’re ready take some bread and thank Jesus for His body that was broken for us. After that, take some juice and thank Jesus for his blood which cleanses us from our sin. You can do this by yourself, or with others if you want. Imagine being one of Jesus’ disciple, at the table with Jesus at the first Communion, and He gives you this bread and this cup to remember Him by.

Tell the world

Jesus has given us a mission. Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt. 28:18)

It’s absolutely crucial that we share what Jesus has done in us with others. Paul again writes For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Romans 10:13

Points to ponder:
- does “preaching” the Good News mean that everyone has to preach sermons? Could we preach the Good News with more then the words that we say?
- do you realize that God has called you to share what He has done for you? Is there anyone you know that needs to hear that they can be forgiven of their sin?