Monday, March 24, 2008

Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed!

by Patrice Tsague, NPIM

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. I Corinthians 15:13-14

Easter is the time of year when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For the Biblical Entrepreneur, it should be time of reflection on the gift of salvation and the power of Christ's resurrection. As the Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 3:10-11, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead."

What if He did not rise from the dead?

If Christ did not rise from the dead the consequences for us are great.

If Christ did not rise then; our preaching is empty - meaning that there is no power in the word of God, there is no salvation, there is no forgiveness of sins, and there is no need for a marketplace ministry or biblical entrepreneurship. We can therefore do business like the pagans since there would be no need to use our businesses as a tool to fulfill the great commission.

Secondly, if Christ did not rise our faith is empty - there is nothing for us to believe in, there would be no substance to our faith. We can only have confidence in what we can see and touch.

Thirdly, if Christ did not rise, we are false witnesses - that means all Christians, including biblical entrepreneurs, are liars since we are preaching about something that never happened. Everything then, that we believe, is founded on a lie. If Christ did not rise, then all those who claim to be Christians are fools; we are stupid and biblical entrepreneurship is based on a lie because the Bible would then be a book of lies.

Thank God none of this is true since Christ did rise from the dead. Because He rose from the dead we are saved from death. Since Christ rose from the dead, the same power that raised Him from death can help us overcome any dead situation in our lives and businesses. Since Christ rose from the dead, our faith is based on truth and can therefore move mountains. Since Christ rose from the dead, we are in right standing with God and are true witnesses of the resurrection. Since Christ rose, we have hope in this life in the life to come. Since all of this is true, we can do business God's way; we can use our businesses as a tool to fulfill the great commission and be His ambassador in the marketplace.

Thank God that He has risen. He is risen indeed.

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