By Pastor Steve Easterwood, First Baptist Church Dexter

In the early days of Christianity the church soon became known for outrageous acts of love. Two great plagues swept the Roman Empire within a hundred years of Christ’s death, killing millions. As you can imagine, fear gripped the hearts of the people.

Not knowing the cause of the sickness, families often pushed their own members out into the streets, leaving them to die alone. In an age with no hospitals, hospice, or nursing homes, the Christians took over the care of the dying, even at the risk of their lives. No wonder people wanted to know their Jesus.

Although we are not faced with a plague of these devastating proportions our area is currently experiencing a crisis. Families are struggling with flooded homes and businesses. Communities have been evacuated. Schools are closed.

What a great time for Christian people to stand up and be counted. Those of us who have escaped the flood need to help those who have been decimated.

Churches “on the hill” need to assist churches “in the valley” that are struggling to minister to their communities.

If you are reading this column and you are a Christian, I challenge you to galvanize your church. Find some people who need help and provide them manpower, resources, or whatever they need. This is a time to show the flood victims what the church of Jesus Christ is all about. Let us be known for our outrageous acts of love.

By Brad Aycock, First United Methodist Church of Sikeston

Today is Good Friday - the day upon which Christ was crucified.

From 9am until 3pm, Jesus hung on the cross.

At 3pm, he died.

The Romans routinely left the bodies of the victims of crucifixion hanging on the cross for several days. At times they would not permit a proper burial of the victims.

But Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy and influential Jewish leader, asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus properly and permission was granted. Joseph had been a secret follower of Jesus up to this point, afraid of what would happen if the other Jewish leaders discovered his interest in following Jesus.

Now, Joseph risked everything to publicly identify himself as a follower of Jesus.

By Steve Easterwood

All of us have watched the events unfolding in the Middle East with great interest.

Think about the massive political upheaval that has taken place in the last 50 years. The Berlin Wall came tumbling down and Germany was united for the first time since World War II. The Soviet Union broke up and a host of countries were born. China became a major world economic power, second only to the United States.

Now these dictators who held their countries hostage for years are falling like dominoes. What does it all mean?

At this point it’s hard to predict how the details will shake out. Will Egypt succeed in transitioning to a democracy? Will the Muslim Brotherhood eventually assume political power? Time will tell.

The one thing we can say for sure is that the second coming of Jesus Christ is nearer than ever before.

After His resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven before multiple witnesses. Their testimony was that two angels immediately appeared and said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

If you knew there was going to be a flash flood you would do your best to prepare your home and your family. If the weatherman was predicting an ice storm you’d stock up on food and make sure your generator was working properly.

Unfortunately, as world events come to pass that scripture says will immediately precede the coming of Christ, most people are woefully unprepared spiritually. If you believe that the Bible is true when it says Jesus is coming again you should do two things.

First, you should make sure you are right with God. Turn from your selfish, sinful lifestyle and become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you eternal life and He will!

Second, live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to meet the Lord tomorrow. Jesus’ own warning was this, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)

Dr. Steve Easterwood is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dexter.

By Dr. Steve Easterwood

As we begin a new year many of us are considering New Year’s resolutions. There’s the standard fare of “I’m going to lose weight” and “I’m going to get in shape.” Some of us, because of past experience, reject the whole idea of resolutions. But it was Socrates who wisely said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We consistently need to take a hard look in the mirror and make commitments about how we will live. It has been said that our lives are a monument to the commitments we have made. When you are considering how you might live more productively in 2011 may I offer a few suggestions?

1. READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY
Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Kathleen Norris, in her book “Amazing Grace,” tells the story of a man named Arlo who was given an expensive, leather-bound Bible as a wedding present. Even though Arlo’s wife had written a thank you not and Arlo had told his grandfather several times how much he appreciated the gift, the grandfather kept asking if Arlo had actually read the book. Finally, not wanting to lie to his grandfather, Arlo opened the Bible and found a twenty dollar bill at the beginning of the book of Genesis...and at the beginning of every other book of the Bible. The Bible contained over $1,300 in all. There’s great value in reading the Bible. Through it, God guides us in His ways and following His ways are the key to success in 2011.

2. PRAY FAITHFULLY
The Bible’s promise is “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7) As we were coming to the end of 2010 there were several things that needed to happen in my life to finish the year well. Through prayer, each of those things came about. Some of them seemed impossible. Other people doubted they could happen. But God can do anything! Through prayer He moves immovable situations. With this kind of power at our disposal, how can we be too busy to pray? As Bill Hybels says, “We are too busy NOT to pray.”

3. MEET WEEKLY WITH A CHRISTIAN FRIEND

The Bible says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs 27:6) There are plenty of people in the world who will tell you what you want to hear. You are blessed if you have a few people who will tell you what you NEED to hear. Find a Christian friend who will do this for you. Meet for coffee once a week and tell them your goals for 2011. Ask them to hold you accountable for your progress.

Do these three simple things and you’ll be amazed at how much you accomplish this year!

Dr. Steve Easterwood is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dexter.