By Pastor Ed Moreno

Pastor Ed Moreno of New Day Christian Church, Eastvale

Have you ever been to a funeral where the deceased stepped out of the casket?  No?  Neither have I.  But did you know that over 500 people saw Jesus alive again after three days of a confirmed biological death?

Jesus told his followers several times that he would resurrect after being killed, but they didn’t believe him – that is until he did it!

What about you, do you believe in the resurrection?  No? Why not?  If it could be shown that the historical evidence overwhelming demonstrates that Jesus did rise, would you believe in Him and follow him?

Well, guess what, the historical evidence does overwhelmingly demonstrate that he rose!

In fact, did you know that if one could disprove that the resurrection occurred, Christianity would virtually disappear overnight?  Why?  Because the resurrection of Jesus is the very foundation upon which the Christian faith stands or falls.

Listen, instead of just taking some uninformed professor’s or loved one’s word for it to the negative, why not personally check out the claims of Jesus and the evidence for his resurrection?

I mean, why risk where you’ll be spending your afterlife (and there is one, you know)?  Don’t you think eternity would be a long time to have to regret not coming to know and accept Jesus while you had the chance?

Easter Sunday is on Apr. 5.  Please consider this my personal invitation for you to come to New Day to begin that journey of checking out Jesus’ claims and the evidence for the resurrection yourself.  I’m certain that you’ll be glad you did.

New Day Christian Church meets Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m.  They are located at 7155 Hamner Avenue (formerly “A” Street), at Schleisman Road next to the Fire Station.  For more information, call (951) 278-8367, or visit http://www.newdaycc.net.

If McDonald’s is known the world over as “Home of the Big Mac,” The Lord’s Church has to be known as “Home of the Tender Hearts.”

I say this, because there are three Greek words, and their derivatives, that are used in the Bible approximately 500 times that are translated into English as “Compassion,” “Mercy,” and the like.

There are few topics or virtues that are addressed in Scripture FIVE HUNDRED TIMES. So when we come upon one of those topics or virtues, such as Compassion or Mercy, we should probably pay extra special attention to it because it is obviously ultra-important to God that we get this, understand it, and do whatever he says we are to do in relation to it.

In describing God’s own nature, King David tells us repeatedly that the Lord is compassionate (see Psalm 103:8). The great Apostle Paul tells us that God is the originator of compassion, and that compassion characterizes God (see 2 Corinthians 1:3). And so it should come as no surprise that God wants his people to emulate this virtue as well (see Zechariah 7:9).

And the kind of compassion that is to be practiced by God’s people is the same kind that Jesus practiced. It’s the kind that doesn’t just “feel” deeply at the sight of human suffering, but the kind that then “acts” to do something about the situation.

When Jesus saw the poor widow of Nain suffering over the recent loss of her only son (and probably her only child), Jesus’ heart was wrenched inside of him to the point that he acted to relieve her suffering (see Luke 7:11-17).

I’m willing to admit that my heart isn’t always tender like Jesus’ – but I want it to be.

What’s the condition of your heart?

New Day Christian Church meets Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m., and is located at 7155 Hamner Avenue in Eastvale (at A Street, next to the Fire Station).  For more information, call (951) 278-8367, or visit http://www.newdaycc.net.