Easter is an important holiday for Christians – celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. It’s nice to see family and eat some ham, but the spiritual meaning of Easter is essential. Unfortunately, some pastors have the wrong focus.
Wrong Focus
Joel Osteen is a prominent pastor in the U.S.; however, I don’t agree with his focus. From what I have seen, he focuses too much on improving our life on earth. This approach has been labeled “Prosperity Gospel,” where emphasis is placed on faithfulness leading to financial blessing, physical health, or other benefits for life on earth. Consider the following example when Joel Osteen was recently interviewed on Fox Nation.
"There can be things in our life that look dead," he told host Ainsley Earhardt in an interview. "Dead dreams, dead relationships … But remember, one message of Easter is resurrection and that is that God can resurrect dead things in our lives."[i] (bold added)
Frankly, this is the wrong focus. The resurrection is NOT about various messages, including resurrecting things in our life. It is the conclusion of God’s rescue plan for humankind. More on that below.
There is nothing wrong with improving our life as a Christian. In fact, following the Lord Jesus probably will lead to behavior changes that do improve our life. Moreover, God may choose to bless His followers with material benefits, answer prayer for jobs, etc.
But improving our life on Earth is not the emphasis for Christians.
Right Focus
1. Eternal focus
The right focus is on life-after-bodily-death. Rather than be punished by God for our sins, Jesus’ sacrifice enables people to be saved from eternal punishment.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 emphasis added)
2. The Bible does not promise prosperity for all (although the Bible does record God choosing to bless some people with wealth).
Jesus did not promise that the lives of all Christians would improve. In fact, Jesus told His disciples that they would face hardship.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. (Matthew 24:9)
Paul also warned Christians they would face hardship.
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12-13)
3. The idea of Gospel Prosperity is Dangerous
When people put their trust in God intending to receive some prosperity, what happens if they don’t receive it? What if they are not healed, don’t get the job, etc.?
It may lead them to them question God’s faithfulness, which is not focused on earthly possessions but rather God’s focus on our eternal well-being.
Evidence for the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus is fundamental to Christianity. As the Apostle Paul wrote, if the resurrection has not happened, our faith is useless:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, emphasis added)
Since the resurrection is essential to Christianity, I believe every Christian should know some of the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.
I like the acronym ACE, which I used in my books. Below is a summary and more can be found on my webpages:
Appearances – The risen Jesus appeared to multiple people over a period of forty days. This led to their willingness to die for their convictions.
Conversions – Paul, who was an enemy of Christians, and James, who was a skeptic of Jesus, both became Christians after experiencing the risen Jesus.
Empty Tomb – The tomb of Jesus was empty.
Knowing the evidence for the resurrection can strengthen our trust in the Lord and equip us to share reasons for our faith with nonbelievers.
Summary Point:
Lord Jesus – praise You and thank You for dying on the cross to take away the punishment we deserve for our sins.
[i] https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/joel-osteen-easter-fox-nation-god-resurrect-dead