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“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)

Thank and Praise God for blessing our Easter Bible Conference titled, “The Resurrection.”  We each experienced a deep sense of what God had done for a world of sinners when he sent Jesus to the cross and then raised him from the dead.  Through three messages based on 1 Corinthians 15 and one on a bleeding woman (Lk 8), it was made clear that God has a hope for all kinds of sinners, even like us.

As we pray for a student-led ministry, God used every fellowship member that came to our conference in some capacity.  Praise God!  Eileen Ting (4^th yr) gave a message on a bleeding woman.  VL, Roxanna Ng, Gloria Tsan, shared their life testimonies.  Several other students helped with singspiration, an offering song, and a special dance.  Daniel Matuch and Charles Fang devised fun, engaging games.  It was great to see God moving young U of C students who were READY and WILLING to participate in our Easter Conference.  May God raise each of them as good shepherds for their fellow UC classmates, as we pray for the University of Chicago to be a University of Christ.  Amen!

Also, we had a special baptism for Greta Taxis, VL and Wesley and Ester Jun.  It was the first time in our ministry we have done this, so we were all really fortunate to take part in this ceremony.  Each one that received the baptism confessed to Jesus as Christ, as God and acknowledged the Holy Spirit as the Trinity, which governs every aspect of their life.  They also committed themselves to obeying the great commission from Matthew 28 and prayed accordingly.  May God use their decision to bless ALL peoples of ALL nations, each according to the will of God. 

I personally received a lot of grace this conference, primarily through the exercise of writing my own message.  This was the first message I delivered since I returned to the ministry, so it was a special message for me.  The title was “The Hope of the Resurrection” based on 1 Corinthians 15 (2^nd part).  The Corinthian’s denial of the resurrection was due in large part to their compromised version of the gospel and their own ignorance of their sin problem.   By bringing them to realize that there would be no solution for their sin problem, Paul is explaining to them that unless Jesus has been raised from the dead, there is no hope to escape judgment because their sin remains.  Thinking about living a life of sin without a solution to that way of life is an excruciating thought.  I remembered the pain, the guilt, the anxiety and the restlessness that accompanied my life of perpetual sin.  So, it was painful to think that if Jesus had not been raised, that our sins wouldn’t be forgiven!  We would be rejected by God because our sin remains, and sin must be punished with the unrelenting wrath of God.

But verse 20 reminds them, and us, of the truth: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  Indeed, Jesus is the firstfruits of all who have fallen asleep…but is also the firstfruits for ALL of us!  The firstfruits represent the entire harvest field; if it is good, then the whole field is good.  When Jesus was presented to God as a sacrifice for our sins, Jesus was accepted!  God accepted Jesus, so that means that God accepts those who belong to Jesus.  Those who belong to Jesus are those that hold onto his promises from John 3:16 and 11:25-26, among so many others.  They are those who are willing to “endanger themselves every hour,’ and ‘die every day.’  They are those who believe that “in Adam, all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”  I repent that I feed the doubt that Satan plants in me, that work to convince me that I’m not worthy to be part of the harvest field which Jesus represents, nor be able to endure God’s discipline.  Thank and Praise God for Jesus, our Firstfruits!  Jesus is our guarantee that we will be acceptable to God when we face him in judgment.  Jesus is our firstfruits, so that even though we die because of Adam, we will be made alive because of Christ!  Amen!  May God continue to hear our prayer for the University of Chicago to become a University of Christ, one student at a time.

One word: Jesus is our Firstfruits!

Reported by Andrew