Kohima: The Kohima Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship (KBPF) conducted a resurrection Sunday Sunrise Service today at Naga Solidarity Park, Kohima.
Joining the rest of the world in celebrating Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ for the redemption of mankind, thousands of Christian gathered in the early hours and gave thanks to their Almighty Jesus Christ. The day signifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Delivering the gospel to the congregation, Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho, General Secretary, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) said “He is risen” Christ indeed is risen. The guard at the tomb and the authority tried to cover up, but they could not conceal the power of God. The tomb is empty and we are filled.
“Resurrection is not the invention of humankind, it is a demonstration of God’s power. It completes our salvation and gives us the indescribable hope of life that is eternal. The empty tomb gave us the power to overcome the fear of death and the confidence of our future,” he said.
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Referring to the Christian Holy Bible, he pointed out from the book of 1 Corinthians 15:13, talking about resurrection to the Corinthians, he pointed out that, “The Apostle Paul resolutely counter the popular myth that resurrection did not happen when he in full confidence said “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
“Today, we have taken Christianity and our faith for granted, this is so because we think less of the power of resurrection and more of modernizing our faith. We think that being Christian is magical. We are influenced so much with what is going on out there that we do not even know how to filter what is right and what is wrong,” he said.
He therefore said that “Our source of information comes from social media like WhatsApp and YouTube, for some it has become their primary source and the Bible has become their secondary source. What goes around in social media seems to be more appealing than what the Bible says.
We forward messages when asked to ‘forward the message to 10 different groups’ and you will receive your blessing, also type ‘Amen’ and God will bless you and surprisingly, Christians are doing that,” he pointed out.
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He calls upon the congregation not to be surprised, as the blessings do not come by forwarding messages 10 times, as it is called a Christian scam. God doesn’t grant your wish because you type “AMEN” to get something from God.
He said “Blessings of any kind from an act of “Obedience” and “faith” in the resurrected Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Biblical Christianity is fading. Our Churches are becoming more like social clubs. We are too comfortable within the four walls of our Church. We are fencing ourselves off with the beautiful architectural structures. There is nothing wrong in putting up beautiful structures, but that should not deter us from saving souls, bringing hope to the hopeless and ministering to the world around us. In fact, they should enable us to do even better. For the Church, nothing can substitute building lives. And if we go at this rate, the Church of Christ will become an institution run and be measured by the worldly standard. Our influence is lessening because we are more like the world,” Keyho said.
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Delivering a message Ruokuovilie Sachu Pastor, Khedi Baptist Church said if Jesus had not risen, then the preaching of Jesus Christ would be useless and meaningless. He therefore challenged the believers, that the Resurrection of Jesus is not fake but the defining factors for the Christians life today. Pastor Sachu said that Christianity is about God living in heart, he therefore calls upon the believers that it’s high time to repent and stand firm and strong because Lord Saviour has risen from the dead. The service was led by Rev. Phom Lee Van Pastor, Kohima Phom Baptist Church.