What is Good Friday and why do we call Good Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day of suffering and death for Yahushua?
For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world.
Ever since Yahushua died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Yahushua to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Yahushua died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what Yahweh had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
1 Corinthians 15:3,4 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then
He was seen by the twelve. After that
He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remains to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that
He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all
He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
KEY POINTS
“You Must Pass It to Others What You Received”
“You Must Stand on This Truth”
“You are Saved by This Truth”
For Paul, the gospel begins with the death of Christ on the cross for our sins, but it continues to His burial and, significantly, His resurrection. The alive-again Christ appeared to many people still alive at the time Paul wrote his letter. Paul establishes that the believe in the gospel, includes faith in the physical resurrection of Yahushua from the dead. Also, you must connect that faith to belief in the resurrection of all believers from the dead
The above message came to Paul direct from Yahushua (Galatians 1:12)
So, the first truth of the gospel message is this: “Christ died for our sins”. That is, the sinless Son of Yahweh was sacrificed on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins that we committed.
The religion of secularism is the fastest growing religion in the western world, and it has taken on a sugar quoted Christianity.
If the world is at a religious precipice, then we’ve been moving slowly toward it for decades. Fifty years ago, Time asked in a famous headline, “Is God Dead?” The magazine wondered whether religion was relevant to modern life in the post-atomic age when communism was spreading and science was explaining more about our natural world than ever before.
We’re still asking the same question. But the response isn’t limited to yes or no. A chunk of the population born in the recent decades respond to the provocative question with, “God who?”
Scientific advancement isn’t just making people question God, it’s also connecting those who question. It’s easy to find atheist and agnostic discussion groups online, even if you come from a religious family or community. And anyone who wants the companionship that might otherwise come from church can attend a secular Sunday Assembly or one of a plethora of Meetups for humanists, atheists, agnostics, or skeptics.
The groups behind the web forums and meetings do more than give skeptics witty rejoinders for religious relatives who pressure them to go to church—they let budding agnostics know they aren’t alone.
The above picture is a church service in Berlin that uses Star Wars to engage the congregation.
Stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans started the original Sunday Assembly in a decommissioned London church in January 2013, and by September 2013 they had five congregations in the Sunday Assembly Everywhere (SAE) denomination, including in Melbourne, Australia.
Their goal was to have "a godless congregation in every town, city, and village that wants one" — and they were hoping to have 30 to 40 by the end of December 2013. If they reach that goal, the Sunday Assembly says in a press release, "the 3000 percent growth rate might make this non-religious Assembly the fastest growing church in the world, catering to the fastest growing belief / non-belief group."
Common sense tells us that we need at least 4 basic elements to survive- Water, Air, Food and Light, Even the religion of secularism will not be able to deny this truth.
In the Bible, the living Word of God, Yahushua said,
1. I am the LIVING WATER
2. I am the BREATH OF LIFE
3. I am the BREAD OF LIFE
4. I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD
He further said, without me you will not have life in its fullness and anytime you feel overwhelmed in life, come to me, I have prepared a table for you with everlasting nourishment.
One day the religion of secularism will let you down and I have no doubt about it. But remember, your broken live can be turned to a purpose filled living, If you let Christ to do the mending.