The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 2000

The Newsletter of the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches Vol. 73 No. 2 Good News From The Empty Tomb! Have you ever taken your children to a local cemetery on Easter Sunday morn– ing? Our children will probably never forget the Easter we did that very thing. Much to the chagrin of the ' 'fam' ' we walked there early in the morning to conduct a simple service. The children worried lest they be ' 'caught dead' ' in a cemetery and wondered what their friends would think. But what better place to remind them, and us, about resurrection reality than in a cemetery? We do not usually associate good news with tombs. Tombs speak of sorrow and loss; they are found in cemeteries, places we would just as soon avoid. However, the Scriptures are clear that there 1s good news coming from Christ's empty tomb. To those women who first discovered the empty tomb the angel said, ' 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus wl10 was crucified. He is not here; for He is r1 en, as He said. ome, see the place where the Lord lay' ' (Mattl1ew 28:5-6 ). Mixcd emotions filled tl1ose fi11e ladies that n1orning; they did 11ot quite know wl1at to 1nake of this ne\.'.'S. Matthew goes on to record tl1at ''tile}' we11t out quickly from tl1e to1nb wit l1 fear and grea t joy, and ra11 to bri11g If is disciJ)les word'' (Mattl1ew 28:8). Wl1at d yot1 111al e of~ tl1e e111r)ty to111b? I Jow can \Ve explai11 it? I lave yclll tl1oug)1t abot1t 1l1e sile11t yet p(>\\'erful mes age co,11ing fro111 tl1e 111JJty to111l1? 'l J1i11k \\'ill1 rne a 1110111e11l. At lea t tl11 t;;e ~ ' J'>la11at i n l1a \ ' t; be 11 g1 e11 for tl1e e111pty l )n1b: a. J su 11e 1 er reall)' died 111 tl1 1r t JJlace; J l e j tJst fai11t d 11 tl1e crl> s, revived in the tomb, and left it un– der His own power. b. Someone stole His body and emptied the tomb. c. Jesus arose from the dead leaving behind an empty tomb. AboutHis Fainting Let's remember that sea oned profes– sionals who knew wl1at they were doing crucified Je u . They had witnes ed ma11y a crucifixion; they knew when a person wa dead. They felt no 11ecd to break 11is legs to hastcr1 I-I1s death as they had fc)r the two thieve wl10 \\<ere crt1cificci witl1 I 11111. Ratl1er, ··w11c11 tl1c} carne to Jesus a11d sa\\i tl1at J le \\'a alre,tdy dead, tl1cy dtcl 11ot b1c,1k I li s legs'' (Jol111 19:33). ()11e t)ftl1er11 p10 ecd cl to pierce l lis sitic \.\- 1tl1 ,l spear ar1cl ·i111111ecliately l1l()t>tl l111(l \\ 1 atc1 c,1111c ot1t'' (Jol111 19:3,l). 1"'}1cy 111acl t;; st1r tl1at J~Stls l1a,i 11C>l jt1.. t fai11te I; 11 \\' as trt1l , doacl ! l1t1t t;;\' t;;Jl if 11~ l1ad jt1 ·t 111i11lt;;tl, llttlcl April 2000 In This Issue • A Collage of Thought page 2 • Financial Steward hip for Your Pastor page 3 • Keeping Up With Our Camp page 6 • Ohio welcome three new pa tor page 7 • Celebrate Ohio! page 7 • Cedarville College New page 8 He have revived in the coolness of the tomb, removed the stone by Him elf from inside the tomb, tepped out and con– vinced Hi follower that He had actt1ally rai ed from the dead? That i a phy 1cal impo ibility. In H1 weakened condition how could He ever l1a\' app ared powerful and conv in ing? t1ch a po 1tion d fi all logic and takes n1or faith to b I 1eve tha11 the re urrc t1011 1t elf. 0111eon Wl10 ,vo t1 ld l1a\ t: bc\;11 ,t\ l1ilt1blc t<1 teal ll1~ boti\') 1\11y ()t1coftl11cc gr<)llllS- tl1e JC\\ tl1 Ro111a11s, a11ti t l1e (lisciplt! l lati tl1t: JL \\ 1sl1 lc,1tfL1·r', ,tol 11 tl1c boti\ all tl1cy \\ ot1l(i 11,1,'e l1a i tt1 do i~ to 1,ro<.ltt e it \\ l1t·n 11 i" d1"ci1)l~, lai111 ·ti 11 l1aci rise11. \\ l1at \\ l)ttlti tllL) 11 '1\ t tt) gai11 l) , st ~ali11g it ; tl1 • , l1 '1cl ,va11t ll tt) l)t• Jllfitlll ( / , JJtlg , -