Dear precious OFRH family,
THE LORD IS RISEN ! My prayer is that you and I shall be freshly moved and empowered by this exciting truth when we celebrate Easter this month. It can be difficult to grasp fully the huge dimensions of the love of God which drove Jesus to go to that cross to make possible the salvation of our lost souls in order that, as the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:17-19, “…Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]” (Amplified Version). GLORIOUS!
As Dr. Fuller preaches this month from the Gospel of Mark and the brief letter written by Jude, he will direct our attention to the power of God available to us to keep our paths straight in Him. He’ll also discuss the errors that can take us way off course (such as trying to score points with God through too much personal performance or, on the other hand, taking our freedom in Christ as an excuse for any wrong (sinful) behavior that our fleshly minds and hearts can conceive of. Rather, let’s get lost in the love of God directed toward us this Easter and be conduits of that love wherever He takes us! We can also meditate on the hymn “The Love of God” which says it is “…greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin. O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure – the saints’ and angels’ song.” I wish I had space to share all the lyrics, but you could find them online or in a hymnal.
And speaking of music: OFRH has two Easter CDs available, each with songs by the men’s quartet and also by the choir. First: “An Old Fashioned Easter” and second: “Another Old Fashioned Easter.” Each CD is just $16.50 which includes shipping (however, if you’re in California each CD is $18.00 due to tax).
Rejoicing this Easter in the God of power who has conquered death,
Michael Khanchalian, D.D.S.
Comments