Easter Weekend 2023

Intercessory Prayer

God did great things through Paul; but do we ever consider the many believers who continually lifted up prayers on his behalf? In our passage, Paul thanks both God and the Corinthian believers for his deliverance. Paul is never shy in asking his brothers and sisters in Christ for prayer because he understands the power of intercession. Sometimes in the midst of our deepest struggles, we can find it difficult to reach out and ask someone to pray for us.

I love how Charles Bent defined intercessory prayer as “loving our neighbor on our knees.” Often our friends need to “borrow our faith” when their faith is failing. I recently had the opportunity to discover this when I led a leader’s retreat up in the mountains; it’s interesting to note that the theme was “Resurrected Life.” On Friday evening, one by one, each woman, including me, shared a present trial; it was difficult to be vulnerable and transparent, and many tears were shed throughout the room. We were open, honest, and dependent on God’s love, grace, and Word.

Early Saturday morning we gathered together in a large circle for prayer and each woman received comfort and encouragement. Being the leader, I made myself available to pray and minister; but the surprise came when this group asked if they could pray for me. I sat in a chair in the middle of the room surrounded by intercessors who prayed over me with such love, faith, and hope that it overwhelmed me. My burdens were immediately relieved, and my sorrows turned into joy. Although the problems still remained among us, our perspectives were transformed, and our hope for the future; was certain.

You might be going through something hard now. Don’t be a lone ranger. Give a friend or two a call and invite them over to pray for you; don’t be afraid to be real and lean on your circle for support. God has given us one another for comfort, power, and healing. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

Margy Hill

by Margy Hill

A Second Chance at Life

Decades ago, as a young college graduate, I accepted an internship in New York City. Unacquainted with potential dangers lurking in big cities, I unwittingly got cornered by a street gang wielding a switchblade. This crisis began when the gang grabbed my mother’s purse in a crowded public transit station and ran off. I naively chased them at a “safe distance” in hopes of retrieving any contents they might drop from her purse as they fled. It was not the wisest plan! Two blocks later I stared cautiously down a narrow, dead-end alley for any remnants from her purse. Without warning they jumped from the shadows and surrounded me. One of them pulled out a switchblade and headed straight at me with the blade extended. I had no defense and no route of escape. Time seemed to freeze. But at that instant, an NYPD patrol car screeched up to the alley and an officer jumped from the door. His sudden arrival put the gang to flight. They disappeared over dumpsters, up fire escapes, and through side doorways and windows. Amazingly, I was still standing and unharmed with only the police officer in sight!

Like many young people I never really considered the prospect of my own death. In fact, the reality of that near brush with death didn’t sink in until years later when I received Christ. Only then did I realize if not for God’s providential care, life might have ended in a pool of blood in a lonely alley. If not for that second chance at life, I would never have had the opportunity to receive Christ as my personal savior. I would never have become a father or known the joy of having grandchildren years later. I would not have had the privilege of eventually serving the Lord in ministry. Thinking back about my rescue that day, I can now see it figuratively as a “resurrection” – a new gift of life from the hand of God.

Over the years I’ve heard remarkable testimonies from others about second chances at life following a grave illness, serious accident, or other near brush with death. Such stories of temporal deliverance serve both as a witness to the providence of God as well as a foreshadowing of our coming resurrection unto eternal life. Our God is not only the giver of life, but also the redeemer of life and the power behind the coming resurrection unto eternal life. Resurrection is God’s sure and certain promise to every believer in Jesus Christ. His resurrection from a rock-cut grave near Jerusalem proves that God can fulfill that promise to every believer. To Him be the glory and the honor and the power, now and forever!

Dave Korinek

by Dave Korinek

Reliance on the God Who Raises the Dead

In the passage in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, we see a shift in focus that God
caused in Paul and those with him. The situation they were in was dire:
Paul said, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure,
so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts, we felt the
sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God, who raises the dead.” Did this surprising statement mean
they had not relied on God? I don’t think so but God wanted them to rely
on Him fully because of the power of resurrection. Often we don’t even
realize how self-reliant we are but God desires a focus shift in us as well.
We want to get out of a situation and He wants us to trust His power to
get us through it. Jesus showed us that.

In Gethsemane, Jesus was under great pressure; He knew death was close
and it would be more than anyone could endure. He asked Abba to take
the cup from Him but acquiesced to God’s purposeful will. He drank the
cup completely all the way to the release of His Spirit on the cross. He
knew intimately the agony of the cross but then the joy of resurrection
power over death. For us on this side of the cross and the gloriously
empty tomb, we choose and keep on choosing every day to rely on the
power and the meaning of the Resurrection.

EFCC has gone through being overwhelmed and under great pressure, too.
In July of 1971, the second pastor of Emmanuel Faith suddenly died of a
heart attack while on vacation in Canada. Pastor Coy Maret was greatly
loved during his 27 years of pastoring, teaching, loving, and ministering to
all ages. (I remember well how he spoke to the high schoolers who sat in
the front rows to hear him.) We were bereft and intensely sorrowful.
Knowing that God had a plan for EFCC, we would ‘keep on keeping on’ as
we relied on His direction and power. In July of 1972, one year later, Dr.
Richard Strauss answered the call to become the third pastor of Emmanuel
Faith. Later, there would be more times when God asked us to fully focus
on His power of Resurrection but those are stories for another time.

In reflection, do you remember times when you were more self-reliant than
God reliant even after becoming a believer? Do you have a story to share
of how God used your pressured time to cause you to fully rely on Him?
Do you think you might need a focus shift and a new perspective on God’s
power to resurrect?

Francie Overstreet

by Francie Overstreet

Is Pain a Gift?

We live in a fallen world and pain is a part of life. We come into this world because of labor pains, crying, and feeling the separation from a warm safe place into uncertainty. God allows pain in our lives for various reasons. Mark Batterson said sometimes the greatest joy follows the pain as mothers of newborns can attest. Noting gets our attention like pain.

We realize we have absolutely no control and the only one who does is the Lord as Paull talks about in 1 Cor.1:9, Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Pain saved my life in early 2011 when I woke up with excruciating abdominal pain that resulted in a trip to Urgent Care and the ER. I was diagnosed with pancreatitis which led to my gallbladder being removed, but what followed was the biggest shock of my life. The pathology report revealed a cancerous tumor in my gallbladder. That day began a journey of more surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and years of follow-up CTs and bloodwork to make sure it hadn’t come back.

If I hadn’t had that painful pancreatitis, the gallbladder cancer wouldn’t have been found early enough to treat, as is often the case. God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good of conforming us to be more like Jesus. (1 Cor. 1:3-4) The other good was that God began bringing people across my path on similar journeys and they became good friends. Greater empathy for others can be a result of pain and trials.

When pain brings us to the end of ourselves, God reveals himself and his power and love for us in a new way. It might not be physical pain, it might be emotional, the pain of loss, or mental pain. Whatever the burden or the pain, God desires to deliver us and give us His peace and hope. He wants to walk with us and even carry us on the journey.

The One who created us, the One who wept in the garden, the One who suffered death on the cross, and the One who conquered death, understands our pain and can use it to show us where we need to grow and reveal Himself to us in new ways.

Deb Hill

by Deb Hill

Living Hope

The word “inheritance” can bring about mixed emotions. For many, it means heartbreak because of the loss of a loved one. The physical inheritance may be nice, but it doesn’t replace the life that is now gone. Some inheritances can drastically change the way we live while others may offer minimal, if any impact. Peter gives us a different perspective on the potential life that an inheritance can offer. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” Human inheritance is temporary, but the inheritance that awaits us because of the resurrection of Jesus lasts forever. This inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It brings us out of spiritual poverty and destitution and into total fulfillment and life. It is a living hope.

Eugene Peterson expresses this hope beautifully in verses 3-5 of the Message: “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.” This hope is not only for eternity but it is also for today. Our future starts now. The resurrection of Jesus Christ declares victory! A brand new life! It provides the joy of living healed and whole. It frees us to live the lives that God has intended for us to live; today and forever. Oh, what a promise! A promise that has been sealed for all eternity.

How does the power of the resurrection, the message that Jesus Christ died for you then rose again and sealed your future, change the way you live today? As you reflect on the impact that the resurrection has in your life, listen to this song, remembering that Jesus Christ is your living hope. Phil Wickham - Living Hope (Official Music Video)

Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director

by Lynette Fuson