It's Still Easter!

TITLE: IT's STILL EASTER!
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: April 22nd, 2016

The Church is well-prepared for the coming of Easter. For 40 days, pastors, preachers, and Church leaders will call their flock to fast, to pray, to seek God more, and to observe a sense of holiness as one reflects on Christ’s journey to the Cross. Then comes Holy Week and voila! Christians are united with one voice to sing: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!” That was more than three Sundays ago. This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday.

Nice Summary of Eastertide
(Credit: holyart.com)

The same cannot be said for the periods after Resurrection Sunday. After all the excitement; the disciplines of the 40 days; the preparation for Palm Sunday; the solemnity of Maundy Thursday; the painful trials and sufferings of Good Friday; and the pinnacle of Easter, the days following the Resurrection Sunday remembrance seem to become an anti-climax. The traditional Church calendar puts out 7 Sundays (including Easter Sunday) as a season of Easter, or Eastertide. The 8th Sunday is the Pentecost. How then do we celebrate and live out Easter? One way is to search the Scriptures to learn how the disciples responded to the Resurrection.

1) Remembering the Promise

6“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:6-8)

Jesus had promised that He would be killed, buried, and on the third day rise again. The disciples didn’t believe, let alone the women. That was why Mary Magdalene and Salome did not expect to see an empty tomb. That was why they were afraid. That was why they didn’t know how to react. They had forgotten what Jesus had said about Himself. If only they had believed Jesus meant every word He said.

Easter is about remembering that whatever Jesus had promised, He will do it. He proved it in the First Coming. He will do the same, and even more in His Second Coming. That is glorious reason for hope!

Christian Influence

TITLE: CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE
SCRIPTURE: Acts 26:25-29
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: August 29th, 2014

“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:25-29)

The power of an influential life is this: When others see us, they wanted to be just like us. The power of a Christian testimony is this: When others see us, they wanted to be just like the Christ they see in us.

Influence moves people. Those who have been touched by Mother Teresa will faithfully learn and work like her. Those who have been impacted by the peace efforts of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. will advocate for the peace Gandhi and King had preached. Those who have been transformed by the ministry of Billy Graham would be on the way to evangelize and to share the gospel, just like the legendary evangelist. We like to become the people we like. The essence of leadership is that people would desire to follow the leader. If there are no followers, what good is a leader?

When Stars Testify

TITLE: WHEN STARS TESTIFY
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 1:15-18
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: December 27th, 2013

"15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." (Philippians 1:15-18)

(Photo Credit: gospelherald.com)

One of the most popular evangelistic tools is to have movie stars, pop singers, or famous personalities to share their story of how they have become a follower of Jesus. The latest is that of Hong Kong sweetheart, Vivian Chow. In a moving testimony, Chow shares with listeners how she had moved her focus of self-development in her life pursuits and became more gospel-centric and more God focused. She shared her testimony boldly and the report has been widely publicized among many of my friends in social media circles.

I remember in my varsity years how Vivian was the pin-up girl in many of the guys' dormitory walls. A versatile singer and a photogenic actress, Vivian has been around in the Hong Kong entertainment circles for almost 25 years. She has a faithful following. Vivian was not the only HK star to publicly testify of her faith. There are others like Jacqueline Law who died last year in Singapore. Her very touching video was about how her faith enabled her to brave the cancer and approach death without fear. Other stars include Ada Choi, Gigi Lai, Kwong Wa, Edison Chen, Maggie Cheung, Tracy Ip, and Sammy Cheng. For fans of these stars, it is understandable that many of them do come to Christ because their favourite stars are Christian. A whole list of testimonies by various stars have been compiled here.

As one who is cautious about letting the influence of fame and fortune influence faith, I ask: Why are testimonies of stars so powerful?