Cornerstone

1 Cor 1:1-20

Luke stated Acts 1:3 that the risen Lord “shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” KJV

A student at the University of Uruguay one day asked Josh McDowell, author of “Evidence for the Resurrection”, “Professor McDowell, why can’t you refute Christianity?” “For a very simple reason,” I answered. “I am not able to explain away an event in history–the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He states, “After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings–or it is the most remarkable fact of history.” There are many infallible proofs that will convince any person of faith but probably the final evidence that we all must embrace is discussed in the following poem:

He Is Risen!
How do I know that Christ is risen?

What proof have I to give?

He touched my life one blessed day

And I began to live.

How do I know He left the tomb

That morning long ago?

I met Him just this morning

And my heart is still aglow.

How do I know that endless life

He gained for me that day?

His life within is proof enough

Of immortality.

How do I know that Christ still lives

Rich blessings to impart?

He walks with me along the way

And lives within my heart.

–Author Unknown

Dr. Gayle Woods

John 21:1-17

We lost our cat. Oh, we know where he is. He is in the neighbor’s house next to where we used to live. We lost our cat? Yes, because of love. He was a good old cat. I even kind of liked him. That is saying a LOT. My wife and boys loved him. When we moved, however, we knew that we were going to have to do something with “Kitty.” It was when we mentioned this to our neighbor that we found that during those times when “Kitty” would disappear he was actually next door in our neighbor’s house playing with her cat. The neighbor had even been feeding “Kitty.” So, when our neighbor asked if she could have “Kitty” and showed such love and compassion in her request it seemed natural to say, “Yes.”

Jesus made a similar comparison. He called us sheep. This is not a compliment at all! Sheep are pretty dumb and completely dependable. They need someone to care for them. He was leaving, however, and needed someone to care for His “pets.” Feed my sheep. That is a call to ministry. That is a call to love. Jesus dearly loves His sheep and wants His love channeled through us to His “pets.” His call includes finding lost sheep (evangelism), and protecting/ feeding sheep (discipleship). When He returns from His trip He will hold us accountable for how well we have done in caring for His “pets.”

Dr. Gayle Woods