A Biblical “Easter”

I cannot imagine what the world would do if a church today stood up and celebrated the resurrection of Christ in correspondence with the Jewish Passover. This would be a novel concept considering that Easter as we know it was established in 325AD and was a conscientious decision to separate Christianity from Judaism. So if we went back to a true biblical Easter this year when would it have occurred in 2008? The answer would by based upon the Jewish Passover of April 3, 2008. Since resurrection occurs three days later the proper celebration time would be Sunday the 6^th of April. OK…so how do we get to this dating for Easter. Let us examine a few facts.

First: Christianity cannot be separated from its parent religion Judaism. While some principles of Judaism have vanished in Christianity it still remains the foundation of our faith. Christianity is based upon Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of Judaism.

Second: The resurrection is tied to the Jewish Passover (14 Nissan) and a particular day. When holidays are tied to a day the date changes (the fourth Thursday of November, is Thanksgiving regardless of the date). However, when a holiday is tied to a date the day changes (December 25^th is Christmas whether it is Saturday or Wednesday). Our Easter is tied to a day while Passover is tied to a date. Easter occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon, following the spring solstice of March 21^st (a pagan holiday), thus making the date change from year to year.

Third: Calendar differences between the Jewish year and our calendar exist. The Jewish calendar of the Bible was based upon a 360 day year. Our year is based upon 365 days. We must trust our Jewish brothers who have compensated for the difference and thus base what I will call "Resurrection Day" on their adjustments. Admittedly this will cause a shifting of dates in our current dating process, but does not eliminate the truth of the principle being discussed.

So let us look at Christ's resurrection and how this could affect our holiday. As we answer these questions hopefully we will gain understanding:

    When was Jesus crucified?

    Is there a "Good Friday"?

    What is a "High Sabbath"?

    How did the normal Sabbath work?

Jesus was crucified prior to the beginning of the Passover. The timing of the Passover being a floating day occurred in the year of the crucifixion on a Thursday. According to Jewish customs the Passover would begin at approximately 6PM Thursday (Sundown) and end as a "High Sabbath" at 6PM Friday (Sundown). However, the normal Sabbath would begin at 6PM Friday and end 6PM Saturday. Also in accordance with the customs of the day, any event occurring in portion on a day was considered "that day". This is true of something at 7AM or something at 4PM. Therefore, Christ could be removed from the cross and buried between 3PM (the 9^th hour) and 6PM, and be considered in the grave Thursday (Day). Thus to fulfill His own prophecy of fulfilling the sign of Jonah (3 days and nights in the whale being equal to His time in the earth) Christ would have been in the grave, in addition to Thursday (Day), Thursday (Night), Friday (Day), Friday (Night), Saturday (Day), and Saturday (Night). This would also account for the women arriving at day break on this first day of the week (Sunday) to anoint the body. Thus, we get the tradition of Sunday as the day, but in truth it should be tied to the date not the day.

So how about the year 2009 in a biblical sense? Passover Wednesday April 8, 2009. Resurrection Day would be Saturday April 11, 2009.

And our traditional dating will be Sunday April 12^th. I guess that is not too far from each other. Anyways, this is something just to ponder and be informed about as we separate Biblical truth from the traditions of men.

Have a great day, and remember in the end the most important thing is that Jesus arose and because of that God forgives sin.

Season Openers

OK for those who may or may not know I am the Head Coach for the Berean Bulldogs baseball team. On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, we had our opening games against the Trinity Tigers of Greenville, NC, in Greenville. While we split the season openers, by dropping the first game and picking up the second, we learned some valuable lessons. The score for Game 1 was Trinity 19, Berean 9. The second game finished Berean 10, Trinity 9.

Game 1

Pitching:

Game one saw four different pitchers on the mound for Berean. Jimmy Birkholz pitched the first two innings in a back and forth contest that ended with us down by one. Jimmy is a 9^th grader whose normal position is first base. This was his first game on the mound. While he struggled a little with finding the strike zone his mechanics and velocity looked well. I am confident that Jimmy will develop into a fine pitcher.

Up next was Junior Greg Adams. Greg pitched one inning shutting down the first two batters. Greg hit one batter, walked one, and then surrendered some more runs due to fielding errors. I look forward to seeing Greg on the mound more often with a better supporting cast (more about that latter). Greg was pulled after one inning because of a situation with Senior Shawn Andrews.

Shawn Andrews would pitch next, due to losing a contact while running the bases. Shawn is a hard throwing pitcher but struggles a little with his control. He was unable to field without one contact so we hoped he might be able to still pitch without the contact. Shawn's limited vision attributed to many walks and many runs. At this point Coach Michael Germany and I were looking at our rosters wondering who could replace Shawn (we had two pitchers who were not eligible for game 1). We finally decided to try another infielder who has a strong arm but who has only pitched once in the past with a shaky outing.

Shawn Andrews was replaced by Freshman Christian Andrews (his little brother and our normal third baseman). Christian surrendered one more run before a long fly ball was fielded by Sophomore Jared Smith in left field. With a 10 run lead we had one more at a bat as we moved into the top of the fifth inning of the five inning contest.

Christian returned to the mound in the bottom of the fifth inning with a eight run deficit. The game should have ended since the home team had the advantage but due to an oversight by the officials and coaches the game continued. (A normal game is seven innings and the mercy rules do not apply until the fifth inning. However, this was the first of two five inning games for a "Double Header.") Due to the oversight Christian would surrender two more runs bringing the score to 19-9 Trinity.

Fielding:

While both teams committed errors the team that had the most mental errors was the loser tonight. While most hits were fielded cleanly and smoothly the ones that came with two outs and runners in scoring position were not fielded as well. The infielders who made the errors rushed throws or sacrificed proper fielding techniques in an attempt to get out of scoring trouble. We had a couple of balls dropped when being fielded bare handed and pulled the first baseman off the bag more than once. This is not to say that we did not some heads up plays as well. Sophomore Ryan Ikeya made some fantastic decisions while playing second base. He resisted the temptation to make a bad throw and allow a run to score. He also made a fabulous overhead catch while holding his foot on the bag to force an inning out at second. This play was the highlight of game one. Christian Andrews also performed brilliantly at third. He was very alert to the runner and outs situations and was always in proper position to field any ball hit his was. He was called upon to make the hardest throw in baseball. With a ball hit just over the bag and then bouncing into foul territory Christian made a backhanded catch, rotated and threw to first. The runner was called safe by a step. However, as I said before this is the hardest throw in baseball and he got it there. With time and growth He will be a solid anchor on the corner.

Hitting:

Jared Smith and Junior Stephen Johnson proved to patient hitters at the plate collected more than one walk. Seniors Shawn Andrews and Van Dues continued their hitting dominance of Trinity pitchers. Others who bats came alive this year were Ryan Ikeya, Christian Andrews, and Greg Adams, who hit with surprising power over previous seasons (Greg began early lifting weights and conditioning for the season and it looks like it is paying off.)

Base running:

Aggressive. The players ran aggressive as we practiced manufacturing scoring opportunities. With heads up alertness all but one avoided being picked off at the base and all stole at least one base. Senior Shawn Andrews stole home. As the pitcher began his windup he got a good jump and crossed the plate before the catcher caught the ball. Christian pulled out of the batter's box based upon the signals allowing Shawn to pass unhindered.

Game 2:

Pitching-

Game two saw one of our pitchers return to eligibility. Seventh Grader Darryl Bonner pitched all five innings. While he may have struggled some with pitch placement, pitching for the first time from the full distance of a high school field (little league fields are smaller), and not having to hold a runner on base, he performed exceptionally. He displayed a powerful curve ball and mental toughness in pressure situations.

Fielding:

The boys settled down and made better throws. The outfield struggled with some pop ups due to the high winds. One ball hit into right-center blew into right field proper before hitting the ground. Our right fielder over pursued the ball not expecting it to float so much. This was also the first time many of the outfielders played "under the lights" as most of our games finish before dark. Senior Shawn Andrews made some fantastic catches displaying his fielding range at Shortstop.

Hitting:

Greg Adams and all the others continued to show their presence at the plate. Greg hit a ball that traveled about 310 feet before being caught just short of the center field fence. Had it not been for the winds I am confident Greg would have had his first career dinger.

Base Running:

See above minus the stolen plate at home. This was our greatest strength and it made the difference in the game.

Overall Lessons:

When you are on a team things you do to make yourself ineligible affects the whole team. Fast and controlled is better than as fast as you can and uncontrolled. Patience at the plate equals runs on the scoreboard. And most important if you fall you can get it up and be successful next time.

I will keep you posted on as we play. Our next Game is an away game against Faith of Goldsboro on March 17^th. Until then hard practices await as we fix some of weaknesses and strengthen our strengths.

Record: 1-1

Are you “born again”?

March

03/06/AM

'Ye must be born again.'-John 3:7

Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are 'born again,' for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it-the being 'born again,' is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. 'The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.' Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus. To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been 'born again,' your acknowledgment will be, 'O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, Thou art my spiritual Parent; unless Thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins.' My heavenly life is wholly derived from Thee, to Thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God.' It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me.' May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.

 

This is a devotion from Spurgeon's Day and Evening devotional. The amazing thing about the truths presented here is that they further reinforce the idea that we cannot determine whether someone is saved. They only person who knows if a person is saved is the Lord Jesus Christ and through the witnessing power of the Holy Spirit He will reveal to our souls the truth of whether we are saved are not. As you see above Spurgeon once again declares the truth of scripture that if a person is a genuine child of God then their life will be one of transformation from the works of sin to a life of holiness. It is for this very reason that we hear often from the pulpit the encouragement to remain in a constant state of repentance for our sins. While there is a moment of repentance towards salvation it is equally true that we cannot be sure when that takes place, the Lord knows. Therefore, we must exercise our faith by living in holiness, demonstrated by consistent striving towards sinless living and confession when we fall. We can never go wrong making 1 John 1:9 the practical verse of our lives and thus be assured that we stand among those who can ascend the Holy Mountain of God. We will be the ones with clean hands and pure hearts because God is faithful to fulfill His promise to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.