Newsletter
We Hold These Truths…
July, 2010
My patriotic friend:
We will again this July celebrate the creation of a “new nation conceived in Liberty…” There are many who have attempted to muddle and obscure this unique event, particularly distorting the role played by religion in our founding. And by religion, I mean Christianity. You rarely hear that nearly all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, were men steeped in the teachings of Christianity. Nearly half had some form of seminary training or degree in Biblical Theology. Do we hear that many of the signers lost almost everything, some lost even wives and children to British guns or prisons, just for daring to speak out for independence. So many have sacrificed so much for this new idea of liberty, and in a land that, surprisingly, was never conceived as anything but Christian.
It was the Great Awakening that had galvanized and solidified the faith of these thirteen colonies. This religious revival would serve as a springboard to the revolution itself, for it would fuel the political fires with a religious fervor, and impart to the founders a sense of the rightness and divine purpose in their cause. It is this singular fact that exposes the decisive difference of 1776, with the French Revolution of 1789-95. In America, the revolution was as much a religious event, as political, but in France it was an anti-religious event.[i] Of course, this is not taught, nor do we hear it often enough from our pulpits. It has become the heist of history, a story lost.
As Christians often we are cowered, or shoved aside as irrelevant, yet our nation was built on religious principles and values, meaning again our Judaic-Christian traditions. The inspiration for this unprecedented republic arose from the signer’s own communities, especially their churches. As individuals they read their bibles and discussed its meaning. They elected, not only their mayors and aldermen, but also their pastors. Our government reflects these individual rights, born of a Christian faith, and personal piety.
James Madison, later in his life would write, “belief in a God all-powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and happiness of man, that arguments to enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources.” Why then do we allow the concerted efforts that would rob Americans of this spiritual history, to be replaced with a sanitized, whitewashed, and deluded national story bereft of God, and His Christ? This is the nation that was turned upside down by the dramatic preaching of George Whitefield, as he acted out the Biblical stories, inspiring, even frightening, by the thousands, those that attended his mass meetings. He changed the vision of the colonies, and the course of history, why can we not do so again?
Are we so lacking understanding, fortitude, courage, and the Spirit’s unction that we will just sit by and watch as our nation continue to slouch toward its own version of Sodom and Gomorrah? I would not have it so, and I know that is not your wish either. Together we can make a difference, in our homes, in our churches, and in our communities, by standing firm in the faith once delivered to the Saints, by insisting on the truth from each other, from the pulpits, and from our community and national leaders. Enough of the same old political hacks, the same bickering and meaningless debates over whatever it may be. It is time to bring our nation to the understanding that we belong to the Almighty, and it is He, not some bureaucrat, that defines our rights. For “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
With you a concerned American,
Thomas Randolf Wyatt
[1] Paul Johnson, “A History of the American People,” p. 117. The French Revolution gave rise to the Reign of Terror, then the Directory dictatorship, and then Napoleon crowning himself emperor.
MORE, “I’M GLAD YOU ASKED:”
Much of this letter was inspired by a question, which reminded me of Evelyn Wyatt’s very popular column “I’m Glad You Asked.” Here the question was, “With the Lord coming soon, should Christians really become that involved in the political bickering?” It is better to say “debate,” which is indispensable to any democracy. It is how citizens are provided the information for solid and informed decisions. Our republic form of government is special and deserves, more it requires our involvement. Too many have sacrificed too much for our “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” for it to be squandered by lethargy, and disinterest. Being involved, voting is not a right, but an obligation.
As for our Lord’s promised return, no one knows when, nor even the details actually. There are lots of ideas, but they are real only speculation on various Biblical verses. One often hears the hopeful lament, “it can’t get any worse, Jesus must come soon,” and I acknowledge the hope, and the alarm voiced in such a statement, but is this only a hope things will not get worse, and what has this to do with our political involvement?
This all is in the hands of Almighty God. However, we are not called by God’s grace to succumb to the fatalistic acceptance of whatever transpires. I believe in the providence of God, and what He has provided, ”if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice,” as Benjamin Franklin remarked, “is it probable that an empire rise without His aid?” I would add, nor can an “empire” fall without His input. We reside in the His purposes, and I do not believe God has wiped His hands of “The Great Democracies.” It is in Christianity, in His Spirit, that is found the hope of the world, and the only truth. If that sounds arrogant, how arrogant is it to imagine you can reshape the world without being indwelt, energized, guided and directed by God’s Spirit. We must, regardless of the circumstances, the feelings of futility, the moral decay, or poor directions our leaders seem to take, to do ALL that we can. We must present the gospel with passion, without compromise, and live our lives IN HIS SPIRIT, as salt and light to all the world.
BEGINNING THE DAY WITH GOD:
I take time, the first thing in the morning, to pray with the staff of the Wings of Healing. In this way we all start our day with God, and we can spend this time praying for the many needs that so many express in their letters to me. I believe fervently in prayer, and know God hears and does answer prayer. I want you, to share with me, what ever your need might be, God is more than able. We will faithfully pray you’re your request, and do so until you have an answer.
Dear Pastor Wyatt:
Thank you for your prayers. God has taken the drinking from me. My God has saved my apartment for me, and my Lord has given me my health back. He has really blessed me in so many ways. Inez, New York City
Dear Dr. Wyatt:
Thank you fro your prayers. Melissa is now out of a coma. She is now doing well, praise be to God. I also praise God for healing my left hip. Fannie, Brooklyn, NY
Dear Dr. Wyatt:
Prayer was answered, thank you for praying with me to become debt free. The Lord has moved in a miraculous way, and all my debt has been cancelled. Lucurtis, Los Angles, CA.
Be it a coma, pain in the body, cancer, destructive habits, or mounting debt, God is able!!!!
“
Evidence Enough!
June 2010
My wonderful friend:
Not too long ago I was re-reading the Book of Acts. In times of uncertainty, spiritual and moral ineptitude, and global confusion, I recommend this book! If you ever feel the need to be encouraged, and reawakened to the challenges of following Christ, if you need to be reminded of the valiant and enduring nature of discipleship—victories achieved—in spite of trials and tribulations, read this book again! Here is the promise realized, the spectacular expansion of Christianity, the struggle with the established religionists, the staunch resistance to compromising the truth—even at the risk of the ultimate sacrifice—and through it all they “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).
The day of Pentecost and the infilling of the Spirit had recently occurred, and Peter had preached but twice. Yet thousands of men and women were “added to the Lord” (2:41; 4:4; 5:14). Then in the Temple area, just as you entered the court of Israel, Peter and John met a lame man, and the power of God was made known. A crowd quickly gathers to witness this wonderful miracle, but as Peter begins to speak his words annoyed some of the Sadducees and they are both arrested. They are threatened to “speak no more to any one in this name,” but Peter will boldly counter: “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (4: 17,20). We are told that following this, “many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles” (5:12). Even Peter’s shadow healed, and the infirmed, including those possessed with unclean spirits, were brought from all around Jerusalem, “and they were all healed” (5:15-16).
What an amazing beginning to this unique book. I am always captivated with the apostles’ response to the pettiness and malevolence of the Jewish high council. When all twelve are arrested, and then freed from prison by a divine incursion, we find them going right back in the Temple, as angelically directed, to resume exactly what caused their imprisonment in the first place: speaking “the words of life” (5:20). Of course, they are arrested again, but this time an enraged Sanhedrin is bent on their elimination, permanently. It is then that Gamaliel, the greatest teacher of his day, rises to address what is now a seething infuriated “mob.” In the best rabbinical fashion, Gamaliel advocates caution. His words of conciliation have often been elevated by subsequent Christian generation to almost saintliness. Yet his words are not so much rational, as indecisive, exposing a prevailing veil of unbelief. Remember, this is the same group that rejected Jesus and instigated His crucifixion. Gamaliel’s advice is, “to leave these men alone, if this movement or this work is of men, it will fail, but if it be of God you will not be able to destroy it” (5:38-9)
It is true that all religions fabricated by men will be obliterated. The question is: How long does one wait upon divine intervention, doing nothing in the meantime? Some insidious and deceitful religions systems have endured a long time, do we just continue to wait? Do we simply abide in indecision, just waiting for divine intervention? This was Gamaliel’s attitude, but I do not view this as wise counsel, as some do. In reality, it reveals only abject folly. Here is indecision when decision is imperative, stubborn blindness when vision is vital, and craven deafness when it is crucial to hear. It implies that God has not supplied the needed evidence. That there exists insufficient proof, an absence of trustworthy witnesses, to enable one to make a true and reliable decision. That is folly of the worse kind!
There exists those for whom the most convincing evidence fails to convince. Miraculous healings are insufficient, an empty tomb a strange oddity, and multitudes redeemed and made whole summarily disregarded. Their response to every witness, to all the evidence is: yes, BUT! There is always a But, and the demand for more and greater signs! Nothing is ever enough. Yet there is evidence enough! Scriptures reveal the truth. The church conveys it. And our lives, hopefully loudly proclaim the reality.
Jesus was often asked to do “a sign that we may see, and believe” (Jn. 6:30). At one point, when asked to give one more proof. He sighed deeply—in resignation, or was it in disgust?—and declared, “no sign would be given”‘ (Mk. 8:120. To others He would retort, ”You…cannot interpret the signs of the times, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Mt 16:3-4). Such reactions by Jesus were because He had provided evidence enough. More signs would have been fruitless, they just need the “eyes to see, and ears to hear,” what was already before them.
The apostles faced the same rigidity and corruption of soul. No amount of proof would ever be sufficient. Here the council would, “beat them all, and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:40). And our heroes responded by, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And everyday in the Temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (5:41-2).
Despite the hostility and threats the Apostles, Deacons, and the entire early church persisted. We today are the fruit of their unceasing, unflinching, and relentless witness. Nothing has really changed; the evidence is enough, more than enough. And just like them, we face obstinate resistance; indedecisiveness, even threats, and this should comes as no surprise. Yet there remain untold multitudes that the Holy Spirit has prepared—masses waiting to hear, and see God’s power again revealed.
So it is vital that we too bear witness to the truth in the same way. Everyday, and unceasingly place the evidence before them; proclaim the message of the gospel with passion, fervency, and sound reasoning. It is why we are here, and I ask you—plead with you—that you continue, and persevere with us in this effort to spread the Good News to this world. We MUST reach those that the Spirit has prepared, and pray that hardened hearts will be made malleable by the undiluted, uncompromised gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For despite the calls for more signs there is evidence enough!
Rejoicing, and never ceasing to teach and preach,
Thomas R. Wyatt
SPECIAL ANSWERS TO PRAYER:
“Dr. Wyatt: Praise the Lord, the pains in my head are completely gone, and my mammogram results were excellent.” — Arlene H., Sellersville , PA
“Dear Dr. Wyatt: Thank you and Sharon, and the Wings of Healing Staff, for your faithful prayers. The Lord has been gracious, and answered regarding Ryan. He is now off of life support, out of ICU, and is remarkably asking when he can come home! Ryan is an only child, so it is no understatement to say how grateful his parents are for his healing. So again, all praise to Him, and my most heartfelt thanks for your prayers.“ — Joan P., Scarborough, ONT, Canada
“Dear Dr. Wyatt: In my last letter to you I mentioned the frightening diagnosis of breast cancer given to both my sister and I, only three months apart. Now I am happy to say we were both given a clean bill of health, a lot of which is due to prayer. I have always strongly believed in prayer, but far more now. Also I want to thank you for your prayers offered for my son, who has changed completely from his erratic and unpredictable moods. He is doing extremely well now, and I am very pleased. — Grace W., Thornhill, ONT, Canada
SPECIAL APPRECIATIONS
Dear Rev. Wyatt: Thanks for your lovely book on “Global Warning.” It is a masterpiece with no confusion. I know everyone who has read it thinks the same way I do.”
Linda B., Montreal Que. Canada
“Dear Wyatt: We have the three musical CDs, ‘New Again,’ ‘On Wings of Healing,’ and ‘In a Quiet Place.’ No matter how bad the news of this world gets, that music will lift your soul and spirit.”
Richard S. Beresford, SD
A Present Help!
May 2010
My faithful friend:
Every day I hear from friends and neighbors—and even strangers—all expressing, understandably, anxiety and fearfulness. The future seems unsure; jobs are shaky, and incomes woefully inadequate. You may have experienced some of these feels yourself. It is natural considering the unstable national economies, and the world increasingly in turmoil. In addition to the escalating political chaos, there is a palpable spiritual morass that threatens far more than most realize. All this has made it a difficult year for us at the Wings of Healing. I see it in the many prayer requests we receive daily, hear it in the phone calls of people from all walks of life, and I detect it in the temperament of pundits, commentators, and the dissident voices of millions everywhere. And I witness it personally in my own ministry, as I strive to meet the many and varied radio and overseas responsibilities of this ministry.
This has aroused an earnest desire—a quest if you will—to discern if I have done all I could, personally, or what I might do differently? Of course, there is still more I can, and will do. But, as Paul said, when facing his own exacting and grave dilemma, “l laid before them—but privately before those who were of repute—the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain” (Gal. 2:2).
My quest does not concern the message I preach. I have no dilemma or uncertainty with the gospel, or the Biblical messages I share each week. But, because of the swirling disarray of our nations—the rising profaneness bent on engulfing our culture—the hopes, the vision, and the very the future of this ministry could be threatened. These apprehensions vex my very soul, and I am unable to them, “before those of repute.” My much-loved mentors, especially my grandfather and grandmother are now all with the Lord. Yet I have found “a present help” among my grandfather’s writings. There immersed in his words, I have been able to interact with the remarkable and resourceful man that founded this ministry, which is now clearly also my destiny.
This is especially fortuitous, Mother’s Day, the 9th of May, will mark the day the Wings of Healing broadcast began. It commenced with my grandfather preaching over a handful of radio stations in the Pacific Northwest, but would become one of the great radio ministries of his day. Initiated in the very depths of World War II, it took courage, hope, and indomitable faith even to dream of such a ministry. Grandfather dared to dream, and succeeded against all odds. One cannot help but be inspired and quickened by his words, and instilled in me a renewed resolve to continue that heritage. It is your faithfulness that enables the Wings of Healing broadcast to now be heard on over five hundred international radio releases.
Yet, there are always those, just as Paul endured, who would “slip in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” (v. 4). There are always those who seemingly fail to see or hear the vision, unable to comprehend the grand design of our Lord, preferring to “play it safe,” not wanting to “make waves,” or “launching out into the deep.” Those unwilling to acknowledge the reality of what God has, is, and will do in our lives and ministries. We must take the same stand as Paul, and refuse to, “yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (v. 5).
As I re-read my grandfather’s books, there he was fighting many of the same battles, struggling with much of the same pettiness, and defeatism that we encounter. Let me share a few kernels of vibrant truth that touched and stirred me to renewed vigor. “God can never be expressed or contained in a mere creed or dogma. This is especially true where these are dealt out to men by calloused hands and hardened hearts. Let men say and do what they will, He is a God of mercy, a God of love, and a God who understands.”[i] And this statement, “It is easier to say ‘yes,’ whenever one is expected to conform than to say ‘no’ and face their contempt and ridicule. To run with the crowd and hamstring your own conviction is to be either a coward or a hypocrite.” [ii]
I treasure who my grandfather was, what he would become, recalling all that he struggled against. Raised in the fertile farmland of Iowa, with every intentions of living out his life as a farmer, but events and God’s hand would propel him further and higher than he could have ever imagined. As he would say, “Men are prone to think that their meetings with God were happenings of chance, but not so. God is not a creature of chance and no accidental meetings have ever occurred with the almighty. Men have met God in many strange places and under unusual circumstances, but never by accident.”[iii]
He believed in deliverance, opposing the grotesque squabbling, and reprehensible indifference of many in Christendom to the needs of suffering humanity. “Would Jesus cast devils out and do nothing today? Has God left no provisions for us today? Has God ceased to live or has He lost His concern? Were the scriptures written in vain? And to whom were they written if not for us? Man-made religions have replaced the glorious gospel of deliverance with creeds based on tradition setting forth a God of social ethics who can do nothing for the blind Bartmaeuses, and the Mary Magdalenes.”[iv] And I particularly love his words here, “There is absolutely no instance in the Bible of anyone ever coming to the Lord for healing and being refused because of lack of faith: the very act of them coming was an act of faith sufficient to deliver them.”[v]
He is still, and his words are, an indelible part of this ministry, and this has been so for 68 years. Yet as my grandfather stated once, in a fleeting moment of sincerity and candor, “speaking from a natural standpoint, I would like to have a little home in some quiet spot far removed from all the hurts of mankind; a place where I could rest and have time to do the ‘thousand and one’ things that I have always longed to do; but there is no place to stop as long as there is one suffering soul to liberate.” [vi] He often spoke of the great effort, the time required to keep the ministry going. There are easier endeavors, callings less complicated, less demanding, and I can emphasize with his frankness. But, as with him, there is no stopping, while so many have not yet heard, a world languishes in pain and torment in desperate need of deliverance.
Thomas Wyatt, my grandfather is now in Christ, but he remains for me “a present help.” I but want to embrace him on that grand and glorious day, and be able to say; “I carried the torch and ran well, firm in my convictions of the “gospel once delivered to the saints.” So much that passes for belief—for values, virtue, and honor—are only disguises for unbelief, dishonor, and enslavement. It is why he preached, and I also feel that urgency, “Necessity has been laid upon me, for woe be it to me if I preach not the gospel of Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 9:16).
Yet in this endeavor I need you also to be: “a present help,” so this ministry born in the depths of a world war will continue victoriously. Perhaps our challenge as yet, seems pallid and trivial, compared to what my grandfather faced. That may change and quickly, but for now, I desire to be “a present help” to you, and the multitudes that listen each week. I need you also to be “a present help” to this ministry, and I pray, “a present help” to my ministry as well.
I am confident that our Lord will be, as He always has been, “a present help” in all our times of your crisis, and uncertainty. As my grandfather was fond of saying, He was a great God yesterday, so WHY NOT TODAY!
Serving a unique and wonderful Savior,
Thomas Randolf Wyatt
[i] All these quotes are from older versions, and therefore I cannot provide page numbers. Give Me This Mountain, 1st edition, near the end of the chapter “The Mount of Promise”
[ii] Ibid, Chapter titled “The Mount of Vision
[iii] Then Jesus Came, 3rd edition, chapter titled “The Blind Man.”
[v] Ibid, chapter titled, “Jesus and the Two Blind Men.”
[vi] Wings of Healing, 2nd edition, near the end of the first chapter.
The Continuing Story!
Wings of Healing, P.O. Box 900, Whittier, CA 90608 , 626/448-3873
April 2010
My good friend:
Last month I promised to continue exploring Paul’s words about the extraordinary event that divides all of history—the resurrection of Jesus. Because of this one event, “a wandering rabbi from Nazareth” is now called: The Christ, or, in Hebrew, The Messiah. Recently a friend remarked: “The resurrection sure seems important to you!” I say: “Yes, very much!” And it should be of utmost importance to every Christian. Here is the foundation, the beginning of all-things-Christian, which is exactly what Paul endeavors to illuminate for the Corinthians.
In describing his own encounter with the Risen Christ, Paul uses a word that stresses the violent—even unnaturalness—of what had occurred, by referring to himself as one untimely born (Acts 9:1-9). This encounter turned a persecutor of the church, even an accomplice to murder, into an apostle. As Paul will put it: “I am the least of the apostle, unfit to be called an apostle…but by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:9-10). If the risen Christ would do that to Paul, then there are no limits, no obstacles too high, and none so degenerate that He cannot redeem and remold to use for His glory.
Because of this experience, Paul has no use for sophistry, no compromise with paganism, nor any supposed philosophical insights. There is no truth to the ideas of re-incarnation, and no disembodied spiritual existence. The Christian Faith is not amenable to either Eastern or Western philosophies or mysticism. Our Faith is based on the promise that we are to be like Christ, glorified, abiding in Him, fit for eternity. And any surrender of this truth, any dilution of this gospel message (to claim that there is no resurrection, or that Christ Jesus is not risen) is…well, take note of what Paul himself says: “If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching and your faith are in vain. Further we are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we have solemnly testified that God did raise up Christ, whom He did not raise, if it should be true that in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and your sins have never been forgiven, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ have totally perished. If only in this life do we have hope in Christ we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:12-19 GK).
Paul is asserting that, if there is no resurrection, those who have proclaimed the gospel—in which the resurrection is central—have lied. For did they not go about proclaiming that God raised Christ from the dead? That is not only what Paul declared, but all the Apostles, and throughout all the centuries of proclamation that have followed—that even includes me. That all this effort has been based on a “monumental lie.” That the gospel the Corinthians received, what much of the world has embraced, and what we, also, have believed, is for naught: “if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is futile.” And, even more distressing, our sins have never been forgiven, and all who have died believing in Christ Jesus are utterly and forever gone.
Paul does not give ground on this matter: “If only in this life do we have hope in Christ we are of all people most be pitied.” In other words, those who ply another gospel, another Christ, another hope—those who reject or find it difficult to embrace this cardinal tenet of our faith, or find it unbelievable or unsustainable—then it follows that the death of Christ means nothing to them. Without the resurrection, the Cross is meaningless. There is no atonement. No redemption is possible. And there is no justification before God, because there is no vindication, no victory in God without the resurrection, and Jesus is, therefore, not Lord. If there is no resurrection, our Christian hope is nothing but some heartless, cruel joke. It is all futility. And those who have passed “beyond the veil” have not merely fallen asleep to awaken in Christ, but are gone forever. For if Christ has not been raised, then no one else will be either.
Of course, you know the truth, just as I do, but we still need to focus on Paul’s words. The resurrection is “ground zero,” the foundation of everything. Without it there is no hope, and no salvation. Without this glorious event, we are, of all people, most to be pitied. Without God’s vindication of His Son, the gospels are just interesting stories, and the Book of Acts a nice work of fiction. The apostles’ dispersion across the known world becomes but a footnote in history. But, as Paul asserts, without any tinge of doubt, “IN FACT, CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD!” It is a FACT! Therefore, every denial—all the doubts and fallacious claims that embellish and veil the skepticism—is what is vain and futile. Jesus Christ is but the first, of the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. He is the forerunner, the beginning. He symbolizes the vast harvest of resurrected saints that will follow. Ever new and insidious efforts are used to sow confusion, cast dispersion, and paint our Faith as mere superstition. Beware of the doubts, questions, and the vacuous words of skeptical academics, even if it comes from the pulpit. Paul is affirming, as I do, that the apostolic preaching—the unadulterated gospel message—is not vain or worthless. The great Christian hope is not futile; but in fact the “World’s Hope,” its only hope!
This is the gospel that was said to have “turned the world upside down,” and would turn us, and our world upside down as well. Nothing but this gospel saves. It is not our good will, our gracious demeanor, our pity for the poor, our theological positions—not even our rituals, as profound and ancient, or as meaningful as they may be—that saves. Only the gospel message, quickened by the Holy Spirit and made alive in us by the presence of our LORD and SAVIOR is our hope. It is the thundering, overwhelming reality of Easter’s truth that saves. None of these words will be adequate proof to unbeliever. They will believe the words of Paul, or they will not. This was as true in Paul’s day as it is now. However, never, for even the briefest of moment let anyone tell you that Easter is illogical or senseless. What began as a despised movement, against all odds…against all expectations… supplanted the mightiest empire the ancient world had ever known. It did so without any sword, just with the simple declaration: ”Christ Jesus died for our sins in accordance with scriptures, He was buried, and He was raised on the third day” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
This is our proclamation; there is no other message. It is the gospel!
In praise and thanksgiving for He who is the firstfruits,
Thomas R. Wyatt
The Climax of it all!
Wings of Healing, P.O. Box 900, Whittier, CA 90608 , 626/448-3873
www.thomasrwyatt.org
March 2009
My faithful friend:
Easter, the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, falls on the first Sunday in April this year. It is celebrated at varying times because the ancient church wanted to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection on the Sunday closest to the Jewish feast of Passover. However, the Hebrew calendar is based on the cycles of the new moon, unlike our Western calendar, which is based on the earth revolving around the sun (a solar calendar), which means Easter will not have a set date. Easter is scheduled as the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox—or the first day of spring. Thus it can be as early as March 22nd, or as late as April 25the. It does seem confusing, but whenever we celebrated Resurrection Day, it is a special time, for it is the pivotal point of our Faith. Nothing else in all the world can match the unique nature of the empty tomb, and how “He presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs appearing to them during forty days…” (Acts 1:3).
I want us to focus on Paul’s spirited defense of the resurrection, for it is the earliest written account of the resurrection appearances. Dictated by Paul to his amanuensis, it is at least 12 years earlier than Mark’s earliest gospel account (53AD, as compared to 65AD)— possibly less than 23 years after the events it records. Paul’s emphatic language, detailing exactly what the empty tomb represents, reveals that the resurrection of Jesus is the central theme of our faith; the foundational basis for the proclamation of the gospel. Here the Apostle Paul with a slight, but sharp rebuke reminds the Corinthians that this was the content of his preaching. It was the essence of the gospel they received, and the truth that brought them to salvation. Every thing is bound up in the truth of the resurrection.
Christianity is then not a mere story, or an expression of imaginary hopes, but is based and grounded on actual historical events. If the story of Jesus had ended on that Old Rugged Cross—as profound and earth shattering as the theology of Calvary is, and as powerful as our understanding of our redemption through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God may be— if it had not been followed by the great climax of the Resurrection, none of us would have ever heard the name of Jesus.
If, as the unbelievers and skeptics assert, “the dead body of Jesus was treated as that of a common criminal, or He remains in some unmarked grave,” there would simply be no Christianity, no proclamation of the gospel, no good news to share, no church to bear witness, no need for a New Testament to persevere and perpetuate the Apostolic teaching, and NO HOPE for life here, or new life hereafter. If the resurrection had not followed Good Friday, it would have been only another tragic death of a Jew. If that small band of disheartened and depressed disciples had not experienced the momentous appearances that Paul cites, memories of Jesus would have faded into oblivion as quickly as all previous movements spawned by others claiming to be the messiah.
This was no artificially stirred up desire to somehow perpetuate the teachings of a favorite Rabbi. This was no mass hallucination, no spiritualized vision that appeared to all who were present. None of these scenarios concocted by a cacophony of the skeptics would energize that disheartened and confused group of men. Only one thing could turn this loss—this apparent defeat—into jubilant VICTORY: “…Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with scripture, and he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me” (1 Cor. 15: 3b-8).
Paul has provided an abbreviated list of appearances to reinforce the truth of the resurrection. He was forced to face the same daunting gauntlet of unbelief that we must deal with today. Did this really happen? Is this even possible? Did these men really see what they thought they saw? However, as Paul asserts, this is no fable, no invented story, and no poetical flight of fancy. Most assuredly, unbelievers can assert anything they wish, but no one can successfully deny that the early church believed what Paul, the other Apostles, and the gospel writers proclaimed, even though they all faced every conceivable threat and danger, many at the cost of their lives, to witness to this truth.
“Christ died!” He did not faint from pain and blood loss. He did not merely appear to die, only to be revived later. He died! “He was raised on the third day.” His body was not stolen or moved somewhere else, nor were they confused as to where He was laid. He was raised! He was seen of “Cephas,” ”the Twelve,” (which had become the technical term for the disciples, even though were now only eleven) Or perhaps this is His first appearance to the disciples where only ten were present (Jn. 20:19-25). Then He was seen by “more than five hundred,” by “James,” by “all the Apostles,” and last of all by Paul.
This is, of course, not an exhaustive list, but provides Paul with supportive evidence for his purpose. Peter, as well as James, the Lord’s brother and leader of the church in Jerusalem, were both familiar to the Corinthian Church. Peter had, in fact, visited them, and surely the church had heard this same truth from him (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:22). Christ’s appearances to the women are omitted because, in that time and place, unfortunately, the testimony of women was not considered trustworthy. Yet, despite the perception of that day, the inclusion of the appearances to the women in the gospel accounts, for our time only adds authenticity to the entire story. Paul’s effort to confront the unbelief of some provides further information on the Lord’s appearance on that mountain in Galilee (Mt. 28:16-20). So many saw Him there, most of whom were still alive, that Paul seems to be saying, “If you don’t believe me, just ask one of them!”
Paul added his own phenomenal meeting on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). That experience changed the entire direction and purpose of his life, as encountering the living Christ will! This “FACT” is so important, and I will have much more to say on this subject next month. For now, let us all rejoice in this monumental event: “The Climax Of It All.” Here is the completion; the fulfillment of all the divine promises purposes for mankind. Here is the best and only hope of humanity!
In wonder and adoration of He who is alive forever more,
Thomas R. Wyatt
