Now when [He] rose early on the first [day] of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
And they went and told [it] to the rest, [but] they did not believe them either.
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
“they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
✝📃STUDY
The writers of the four gospels recorded how Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection. She was formerly possessed and afflicted by seven demons but her encounter with Jesus changed her history: She became His follower and the first evangelist to proclaim His resurrection. Jesus can always rewrite our history for good when we encounter Him. The disciples did not believe the news about Jesus’ resurrection until when He appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief.Unbelief is doubt, the opposite of faith;its consequences are great such as external condemnation(v.16). James asserts that anyone who doubts is unstable in his faith and cannot get anything from God. Secondly some Israelites did not enter the Promise Land because of unbelief (Heb. 3:19). We need grace to overcome this cankerworm in our journey with God.
Can you see the manifestations of believing from verses 17-18?Those that believe will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, lay hands on the sick and they will recover and if they drink deadly poison, shall not be hurt. Indeed the power of belief is immeasurable. Have you experienced any of the signs in your Christian life? Note, these signs shall follow them that believe, so be a believer and not an unbeliever.
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
And He said to them, “What kind of conversation [is] this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
“and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
“Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
“When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
“And certain of those [who were] with us went to the tomb and found [it] just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
✝📃STUDY
In today’s passage, Jesus appears to two of His disciples going to Emmaus, one of them was Cleopas. These men apparently did not recognise Him for certain reasons. Consider Jesus statement to them “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”(v.25).As followers of Jesus, we are expected to understand the scriptures and believe and act on them. They are not ordinary words; they are life (Deut. 32:47). Every Christian needs this understanding so that he can flow with the perfect will of God.
It was at the table when they reclined to eat with Him and He prayed that their eyes were opened (vs. 30-31). They recognised Him and He disappeared from them leaving them convinced that He is alive. The impact of their encounter with Jesus moved them to proclaim the good news about His Resurrection. Have you ever encountered Jesus in your life? What impact did this encounter create in you? This encounter is personal and necessary for our new life in Christ, empowerment, growth and relevance in the Kingdom of God.
✝🙏 PRAYER: I need a touch from the Master O! Lord.
The Ibru International Ecumenical Retreat Agbarha – Otor, Delta State was the venue for the annual retreat of the Primate of All Nigeria, Most Rev’d Nicholas D. Okoh, the Dean of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Revd Ali Buba Lamido, all the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) from Monday 7th to Friday 11th of January, 2019.
The annual retreat of the bishops is to kick start start the year with special reflection and prayers.
The theme of this year’s retreat is The Integrity of the Church Today and Tomorrow.
The bishops devoted time to be alone with God for refreshment in God’s presence, for renewed vision and direction for leading the church of God in the year.
The retreat among other things featured quality sermons delivered during the Holy Communion Services and the Mattins, Bible studies and inspiring lectures delivered by very learned and experienced bishops.
The bishops were called to re-examine themselves and further commit themselves to God and to the duties for which God has called them.
In the opening sermon on Tuesday, the bishop of Ughelli Diocese – Rt. Rev. Dr. Cyril Odutemu on behalf of Bendel Province commended the Church for maintaining her integrity in her stand against the Revisionist agenda and same sex marriage. He challenged the bishops to rise up to defend and uphold their integrity and that of the Church in the midst of a nation that is bedeviled with many vices.
In tandem with this, the Archbishop of Kwara Province, the Most Rev. Dr. Olusegun Adeyemi, called on the participants to shun a life of hypocrisy and imbibe integrity because breaking the laws of God could provoke His anger which is very destructive. It is necessary for all Christians, Priests and bishops to exhibit good character which is necessary for their spiritual development and manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
The Primate of All Nigeria charged the bishops to prove themselves men of integrity in their words and conduct both privately and publicly.
Prayers were said for the nation, particularly for peace in troubled areas and for a peaceful electoral process.
The meeting of the Board of Governors of the Trinity Foundation, under the trusteeship of which is the Ibru Centre also held at the time and was attended by the Director General, Ambassador Dr Dele Cole, Patriarch of Ibru family, Dr Goodie Ibru, the Archbishops and officials of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).
The Programme ended with Episcopal Synod in which some new bishops were elected to join in the shepherd ship of the Church of God.
