The cross plus the resurrection equals the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to . . . (1 Cor. 15:1-8)

Christ died for our sins.

Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven but without His resurrection, God’s power to be a victor over sin and sin’s penalty would appear uncertain.

He was buried.

Jesus was buried for three days, showing He had truly died, but the grave could not hold Him for God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself would not be held back.

He was raised on the third day according to Scripture.

Jesus had to die to pay the penalty for our sin but He did not have to stay dead.  God prophesied about His plan as additional proof of His power over sin and death.

He appeared to many people.

Jesus knew people needed help to believe.  Theirs would not be a blind faith, based on hopes it was true.  In addition to fulfilled prophecies, Jesus also walked among them, showed them His scars, and even ate before them in His resurrected body.  God offered proof to bolster their faith and to provide eyewitness accounts for future generations.

The Cross plus the Resurrection therefore equals:

• reassurance He can be trusted to do what He says
• realization He has the power to do what He says

When we truly understand what the cross plus the resurrection equals, then we will:

• recognize it as the power of God to save us
• remember it regularly as we live out our daily lives
• recalibrate everything against it
• reach out to others with it

More for Church Leaders:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ – God’s Power for the Church

To get beyond simply applying quick solutions or covering over problems in the church, we need to follow the requisites of Philippians 2:1-7.

Otherwise we will be driven by selfish interests, our own comfort levels, and personal convenience which often results into taking the easiest, least resistant, or quickest path.

1)  Seek Unity out of Diversity

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  (Phil. 2:1-2)

Find your unity in Christ and fellowship in the Spirit, not in your opinions or personal preferences.  When you do, you will exhibit tenderness, compassion, joy, and love toward one another.  You will be able to work through your differences rather than cover over them or simply compromise to keep peace.

This means truly accepting and respecting one another regardless of their position on issues and coming together in Christ, not merely compromising.

2)  Be Driven by Selfless Motivations

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:3-4)

When you truly look out for the good of others, you realize that it is not about what is the most convenient or comfortable for you.  You realize that taking the path of least resistance is not always what is best for everyone involved.

This means truly trying to help the other person reach their potential in Christ from the inside out, not merely tolerating them or being satisfied with mere outward conformity.

3)  Maintain Christ-like Attitudes

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Phil. 2:5-7)

When you approach people with a Christ-like attitude, you will find yourself willingly giving of your time to serve in ways that truly make a difference.  You will seek the best for others which often means more time and effort for you.

This means truly investing your life into people and the ministry God has given you, not doing just enough to get by.

In so many areas of church life it is easy to simply apply a quick solution to or cover over a problem.  Unfortunately, what starts out small then has potential of growing into a major incidence.

Quick solutions aim at outward conformity.  Unfortunately that usually results in the real problem not getting solved, only to fester and possibly manifest itself later in another or worse way than before.

Real change aims at inward transformation which will eventually show itself outwardly.  That produces results which tend to be genuine and enduring.

A Few Examples:

Volunteer or paid staff issues where people are not coming adequately prepared or have a negative attitude

Disagreements among ministry team or elder board on the best course of action

Discipline in children’s ministry

Though Scripture exhorts leaders to be examples (1 Pet. 5:2-3), we should all be examples as Christ-followers regardless of how we serve because we all represent Him (2 Cor. 5:20).  Age does not exclude one from being an example (1 Tim. 4:12) so this applies to every person who trusts in Jesus.

Being an example means reflecting Jesus to those around you in a way that causes them to take notice, not of you, but of Christ in you.  As an example you will: