Resurrection ZOE -- the Dance of LIFE!
/First posted Easter 2012
Easter isn't Easter unless it's Easter to YOU!
So declared a radio preacher early in Holy Week a few years ago. At first I said, "Yes!" Then I thought about it awhile and said, "Not really! Easter is Easter whether I get it or not."
What is Easter anyway? Easter is the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. He had conquered sin and death on the cross and then was raised, so that we could walk in newness of life. (cf. Romans 6:4)
And that's the point, isn't it? Easter isn't about chocolate bunnies, chicks, colored eggs, new clothes, Easter lilies and other spring flowers, and freshness. They are all simply pictures, metaphors, if you will, of the real deal. And the real deal is LIFE!
Jesus Himself said,
I am the way, and the truth, and the life [zoe, Greek]... John 14:6 ESV
This zoe life is not physical life. That’s a different Greek word, bios. No! Zoe is God’s LIFE – uncreated, eternal, indestructible, unchanging!
According to Vine’s, zoe is…
…life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself, and which He gave to the Incarnate Son to have in Himself.
Malcolm Smith further describes zoe as…
…the life that was expressed in the Word which spoke creation into being and is the foundation of all life in the universe. It is the life of God and is, therefore, not merely an extension of days and activities, but a quality and intensity of life.
How does zoe, God’s own eternal life, happen for you and me?
It can only happen one way – through union with Him who is LIFE Himself through the new birth!
Jesus said,
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3 ESV
Michael Horton, in his excellent book on union with Christ, says,
Having united himself to us in our flesh, in our sins, in our suffering and death, he now unites us to himself in his new-creation by his Spirit.
And this zoe life is not just enough to get us into heaven, and in the meantime, we need to do the best we can.
NO! Christ's zoe life is abundant, over the top, more than sufficient for life on earth -- right here, right now!
Jesus said,
I came that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly! John 10:10 ESV
So listen to the good news of the Gospel:
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died FOR you...So that He could give His life TO you...In order to live His life THROUGH you...as YOU!
But you may ask,
How can I experience God's zoe life in and through me?
Living zoe life comes by surrendering, yielding, abandoning yourself to the movement of His indwelling Spirit within...and that's faith!
I like to think of life in the Spirit as a dance. One day, my daughter put this post on facebook after her zumba class at the gym:
I am so stiff. In dance at University of Dayton I remember the instructor saying that true dancing came after learning the steps and just letting it flow.
You & I have the Perfect Dance Partner dwelling within...our Lord Jesus Christ. As weyield to HIM moment by moment, day by day, we "dance" together in the Spirit as the unique, gifted, "charming," person that we each are. We just let the "dance" of HIS zoe life flow out through us as us! Isn't that awesome?
What would happen, dear friends, if we would abandon ourselves to the Risen, Indwelling Christ and just let Him flow? What would our dance be like? What would our life be like? If New Covenant living means, "God does it, therefore we do it," then our life could be God dances, so we dance!
May it ever be so, O our glorious Jesus...Dancer Par Excellence!
We have often asserted and we affirm it yet again
That no fact in History is better attested than the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
It must not be denied by any who are willing to pay the slightest respect to the testimony to their fellow men.
That Jesus, who died upon the cross and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethia, did literally rise again from the dead.
This is a celebration
We’re calling out to every nation to spread the word that Jesus is alive.
We’re people of His Kingdom
His resurrection is our Freedom
For every heart, every tongue and every tribe.
Woah, We will dance with the One
That shines brighter than the sun
Woah, We lift our eyes up and rise up.
He will rise up!
He’s alive He’s alive inside us
We will rise up. We claim the victory, He won on Calvary
Celebrate the King of Glory
So rise up,
People of the Lord rise up.
We’re filled with Holy Fire
Lifting His name is our desire and this we know
His Spirit is in this place.
Let nothing stand between us,
We carry the love that has redeemed us.
He is life abundantly given to us in grace.
Woah, We will dance with the One
That shines brighter than the sun.
Woah, lift our eyes up and rise up.
He will rise up! He’s alive He’s alive inside us We will rise up.
We claim the victory, He won on Calvary
Celebrate the King of Glory
So rise up,
People of the Lord rise up.
Woah, We will dance with the One
That shines brighter than the sun.
Woah, lift our eyes up and rise up.
He will rise up! He’s alive
He’s alive inside us
We will rise up.
We claim the victory, He won on Calvary
Celebrate the King of Glory
So rise up,
People of the Lord rise up.
He will rise up !
He’s alive, he’s alive inside us.
And we will rise up.
We claim the victory, He won on Calvary
Celebrate the King of Glory
So rise up, People of the Lord rise up.
People of the Lord rise up !
This Easter may you put all your eggs in one basket --
all your joys and fears, sadness and tears, in the one and only risen Lord.
Happy Easter!
Beth Loyd Filson 2013
