Dear Internet Friends:

Springtime is a wonderful time of the year as we see new life springing up everywhere as the first flowers make their appearance in the form of daffodils and tulips and then the fruit trees blossom with a wonderful show of pastel colors, followed by the grass that begins to turn green with the warmth of the sun on it after the cold of the long winter months. With Springtime comes the Easter holiday which is a day that is honored by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is designated to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the day He rose from the dead.

Passover and the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead

God sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross and He took the punishment of those sins for us by suffering death and hell. Then, on the third day God raised Him from the dead. For the first three centuries, the Church celebrated the real meaning of Easter in connection with the Jewish Passover. As the crucifixion occurred on the first day of the feast, early Christians found a scriptural correlation between Jesus and the sacrificial lamb.

“…For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7b-8).

The celebration of Passover took place just before the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, and the two holidays have been entwined from the beginning—the word Pasch, originally meant Passover; however, it came to refer to the pagan holiday of Easter, as well. Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in Judaism, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and His creation of the Israelite people. Passover season is the Holiest time of the year for Christians and a special time for praise because of what the Lord has done for us. When any person repents of his sin and accepts Jesus as his Savior and makes Him Lord of their lives, we are “born again” and are promised salvation and a home in heaven eternally. This is the great love of God manifested toward us by giving us new life.

The name Easter comes from the pagan Goddess Ishtar who was worshiped as a fertility goddess using fertility symbols such as eggs and bunnies and that is why we find these things interjected into the holiday. However, as Christians our emphasis should be on the celebration of the resurrection of Christ and not about the many pagan things that have been added to this day that take away the true meaning of the holiday. The devil has perverted our Christian holidays with worldly and pagan celebrations that have nothing to do with the real meaning of our Christian celebrations. This includes Christmas, as well as Easter. Since Jesus Christ became our PASSOVER, it is His death and life we are celebrating at this time of year. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Special Prayer for our Internet Friends

“Dear Heavenly Father, I want to pray a special prayer for our readers today. First of all, we are thankful that You have allowed us to reach out over the Internet to encourage and bless them. Father, we all need a word of encouragement during these trying times. Please touch each one with your Spirit today and bring an uplifting word to them through this prayer and newsletter. Father, in these challenging times, we are beset with so many problems from so many different directions and I ask you to grant Your people the needed strength, health and wisdom to meet these challenges. Lord, they need not only physical strength and healing, but they also need Your spiritual strength and courage to stand up and be a witness in this hour where evil is abounding. Help Your people to rely on the Holy Spirit in all they do. Lord, give them the faith to know that You will never leave them nor forsake them and that, as they look to You, You will meet all of their needs according to Your Word. May they experience Your comfort and love when they are lonely. May they have Your peace that passes all understanding. May they hear and understand what You are trying to communicate to them and give them the grace to obey You in all things. Let them know that You understand their weaknesses and that You are ready to give them the needed victory in those areas, as they commit them to You. Father, we are not able to overcome in ourselves; however, we know that in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit we can overcome all things and receive the blessings that You promise us in the Bible. Lord, may each one reading this be truly blessed as we all celebrate the life you gave us at this special season. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

God bless you.

His grateful servants,
Bud & Betty Miller