The Powerful Fruit of the Resurrection

Jim has made the long journey to Africa 8 times. He is a gifted craftsman and has used his skills to bless Oceans Retreat Center with helping with an addition, put in a kitchen, windows, flooring, electrical work, Jim can really do it all.

But what’s even more amazing than his work gifts is Jim that has brought 8 of his grandkids on the journey with him to encounter what the Holy Spirit is doing across the ocean in the continent of Africa.

Resurrection Sunday I watched Jim serve side by side with 3 of his grandkids, delivering food parcels to needy families in a gang and drug infested housing complex. They not only offered food with love but prayed powerful prayers over residents.

Watching Jim serve with his grandkids over Good Friday and Easter weekend and the many other times Jim has been out-highlights the powerful fruit of the resurrection. I will never forget the day Jim stopped by the church office when I was pastoring in Michigan.

Jim didn’t waste anytime telling me about his battle with addictions and his long journey seeking freedom from the bondage and pain it caused. But from his humility and honesty I could sense the Holy Spirit doing a deep work in his heart. He knew that he was powerless and needed a power greater than himself to break the strongholds of the enemy.

Jim put in the work of daily dying to himself and attaching himself to the cross of Christ, soaking in the blood of forgiveness, and letting the God of the Resurrection fill his heart with supernatural power to walk in the love and freedom of Christ in him. It all didn’t just happened over night, he took the time to painfully take the steps on this journey.

He experienced what Paul prayed about in Ephesians 1:19:

“His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms…”

Jim has shared his story about this resurrection power working in him with many- including the teams he has been on in Africa. The Father has used His testimony to produce amazing fruit and I got to witness it again on Resurrection Sunday as the same resurrection power in Jim has passed on to His grandkids.

Being fairly new to the grandpa role I want to follow his example with my grandkids. I hope I can share and serve with them out of the “incomparably great power” of the resurrection of Christ that raised me out of the bondage of my brokenness and sin and seated me in the loving arms of the Father.

Our families, neighbors, the lost and hurting all around us need to witness the powerful fruit of the resurrection in our lives. May we join Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:19 and ask the Father to fill each one of us with an experiential understanding of the resurrection power, which raised Christ from the dead. It is the same power living in you and living in me. A power, which is greater than any power this world has ever seen.