The Kingdom-Driven Family

Easter was celebrated a couple of weeks ago, and in many circumstances the familiar greeting, “Happy Easter” was proclaimed. Easter is the celebration of Christ serving as the ultimate and final Passover lamb whose shed blood redeemed His people.

How sad that many professing Christians miss the significance of Christ as the Passover lamb because they don’t fully appreciate the initial Passover. God’s people were spared the death of their firstborn; and any household that did not have blood on the door suffered grievous loss. For those not passed over, this was not a happy occasion. The Passover stands as a perpetual memorial that those with stiff necks who do not bow the knee to God will share an eternal fate worse than Pharaoh and his people.

When we rejoice that Christians are saved, we must remember exactly what we are saved from. Our message to the world is all the more important because, without faith in Christ, those around us are eternally doomed. Our Great Commission work is to proclaim the good news that eternal punishment is not the only alternative.

As in the time of the Exodus, there were Egyptians who left with the Hebrews. Exodus 12 describes the people as a “mixed multitude.” No doubt, these non-Hebrews recognized that they should be on God’s side!

Family histories in the Bible are meant to remind us that, as part of God’s New Israel, we have forebears who valued their relationship with the Lord. In the process of carrying out His will, they had challenges to face, but there was a reward to follow—deliverance. Our children should know these accounts as well as they know their birthday, address, phone number, etc. Certainty, knowing that God delivers His people and crushes His enemies, makes for a truer, more genuine witness to others.