Alive - by Dave Smith

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prospect of our long-lost peace and wellbeing being restored. However, just as it took another eleven months of bloody fighting to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny and for the ‘VE-Day’ celebrations to take place (8 May 1945), so we’re still in the in-between times, waiting for Jesus’ Second Coming and the manifestation of his complete victory and our complete peace and wellbeing. In the meantime, we often have to ‘fight’ for peace, both in our own lives, our relationships and in the wider world – contending for justice and shalom, in Jesus’ name. But when Jesus returns, what celebrations will we enjoy! Just as the first two chapters of the Bible began with a picture of the original shalom in the Garden of Eden, so the last two chapters of the Bible conclude with a beautiful picture of how the Lord will come to live with his people, and of how the ‘new’ heavens and the ‘new’ earth will be filled with a sense of perfect peace and wellbeing. On that day: ‘He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good – tears gone, crying gone, pain gone…[God will say], “Look! I’m making everything new”’ (Revelation 21:4–5, The Message). I don’t know how God will bring this all about, but I find this description so encouraging! When I look at all the suffering, injustice and pain in this current world, I like to imagine what the perfect new world will be like – where tears, pain, poverty, suffering, sickness, isolation and death will be no more, and where we will finally experience perfect peace and wellbeing, forever! It inspires me to press forward for an increase of peace in my own life and in the lives of those around me today.
FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Take another look at the wellbeing dashboard. Which area(s) – physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial and vocational – do you most need help with? 2. How do you respond to the idea that it is God who has the best plan for your complete peace and wellbeing? 3. How does the evidence of Jesus’ appearances to his disciples strengthen your confidence in his resurrection? Do you have any questions or doubts? 4. Since Jesus is alive, where do you need him to increase your peace? 5. How do you respond to the idea that one day there will be a new world where we will enjoy perfect peace and wellbeing, forever?
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Dave Smith invites us on a journey
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and fulfilled. A life where it’s
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I want to say a huge thanks to a nu
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Instagram a while back: ‘You wake
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eyond our physical and psychologica
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4. A future life in heaven Widely a
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only £150?’ The wife replied,
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3. On the first Easter morning, the
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second question of how Jesus’ res
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At 2.20pm, 5 April 1982, I ‘fell
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used to refer to romantic or sexual
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and controversial biblical characte
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teach us about the seeming absence
Page 28 and 29: testimony of female witnesses would
Page 30 and 31: 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ S
Page 32 and 33: What’s clear is that this was not
Page 34 and 35: THE ETERNAL DIMENSION OF LOVE One o
Page 36 and 37: know how much, in Christ, we are
Page 38 and 39: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. In the light
Page 40 and 41: It was a day not to be forgotten in
Page 42 and 43: group that didn’t survive: ‘The
Page 44 and 45: an all-loving, all-powerful God who
Page 46 and 47: 25 He said to them, ‘How foolish
Page 48 and 49: By the end of the journey, their
Page 50 and 51: deliverer had just suffered the mos
Page 52 and 53: of Paul’s conversion on the road
Page 54 and 55: HE’S WELCOMED Despite Jesus being
Page 56 and 57: Presumably there was something abou
Page 58 and 59: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Take a moment
Page 60 and 61: The longing for inner peace is univ
Page 62 and 63: For example, it may be that as you
Page 64 and 65: True peace was at the heart of God
Page 66 and 67: sense of release, turn your palms u
Page 68 and 69: esponse to a perceived threat or po
Page 70 and 71: Spirit.’ The word ‘righteousnes
Page 72 and 73: To fulfil this new purpose, we must
Page 74 and 75: encounter may be of special encoura
Page 76 and 77: Spirit) when his followers are meet
Page 80 and 81: CHAPTER FOUR LIVING IN FREEDOM
Page 82 and 83: • Sweetheart died in 1835. • Ha
Page 84 and 85: est predictor of future behaviour i
Page 86 and 87: completely implausible to think tha
Page 88 and 89: FISH Afterward Jesus appeared again
Page 90 and 91: PAUSE AND PONDER If you are current
Page 92 and 93: Bible, he also speaks specifically
Page 94 and 95: vital that we don’t let it stop u
Page 96 and 97: ‘own’ the problem. Outwardly, P
Page 98 and 99: ock on which he would build his Chu
Page 100 and 101: Peter clearly took Jesus’ advice
Page 102 and 103: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Are you strug
Page 104 and 105: I’ve always been a bit of a dream
Page 106 and 107: Neither - Emmons had hit the wrong
Page 108 and 109: our meaning, our purpose, our signi
Page 110 and 111: 1. A TRANSFORMED MOTIVATION Saul’
Page 112 and 113: you may be aware of the Lord drawin
Page 114 and 115: that was going on in his mind or he
Page 116 and 117: living life as if there was no eter
Page 118 and 119: fallen asleep in Christ are lost. I
Page 120 and 121: of what that this will look like. T
Page 122 and 123: PATHWAY So far we’ve established
Page 124 and 125: sanctified by faith in me’ (Acts
Page 126 and 127: just that we can meet with the rise
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CONCLUSION FULLY ALIVE, FOR THE RES
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utilise the prayer of invitation th
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Even if you are convinced in the re
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his death under Pilate and his gath
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APPENDIX B: HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT
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to the fact he was about to suffer
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TOMB As we look at the accounts of
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• To groups of men and groups of
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them by others. The apostles died f
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ENDNOTES INTRODUCTION: FULLY ALIVE
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The book is also the basis for a sm
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Demands a Verdict (Nashville, Tenne
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FURTHER ALIVE RESOURCES Now you hav
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