Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!

1 Corinthians 15:8 “And last of all, he was seen also by me, as one born out of due time.”

Beloved, Saint Paul not only saw Christ, but he said he was “Born out of due time.” Saint Ambrose and Saint Chrysostom say it means “untimely”; that is, after Jesus had ascended into heaven, Saint Paul was born in Christ and received his apostleship last of all. Wait! Isn’t that us as well, haven’t we now been born out of due time? Of course we have, although we are not apostles, we are disciples, if we say we believe in Him. Discipleship is not just a profession of faith but a “way”, the way of the Cross; the way of the resurrected life; the way of true Orthodox Christians throughout the ages.

Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Paul at his conversion (Acts 9:3) before the bright light blinded him. So, the Apostle truly did see Jesus after the resurrection. John 20:29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” and here we are, “blessed” are you who HAVE NOT seen and yet believe. Brothers & Sisters, we have been given a gift through faith and yet, we proclaim the truth to a doubting world that this Jesus is alive, living, and coming again only, how can they believe you if they do not SEE this truth lived out in our lives? The way others will see Christ in us is through our living as true disciples of the risen Christ.

Discipleship: After His passion and resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ left us certain precepts as His parting commandments and these are our inheritance. When the Lord sent His disciples to preach the gospel, He said to them:

“… Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; ” (Matt. 28:19- 20).

And when Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe, it was said that” And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. ” (Acts 14:21).

The Cost: We must remember that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not easy, it isn’t just going to liturgy on Sundays, it’s much more than that, it’s a way of living that involves a crucifixion of yourself, your desires, your loves, your passions, your pride, everything…for Him, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. So true discipleship, then, is a discipleship of life which is manifested in a practical way in a person’s way of living. We are told in the Scriptures: “Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” and “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26,27,33). These are hard sayings that I’m sure we haven’t really thought about. Jesus goes further by stating: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ” (Matt. 19:29). Beloved, discipleship has a cost, a very big cost, just read about the martyrs in Church history. Nevertheless, our Lord never leaves us alone, He has promised to be with us even until the end of the age. You see, God honors those who honor Him. The Lord rewards those who give all that they have either literally or purpose in their hearts to do so for His sake and the Kingdom’s sake.

Anyone who wants to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ must take what they have heard or been taught and apply it to their lives. We must understand the cost of being His disciple and be willing to pay that price whatever it may be for us. What use are words or sermons if we just listen to them and then forget what we heard an hour later? We must purpose in our hearts to follow Him, WHATEVER the cost, living our Orthodox faith openly, unashamedly saying to ourselves “I will not offer the Lord that which costs me nothing!” He is everything and He has given everything to us and for us, how can we not be willing to give everything, even our very lives, to Him? Yes, Christ is Risen from the dead trampling down death by death. Rejoice, our Savior lives, and because He lives, we shall live also!

CHRIST IS RISEN!!!

TRULY, HE IS RISEN!!!

Published on rocana.org in May 2025