"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." The great radio broadcaster Paul Harvey had a radio program called "The Rest of the Story." In this program he would usually reveal some little known fact about some well-known person, but wait to the end of the segment to reveal the famous person's name. When we present the gospel of Jesus Christ to people, we are often quite articulate in explaining that Christ died to save us from sin but we sometimes forget to present the rest of the gospel--that Christ arose from the dead to prepare us for eternal life. The gospel message must include both Christmas and Easter! The Apostle Paul says that if Christ came only to save us from our sins then we are to be pitied for believing a story like that. So it is very important that we understand and then tell the whole message about Jesus:
Christ saved us from our sins and to eternal life. The first part of the message explains
what we need to do; the second part explains
why we need to do it. The hope for resurrection from the dead and preparation for eternal life is essential to one's acceptance of and belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
