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Will Christians Really Rise from the Dead?

Biblical Christianity is based on the fact that true believers in Jesus Christ are going to rise from the dead. That’s what Jesus did. He died on the cross for our sins, and He came out of the grave.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul is trying to answer the question of people who were asking, “But how are the dead raised? And what kind of bodies will they have?” Basically, Paul says, “This is no fairy tale; just look at the natural world around you right now!”

If I, Shelli, were to take a little acorn and hold it in my hand and say, “Hey, buddy, some day you are going to be eighty feet tall and have thousands of branches and leaves come from you – providing shade for houses and people,” he might respond to me and say, “Shelli, you’re nuts!” (Pun intended.)

The fact of the matter is, that we put a seed in the ground and bury it, and it appears to die. Then suddenly, by God’s working, it grows to brand new life! Listen, true believers in Jesus Christ are going to rise to new life one day! I don’t know exactly what our bodies are going to be like, but they are going to be glorious and wonderful! Count on it!

– Shelli Prindle

“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain … So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” – (1 Corinthians 15:35-37; 42-43)

How Can I Know that I Am Saved?

People keep asking me, “How do I know that I’m saved?” Listen closely to me, you know that you are saved when you hear the name of Jesus and it matters to you – I mean truly matters to you. You know that you are saved, when you hear the name of Jesus and your heart says, “I love Him! He is the only reason that I have peace with God.”

You see, we are all born sinners. We are all born with the wrath of God on our heads. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. The only thing that can change our nature and take that wrath off our head and deliver us into a relationship with God is the sacrifice – the love – of Jesus Christ.
You will know that you are saved, when you hear the name of Jesus and think, “He is the One! He is the One that has saved me from my sin. I love Him, and I want to give my life to Him.”

– Shelli Prindle

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” – (John 3:36)

God Is with You in Your Problem

God does allow true Christians to go through problems, but it comes with a promise. Do you remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel, chapter three? They refused to bow down and worship the king of Babylon, and so he threw them into an industrial-sized furnace. They trusted God, but they had to go into the fire.

Do remember what happened? When King Nebuchadnezzar went later to check on them, he found out that not only had they not burned, but they did not even smell like smoke. He also said that he saw a fourth person in the fire with them, and that person looked like a “son of the gods.” Well, you were right Nebuchadnezzar! It was actually the Son of God, Jesus Christ! He showed up in the fire and actually walked and talked with those boys while they were in there.

Sure, God allowed them to be in the fire, but He was with them the whole time. He protected them. It’s a promise for us. God is with us in the middle of it. God declares to His children, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”

– Shelli Prindle

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – (Isaiah 43:2)

Work of God

There is not only nothing you can do to save your soul, but it is actually a detriment to your soul to attempt to find salvation through any other effort, but the work of Jesus Christ. What He did on the Cross is the only work that saves. If you have been believing that you can do anything to earn your salvation, you are wrong, and your eternal life is in danger. It is the work of Jesus Christ alone that saves a human being from sin and hell.

– Shelli Prindle

“Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” – (John 6:28-29)

Atheists on TikTok

I am having unbelievable conversations with atheists on my TikTok account! One just asked my why Christians hate atheists, however, he then added, “but I don’t think you hate atheists.” Amen! We must remember that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners! Atheism is sin, but we all sin. And God reaches down to us IN our sin and saves us! Remember His grace. A Christian should NEVER be known for hatred of any human being or group of human beings. A Christian should be known for his or her love of Jesus, and – secondarily – love for other people. We stand and declare truth, even if it offends, but we do it in a way that makes those who disagree with us know that we still care deeply.

– Shelli Prindle

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – (Romans 5:8)

There are a million places to look and find chaos and confusion. Ah, but when you look at Jesus, you find peace and solid truth.

– Shelli Prindle

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” – (Isaiah 26:3)

End Times

The end times are just that, the END times. Relief is coming soon. The important thing is to stay close to the only One who can bring ultimate relief, and His name is Jesus. Live with all you’ve got for Him and His purposes. Be the best witness possible for the salvation of others. We only have so much time, and then the end will come.

– Shelli Prindle

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” – (1 Peter 4:7)

Seeds Scattered on the Ground

The kingdom of God is both unstoppable and mysterious. Jesus likened it to seeds scattered on the ground that slowly, methodically, and automatically grow.

Have you ever actually watched a plant grow (without the benefit of time lapse photography)? We could sit with eyes fixed steadily upon the seed for hours, days, and weeks to observe any progress – and still our human eyes could not catch the “movement.” Rather, we plant a seed and go about our days. We do what we can to water and fertilize, but the earth itself does the work. God has programmed this planet to make plants grow; and the Lord consistently sustains all the energy, processes, and products necessary for the curious work of cultivation and harvest.

We humans plant a seed and do exactly as Jesus said, “[We] sleep and rise night and day.” (Mark 4:27) In other words, we persevere through the stuff of life. We lay our heads down on the pillow at night and arise to a new day. We live out that day, and the next, and the next . . . all the while “the seed sprouts and grows,” though we “know not how.” (Mark 4:27)

This parable of the growing seed is a comforting one to us. God is at work behind the scenes, even as we continue on through the regularity of life! His kingdom is growing, even if the naked eye cannot grasp its movement. The seed we faithfully planted is sprouting and getting larger, even if we go on sleeping and rising.

Be faithful to spread the Word of God. Be faithful to plant the news of Jesus wherever God has asked. Though your days may seem ordinary, God is growing the seed. How He actually works in a human heart is as incomprehensible as the earth’s toiling with a little seed. Against the force of gravity and plunging up through a mound of dirt comes the sprout. So comes the beginning of God’s kingdom in a human heart once the seed of Truth is planted. Through seasons of sun, rain, cold, and heat grows the plant until the fruit appears. Likewise, the fruit of our investment in the proclamation of the Gospel arises despite obstacles and discouragement. Count on God to grow the kingdom as you plant the seed. Sleep at night knowing He is on the move. Wake in the morning assured growth is taking place. Scatter seed and let God work.

As Jesus promised, one day “when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:29) The final gathering of all that’s been planted and grown will take place and bring to light that which developed in such an unfathomable way. Suddenly, we shall realize just how majestic and impenetrable is this kingdom of God. The mysterious working of God in souls we touched with his Word will shine forth.

Keep scattering seed. Continue letting God work – faithfully and in an often unseen manner – as we go about our days in obedience.

– Shelli Prindle

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” – (Mark 4:26-29)

Hopeless

You talk about hopeless! Mark chapter five tells us about a man who was possessed by thousands of demons. Because of these demons he had become so violent and so insane, that the people of the town were afraid to go near him, and he lived among the tombs.

Yet, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee through a storm to get to this man. As soon as Jesus stepped out of the boat, this man ran toward the Lord, which is a miracle itself, because all of those demons would have never wanted this poor man to approach Jesus.

But sure enough, as soon as the man reached Jesus, the Lord cast those demons right out of him! Jesus put that man in his right mind and set him free!

What amazes me about this story is that God will take whatever is left of you. You may feel like you’ve gone crazy. You may have all kinds of difficulties and need set free from so many things that bind you.

Listen, no matter how bad things have gotten and how hopeless you feel, if there’s just a tiny bit left in you that will run to Jesus, then Jesus will set you free, too!

– Shelli Prindle

“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.” – (Mark 5:15)

Not A Hoof Left Behind

There exists nothing that is off limits to God. I do not mean just the general stuff of the universe; I mean the very things of our own lives. Everything – absolutely everything – must be yielded to the Lord if we hope to walk in His freedom.

Who knows what God will require of us? The one thing that is certain is that He expects our willingness to give to Him anything. Therefore, at all times we must stand ready to hand over some particular component of our lives.

When exasperated by the plague of darkness over the land of Egypt, Pharaoh angrily told Moses to leave Egypt with all the people, including the Israelite children. However, Pharaoh stipulated that the Israelite flocks and herds be left behind. One can only imagine how tempting it might have been for Moses to take the offer and run, given the horror suffered by the enslaved Hebrew nation to that point. But Moses remembered God’s clear directive to leave the Egyptian land in order to worship the Lord. An exit at this point would be disobedient; a departure under these circumstances would prohibit Moses and the Hebrews from offering whatever sacrifice God would require.

Moses stands wholeheartedly before the God He trusts and proclaims to the powerful Egyptian ruler that he and his people will not leave without every last Israelite animal. Moses explains that God will require some of those animals as sacrifices; and because it is not currently known which ones, all must go with them.

How accurate a portrayal of the stance each Christian must have when it comes to the proper entrance to freedom! We do not yet know what God will require of us, so we will take everything with us to Him in anticipation of our sacrifice!

The final plague – the death of the firstborn – will bring the ultimate deliverance of the Israelite people. Ironically, that plague is brought on by Moses’ refusal to leave Egypt without every last animal. Had Moses given in and left without all of God’s requirements, what would have happened? In God’s scheme of things, the willingness to give it all precipitates the genuine freedom we gain because of the death – and resurrection – of Jesus.

Do not hold back. Know that God requires everything. Do not allow the difficulty of yielding any and all of your life to stop the Lord’s plan of deliverance for you. Let the words of trusting Moses resonate in your mind, “Not a hoof shall be left behind.”

– Shelli Prindle

“Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the LORD our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the LORD.” – Exodus 10:26

God Never Fails

Although it is very possible for us to misinterpret what God is doing in our lives at any given moment, it is quite impossible for God to ever fail any one of His children.

– Shelli Prindle

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” – (Isaiah 41:13)

Behind the Illusions

My friend, behind the deceptive illusions of the devil and the sinful allure of the godless culture, stands an unseen God whose reality is infinitely greater than the fleeting evil of the world and all the destruction of Satan. Jesus is working! He is aware! He is working in love for His people! He will save us in a true and final sense! He will conquer! Hold on!

– Shelli Prindle

“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones. Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” – (Isaiah 46:8-10, NLT)