According to a recent study by the Barna Group, two out of every three Americans think that of Easter as a religious celebration. Just what kind of celebration seems open to debate. Common responses included describing it as a Christian holiday, a celebration of God or Jesus, a celebration of Passover, a holy day, or a special time for church or worship attendance. However, only, 42% of Americans identified that the meaning of Easter was the resurrection of Jesus or that it signifies Christ death and return to life. One out of every 50 adults (2%) said that they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.
We often think of America as a Christian nation but fact is that nearly 6 out of every 10 Americans don’t know the meaning of the most important day in all of human history. It’s long been my contention that one of the greatest barriers to evangelism is the belief that everyone already knows about Jesus. While I have no doubt that the vast majority of Americans have heard of Jesus, this study shows that for most it is partial knowledge at best.
It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to change this. What better time to do that than Easter itself? Most congregations go all out to make Easter special because most pastors understand that Easter is the most important holiday of our faith. Indeed, if it were not for Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith.
Who could you invite to join you and to experience the amazing power of God revealed in the resurrection of Jesus this Easter? Once you’ve thought of them, take the next step and call them up and extend an invitation to them.
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