We’re in the Easter season, the fifty days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. It’s a time in the worship calendar that gives us an opportunity to reflect on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means for us.

²⁵ Jesus said to [Mary], “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” John 11: 25–27 NRSVUE

Our loving Creator God is surely alive, and he speaks to us today. He has our best interests at heart and seeks to guide and transform us to be more like him as we choose to follow him daily. We worship and pledge our allegiance to the triune God because he deserves our total worship and allegiance.

Though often associated with religion, worship is not just “something religious people do” — it’s something everyone does. Worship is woven into the fabric of our spiritual DNA, for human beings were made for worship.

We know that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Loving God is a spiritual practice, which means it needs to be a conscious, active, daily choice.

Loving and worshiping God looks like depending on him, trusting him, and surrendering our lives in utter devotion, loyalty, adoration, and commitment.

Prayer
Dear Lord, have your way with me. Father, thank you for sending your Son. Jesus, thank you for uniting humanity to yourself. Spirit, thank you for making the resurrection life real in us. Trinity, we love you. Empower us to worship you with our whole hearts. Amen.

By Jillian Morrison, Pastor
Glendora, California, US

Adapted from an Equipper article.

Kingdom citizens believe we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism pictures and proclaims this good news. Our old selves have been crucified and renounced in Christ, and we have been freed from the shackles of the past and given new being through his resurrection.

We share in the joy of these newly baptized GCI members. Read also the full story of one man’s baptism here.

Cape Town, South Africa

Two people were baptized

Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.

Two people were baptized.

Kisii, Keya

At a church mission to Kisii, 26 people were baptized.

Jasaan, Mindanao, Philippines

Six people were baptized.

Papua New Guinea

Three people were baptized.

On a Sunday morning in August 2025, Yussel was out walking and meditating. He was asking for guidance from a higher power on how to deal with a family situation. He walked by GC Lemon Grove and felt led to come inside. He ended up staying for the worship gathering. English is his second language, so one of our leaders helped translate any words or concepts he did not understand.

After Yussel had attended for a few weeks, Reyna Stutz (one of our leaders who is bilingual), gave him a Bible and led him in a surrender prayer to Jesus. Over the following weeks, we spent time with him discussing God’s nature, forgiveness, prayer, relationship with God, and baptism. And we answered other questions Yussel had.

One day our cajon player was not there and Yussel jumped up for the last song and started playing. He has good rhythm and has been our cajon player every week for the past few months.

After more prayer and discussion, Yussel decided to publicly proclaim that he is aligning his life with Jesus through baptism. With the entire congregation surrounding him, he was baptized on Easter! We gave him an English/Spanish parallel Bible and put a customized name plate with his baptism date on the front.

By Anne Stapleton, Pastor
Lemon Grove, California, US

Citizens of God’s kingdom rehearse the death of the old self through the sacrament of baptism. We also celebrate being raised to new life in Christ when we come up out of the water. Hallelujah!

Learn more about baptism below. Read the full article here.

How does baptism picture the central truths of the gospel?

Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5)

Baptism pictures our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. These are the primary points of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Our salvation depends on his life, death, and resurrection. Our forgiveness — being cleansed of sin — depends on him; our Christian life and future depend on him.

Baptism symbolizes the death of the old self. The old person was crucified with Christ — died with Christ — buried with Christ in baptism (Romans 6:8; Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Colossians 2:12, 20). It pictures that we are identified with Jesus Christ—he united himself with humanity. We accept that he died “for us,” and “for our sins,” and that he was raised for us as well. We acknowledge that we have sinned, that we have a tendency to sin, that we are sinners who needed a Savior. We acknowledge our need to be cleansed, and that this cleansing came through Jesus Christ.

Baptism is one of the ways that we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are saved by what he did, not by the way we respond. Therefore, the emphasis in baptism should be on what Jesus did, not on our faith or acceptance. Baptism is not a memorial of our faith — it is a memorial of Jesus’ faithfulness toward us. The only reason that we can show our response of faith is because he has already made a commitment to us. Our faith may falter, but his faithfulness toward us will not.