Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
Praying to Put On God’s Righteousness | Prayer on Psalm 11
27:28:00 | 12-08-2020
In our last episode we looked at Psalm 38 and David’s frustration with himself for being his own worst enemy. It’s a psalm where David confesses his overwhelming sin and how that’s made his life stink and fester. I’m thankful the Holy Spirit has inspired such prayers for us in our own sinfulness. We all know what it’s like to be our own worst enemy. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit has also given us inspired scriptures and prayer with which we can pursue his righteousness -- put on his righteousness as our own new clothing that’s fashioned in the image of Christ. Psalm 11 is one of those prayers, also of David. Let’s do that together in this podcast episode. Psalm 11 ESV To the choirmaster. Of David. 1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, 2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 3 if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5 The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. Matthew 5:5–10 ESV 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Galatians 5:22–23 ESV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Colossians 3:3–10 NIV 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:12–15 NIV 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO (...
Praying When Your Foolish Sin Stinks Up Your Life | Prayer on Psalm 38
32:16:00 | 12-02-2020
Psalm 38 is a great example of the power of poetry to make us feel. We can feel David’s own misery and frustration with himself in this psalm. He realizes how much his own stupid and foolish sins have stunk up his life and his relationships, and he needs God’s help. Powerful word pictures in this psalm convey to us his anguish. It’s amazing how poetic words like this can actually transfer the emotions of someone living 3,000 years ago into our own emotions today! By inspiriting David’s prayer, the Holy Spirit has given us a vocabulary with which we can honestly and completely come to him with our sins. Let’s do that together in this podcast episode. Psalm 38 ESV A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering. 1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! 2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, 6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. 7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. 11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. 12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. 13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. 16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!” 17 For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. 18 I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. 19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 20 Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good. 21 Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( )https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo)
Praying the Bigger Life for You in Christ | Prayer on Colossians 1:12-20
32:34:00 | 12-01-2020
In Colossians 1:12-20, Paul is finishing a prayer he has for the Colossian believers, and then he quotes what many scholars believe was an early Christian hymn. As such, these are some of the most powerful truths in the Bible. And the more we understand them, the more we will want to live into God’s bigger story of life and light and love and glory that Jesus came to give us. In this episode we will look at what that bigger story is and why it is so powerful to motivate us to follow Jesus as our Christ/King, and we’ll take a few minutes to pray through these life-giving verses in Scripture. Colossians 1:12–20 NIV ...[Give] joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things... 1. The pre-incarnate Jesus was the God who created the entire universe. “The Son is the image of the invisible God” (v. 15). “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (v. 19). Colossians 2:9 NIV “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” “all things have been created through him and for him. He is before (in time; Jn 8:58) all things, and in him all things hold together” (v. 16-17). John 1:1–4 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Hebrews 1:2–3 NIV …In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 2. The incarnate Jesus was fully God who also became fully human, so he could rightfully and legally and fully take back Genesis 1:26-28. God is invisible, but Jesus, who became the saving King, perfectly reveals and embodies YHWH. And also true, God-intended humanity. He is “the firstborn over all creation” (v. 15), which means “the firstborn from among the dead” (v. 18). Christ was the first to rise from the dead with a resurrection body. Elsewhere Paul calls him the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Co 15:20). Others who were raised from the dead (2Ki 4:35; Lk 7:15; Jn 11:44; Ac 9:36-41; 20:7-12) were raised only to die again. 3. We can’t see the reality behind the scenes of all that Christ has done and is doing. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things” (v. 19-20). Seven times in vv. 15-20 Paul mentions “all creation,” “all things” and “everything.” When Adam and Eve sinned, not only was the harmony between God and human beings destroyed, but also disorder came into creation (Ro 8:19-22). So when Christ died on the cross, he made peace possible between God and humans, and he restored in principle the...
Praying to Give Thanks | Prayer on Psalm 9
34:19:00 | 11-26-2020
Psalm 9 has been a go-to psalm for me over the years because it reminds me of what I usually forget, and that’s to give thanks to Yahweh (Hebrew: “HE IS”). Giving thanks is when we recognize and give voice to our appreciation to God. Giving thanks to God is an act that wakes us a little bit more from the spell of self-sufficiency and autonomy, and reminds us of the real world we live in as created and controlled by God forever. Something important happens in our heart and soul when we express thanks to God. Let me help you do that in this episode on Psalm 9. Psalm 9 ESV ...A Psalm of David. 1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. ... 7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! ... 13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. … Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( )https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo)
Praying the Bigger Story Your Life is In | Prayer on Psalm 8
26:34:00 | 11-24-2020
Psalm 8 is an amazing psalm in capturing the larger story of the Gospel. The God that created this incomprehensibly vast universe is also incomprehensibly mindful of you. When David looked up at the stars he saw the glory of God in his majesty and power, but also the glory of God in his love for him. This is a great psalm to spend time meditating through the bigger story and bigger glory God created you for and has re-placed your life in through Jesus. Psalm 8 NIV 1 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( )https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo)
Praying the “Beatitudes” | Prayer on Matthew 5:3-12
35:57:00 | 11-19-2020
When Jesus started to announce the “Good News” of his coming Kingdom, the first word out of his mouth was “Blessed.” The particular word he used was loaded with complexity and meaning that it cannot be captured by that one English word “blessed.” It meant a deep security and happiness and joy and well-being and flourishing. And then he tells us what such a person lives like, and what his coming kingdom will be like. In this podcast episode, let Dave lead you in a time of meditation and prayer through Jesus’s powerful, life-giving words of the beatitudes. Matthew 5:3–12 NIV Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( )https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo)
Praying to Focus on My Need for God | Prayer on Psalm 5
28:23:00 | 11-17-2020
I always do better when I start my day vocalizing aloud in prayer my need for God’s help and vocalizing aloud in praise who he is and who he is for me. That’s exactly what David did in Psalm 5, and what we can do when we meditate on and pray and praise Psalm 5 back to God.. Let’s take time to do that together in this podcast episode. Psalm 5:0–12 ESV To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO) Instagram:https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO ( )https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ (https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/) Twitter:https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo ( https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo)
My Father in Heaven | Prayer on Matthew 6:9
26:02:00 | 11-12-2020
Sometimes when I pray I just focus on the first line in The Lord’s Prayer -- “My Father in Heaven.” The order of The Lord’s Prayer is part of Jesus’s main point about prayer -- we need to focus first on who God is to us. And Jesus taught much about the God of this universe wanting us to come to him as our Father. And because Jesus rose from the dead, we can trust what he says is true. So sometimes I’ll just focus on that first line, Our Father in Heaven, as my prayer. Let me show you what I mean in this episode. Matthew 6:6-13 NIV But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 7:11 NIV If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 6:25-27 NIV Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:32-33 NIV For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 10:29-31 NIV Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 13:43 NIV Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 25:34 NIV Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:4–5 NIV For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Luke 10:21 NIV At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Luke 12:32 NIV Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 15:21-24 NIV The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 22:29 NIV And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, John 4:23-24 NIV Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the...
When You Really Need God to Answer Your Prayer!
23:51 | 11-10-2020
There are those times in your life when you really need God to answer your prayer. A crisis. An opportunity. A fork in the road. Something big is happening and only God can help! A crisis with a family member. A sudden health issue. Or finances. Or at work. There are a thousand things that can go “wrong” in the course of our lives. And it’s in those times we sense a stronger need to pray. Psalm 4 was one of those times for King David. This episode will discuss how David’s prayer gives us helpful direction in those anxious times. Psalm 4 ESV 1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah Psalm 4:2 in the NAS is a better translation... How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? 3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. 6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.Philippians 4:6 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too. To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @TheCrossingCOMO. Social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCrossingCOMO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecrossingcomo
The Bigger Life of the Gospel
38:35:00 | 11-05-2020
1 Corinthians 15 is one of those quintessential Bigger Life chapters in the Bible. It’s where the apostle Paul reminds us of the core message of the gospel. It’s the bottom line Good News that our faith must be centered on if our faith is going to have any value whatsoever. And it centers on Jesus rising from the dead. If the gospel’s Good News centers on that, then so should our faith and the narrative of our lives. This episode will hear Paul explain why Jesus’s resurrection is ultimately the reason anything else matters. And why if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, ultimately nothing matters. 1 Corinthians 15:1–24 NIV 1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:30–58 NIV 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to...