Chris Grainger: 1:01

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas meat episode time. Let's get right into it, okay? So the scripture of the week is 1 Corinthians 15, 14. So, chapter 15, verse 14. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. So, guys, go back, listen to the SKO.

Chris Grainger: 1:27

I spent a lot of time unpacking not just that verse, but really the first, like 19, 20 verses of 1 Corinthians 15. Because this week's a little special. Let's just face it, it's Easter week. If you're listening to this, when this comes out, easter is on Sunday and I wanted to take some time for this particular episode to think about the disparity between Christmas and Easter and how it seems like Santa Claus absolutely destroys the Easter bunny. It's terrible, but it's. It's truthful, right. It's just it's unbelievable how displaced those are. Those types of holidays are right and it shouldn't be. It shouldn't be. It should be such a bigger deal. Let's think about, for instance, like when does Christmas actually start? Like when does Christmas actually start? I can tell you when it starts as soon as the trick-or-treating is done. As soon as the trick-or-treating is done and you got all your candy, that's when Christmas starts. It's now November 1st, that's it. Now we have one Thursday in November where we don't think about Christmas Thanksgiving Day but outside of that it's all about Christmas, it just is.

Chris Grainger: 2:52

It's such a big deal, and think about the money, like the money we spend around the holidays, and it's unbelievable when you start thinking about how much money we put into certain areas of our life. So let's just take a check. For instance, I want to look at something real quick. Let's look at where people spend the most money when it comes to holidays and what they are to holidays and what they are. And obviously you have your Cyber Monday and things like that, but let's look on holidays just in general. And if we start looking at that fellas, it tells us a lot of interesting things. First of all, it tells us we spend a lot of money online, a lot of money online, a lot of money online, and we're spending that money online versus you know these other types of holidays, but Christmas for sure is hands down like the number one. Then you start seeing holidays like Halloween. You start seeing holidays like Valentine's Day, you start seeing holidays like Mother's Day Mother's Day is pretty high up there. Then you like Valentine's Day, you start seeing holidays like Mother's Day Mother's Day is pretty high up there. Then you have Father's Day and then, usually, tracking behind all that, you should get Easter and it just blows me away that that's the case. And then I started thinking about it just from a church standpoint, just looking at our church and other churches in general. Like, think about the activities that lead up to a Easter service. For us, really, easter is sunrise. Like you have a sunrise service and that's it. Now. Compare that to what goes on for Christmas. Have a sunrise service and that's it Now. Compare that to what goes on for Christmas For us.

Chris Grainger: 4:46

With Christmas for our church, you start talking about it months in advance because you have good ministries. You have backpacks and shoeboxes and all the stuff that you need to do to get ready for Christmas. Then you have to decorate the church. You have to use special types of services to decorate the church. Then you have your Christmas program. For your Christmas program, you start doing that right after Halloween, start practicing for your Christmas program for your kids. Then you have, like, we do cookies and caroling and singing and all that stuff on certain activities. Then you have that actual special event to actually decorate the church officially, right to get into the Christmas spirit. You have all that stuff going on. Then lots of churches do special things for evangelism, which is good. You should do that, like there's a church that's close to us that does like a walk through Bethlehem. They basically make a whole city, you know, right there at their church. Then you know, for us we have like a drive-through thing. So, depending on your church, there's there's types of flavors for that stuff, right. So you have all that stuff going on.

Chris Grainger: 5:49

Then you have your, your services leading up to christmas and every service in december and I think it's a mandatory checkbox, it has to be a christmas service because it's just just the way it is right. So you're working through the book of luke, whatever it is, working up to Christmas. Then you have your Christmas Eve service. You got to have that right. And then sometimes you even have the churches that are really out, far out there. You have your Christmas Day services.

Chris Grainger: 6:12

I say that jokingly, like it's crazy to me that the busiest what should be the busiest day for the church is the most voided day period. Like no one goes to church on Christmas Day. We just don't, and to me that's kind of crazy. So you got all those events and then for Easter you have a sunrise service and that's. It Isn't that kind of odd. It's almost like Easter is the redheaded stepchild of holidays. Like it's crazy. And when you start thinking about it it just doesn't have that commercial sparkle, does it.

Chris Grainger: 6:48

But the spiritual significance of Easter is such a big deal and we just read about it in 1 Corinthians 15, for sure, and we recognize. Obviously, if we go back to our Christmas, we read so much out of Luke 2, where you have the arrival of the Savior, right, but Easter is the fulfillment of his mission and maybe that's it. You know this is again just more reflective, but the power of the cross and the resurrection is such an important concept for Christians, and that Easter being the climax of that, that it can't just be a nice ending to the story. This is why the story matters. Remember what Romans 5, 8 says.

Chris Grainger: 7:40

But God demonstrates his own love for us. While we were still sinners, christ died for us. The cross is proof of God's love and his justice. It just is Right. The mission of salvation was completed completely on the cross. For us, fellas, that is the victory we have over death, the promise we have over death, and that's why the resurrection has to be central to our faith and to our focus, because the resurrection fully proves that Jesus was who he said he was, because without that there's no victory. Without that we're just like everyone else.

Chris Grainger: 8:19

I don't know about you, but I just don't want to be like that, because the early church, if you start looking about when things really were taking off, they really didn't focus so much on the arrival. They put their emphasis on the resurrection. Look, check out chapter verses 3 and 4, 1 Corinthians 15. For what I received, I pass on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, that he was buried and raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Paul tells us right there. What is first importance? Above all else, it wasn't that he was born, why that is important, but of most importance is that he died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that he was buried and raised on the third day. That's it.

Chris Grainger: 9:13

The resurrection is the most crucial part of the gospel message. It is so powerful guys. We can't miss that and it gives us new hope and new life. And as believers, man, what more can we put our should, we be putting our trust in? And it's not about commercialism, and it's made me think why is like Easter not commercialized Like? Why is that nothing compared to Christmas?

Chris Grainger: 9:39

You know, some of it, I think too, is just like, straight up, easter's dates always changing and we every year like, well, okay, when is Easter this year? Right, it's not the consistency of December 25th, like we have with Christmas. But go deeper. The whole idea and concept of what we're celebrating at Easter is a little bit different. Right, instead of the birth and a new arrival, we're really celebrating the sacrifice to death and repentance and the resurrection. Right, and that's just a different level. Right, it doesn't sell as well, let's just face it. It's not as sexy, right? No, we're talking about a little baby Jesus, not Jesus hanging on a cross. Like it's pretty, that doesn't make good movies and things like that. Easter calls us for a deep reflection and for a response to what Jesus did on the cross. That doesn't really fit into the mold of a consumer-driven culture and we have to recognize this fellas. We have to recognize the attack. If we're sticking with.

Chris Grainger: 10:45

The day after Halloween is when Christmas starts, and the day after Valentine's Day, easter should start for us. We need some time to ramp this thing up. We won't be giving away presents, and that's a big part of it too. We like Christmas so much, if we're honest, because of the presents we get. We just do. It's a self-glorifying in many ways holiday and the glory should never be on us. The glory has to be on Christ. But the evil one, the way he does, he twists stuff.

Chris Grainger: 11:30

Now, christmas is all about Santa Claus and presents and is all about, you know, bunnies and eggs and like nothing against bunnies and eggs. They have pagan origins, but I'm not saying you shouldn't have those. There's things that you know what. Lean into it, have some fun with it, but recognize what the holiday truly is all about. That's about the risen Savior. It's just, it's incredible. But recognize what the holiday truly is all about. That's about the risen Savior, it's just, it's incredible. So what we have to start doing, what we have to really start thinking about, is we have to start elevating Easter into our faith, into our family life, and maybe that means for the Easter week for you maybe start doing some of the things you know praying together, have a little foot washing ceremony or a Good Friday. Spend some time on that Good Friday and actually reflect on that as a family and just start thinking about everything that leads us up to that Resurrection Sunday, because that Sunday is a time of celebration and worship and coming together at the table and focusing on that resurrection more than the egg hunt. Have the egg hunt, that's fine, but definitely focus on the resurrection.

Chris Grainger: 12:41

There's even things I've used this in the past before. I think I've told this in the show. I can't remember Resurrection eggs. You can Google them. Just go Google resurrection eggs. If you have kids, they're great. It comes in just a little carton of 12. And each one of those eggs has a piece of the gospel story. Basically, you work through the pieces and they're actually like they open the egg and there's a little cloth or a little cross or whatever, a little stone to represent the tomb being rolled away and it just walks you right through it. If you're nervous about actually sharing the gospel, what if I miss something Like the resurrection eggs gives you a story so you literally can just read it with your kids, all right. So I don't know if we can even find the link for that anymore. It's just the easiest thing for you to do is just Google resurrection eggs and see if you can find them. Okay, the easiest thing for you to do is just Google resurrection eggs and see if you can find them. So those are great ways. You have great ways to do that.

Chris Grainger: 13:32

And then just recognize the fact that for this year this time of year rather, but any time, but particularly this time of year the eternal perspective the eternal perspective Because the resurrection is not just a cool story we get to read the resurrection means something for us. That means we have access to eternal life with God. That's not the end. As believers, we get to live with hope. Whether you're on the mountaintop and you are absolutely crushing it, or you're in the valley and you're sliding and you don't know what's coming next, we can place our feet firmly planted on the promises that God has given us, and that's the hope we have. That's the hope we have. That's the hope we have. We have victory. We have victory, and that should lead us to have a state of gratitude and joy that the rest of the world just doesn't have. So I don't know. John 11, 25 says I'm the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though they die. So you're going to go through the physical death but never have to go through the spiritual, because we'll have that eternal life with him.

Chris Grainger: 14:59

And I just want to encourage you to make this time of year Again. This is a little bit of a shorter episode and that's fine, but make this time of year more meaningful. Spend time with God, think about the cross, think about the resurrection. I'd also encourage you this time of year, if you have kids, encourage them to invite other kids with them to the services, just so that they can hear the gospel being presented. And, by the way, if you go to a church that doesn't present the gospel, particularly on Resurrection Sunday, get out of there. Just get out of there, man. Like, find another one. Okay, but this is a great chance for this time of year.

Chris Grainger: 15:45

People are receptive and most of the time studies show if they're invited by a friend, people are more receptive to going to a church service. Now, do they need a church service to be saved? No, but perhaps in that church service, if they hear the gospel and the Holy Spirit is moving. That could be what moves them, that little inflection point that gets them to turn to the life of Christ. Now are they going to do it on the church service this Sunday, resurrection Sunday, 2025? I don't know. If they don't don't get discouraged. If they don't don't get discouraged Because maybe the seed is planted this Sunday in 2025.

Chris Grainger: 16:32

But it takes some time for that to develop and grow, and as dudes, we just want stuff like it's just time to harvest, bro, let's harvest, let's harvest. I'm like no, no, no, we need to slow down. It's not always about the harvesting. You got to do that planting. And the Holy Spirit, his timing is perfect. He's never early. Very rarely is he on the same type of speed that we are. Let's just face it, guys. We want stuff yesterday. We just do spiritual things take longer. So plan to see.

Chris Grainger: 17:02

And then here's your second part of that challenge. If you can't get someone to go to church, that's up to them. You can still share the gospel or you can share what God's done for you in your life. Maybe you're not comfortable in sharing the gospel directly. I mean, I don't know what to tell you, though. Here's what I do know to be true. Here's how God has shown up for me. And you start opening up a sentence like that and get ready because you got somebody's attention. Then why? Because you're being thoughtful, you're being transparent, right, you're being authentic. And when you start doing that, start having that level of just openness about what God's done in your life, people are drawn to that they are Because then you're not hitting them across the head with Romans 5.8 or John 3.16 or whatever it is, acts 4.12. You're not hitting them across the head with those verses. You're coming at it from a personal standpoint and that means so much Because we have a God who wants to have a relationship with us.

Chris Grainger: 18:05

Just like when I teach, all the time I bring up this analogy. Like it would be terrible my marriage would be absolutely terrible if the only time I spent with my wife were one to two hours every Sunday, maybe even every other Sunday for an average church girl, right, right, if I spent. If Sunday for the average churchgoer, right, right, if I spent. If that was the time I gave her, okay, babe, for that time, for that hour to two hours period. Like I'm all yours, I'm all in, I love you. Never going to like. Nothing else is going to distract me from you during that two hours Now, outside of that girl. You know your boy got to live. I'm going to do my thing. Right, how would our marriage be? It'd be a dumpster fire. And you're like, well, chris, that's ridiculous. Like wow. I'm just telling you. It's a great analogy Because so many of us live our Christian faith that way, like when we're in a church and we're all prayed up and we're around our Christian brothers and sisters, like we got this one thing going on.

Chris Grainger: 19:01

But when we're outside of that, do what I want to do. I'll just put that Bible, just fold that up, just put that over here. I don't need this right now. I'm telling you, buddy, it's how stuff happens. I mean, I know people who leave their Bibles in the church pew so that their seat won't be taken the next Sunday, or leave it in the truck on a dashboard so that they know. You know what, when I get to church, I'll have my Bible with me. I'm like, bro, what are you doing? Problem is they don't touch it between them. Like, what are you doing? Like this is living and breathing is God's word. Why don't you want to spend as much time as you possibly can in it. If you want that relationship with him, the way you want your relationship with your spouse, you better spend some time together.

Chris Grainger: 19:43

I talk to my wife as often as I can, as much as I can. I love spending time with her, I love holding her hand, I love kissing her All this stuff because I want the relationship for us to grow closer together. And the same thing has to be true with me and God Every day and I'm talking about every day, bro, in the word, am I trying to check some brownie points we got? No, that's ridiculous, because I genuinely want to know what he's trying to show me. I'm curious. I want him to know me. I'm not trying to hide anything from him anymore.

Chris Grainger: 20:14

I literally went on before I recorded this and just had an open prayer of repentance. Some of the things I needed to let go of God. I'm just going to give it to you. Is that stuff easy? Heck, no, it ain't easy. None of this stuff is easy. It's where many Christians get off. They think being a Christian is easy. It ain't about being easy. No, good things are hard. It is hard. It's hard being a Christian, even when it's going to start attacking you. He's attacked our family, that's for sure. And I don't expect the attack to stop. If the attack stops, I'm going to be a concern at some point, because maybe at that point am I walking with the evil one, like, if I never bump into the evil one, maybe I'm walking the same way he's walking. That scares the crap out of me. So a certain level of pushback is expected. Now, do I like breaks from it? Yeah, yeah, I do, I do.

Chris Grainger: 21:08

I love those seasons when we're not in a trial. It's only three seasons we're either in one, coming out of one, or we're getting ready to go into one. That's the three seasons of life, boys. So if you're not in a trial right now, praise the Lord, hallelujah, but you better be praying up. If you're in a trial, I'm sorry, you gotta be praying up. If you're coming out of one, hallelujah, give him the praise right now for carrying you through that. And it's cyclical, man, that stuff happens just like that, over and over and over. And where we put our focus, where we put our focus, where we put our intent, man, it changes everything. It changes everything. So, as you kind of go, get closer to this big celebration Resurrection, sunday, easter, whatever you want to call it right. I just want to encourage you to just draw closer to God.

Chris Grainger: 22:01

Don't let it just be another one where you see how many peeps you get to eat. I get it. Peeps are awesome. Well, actually you're either in I love peeps camps or I hate peeps camps. I'm not sure which one you're in. My wife hates them. I love them. So you know it's a hard issue with her. You'll have to pray for her. But you know I'm Don't let it just be about that.

Chris Grainger: 22:18

Enjoy those things. It's okay. Get you a few Cadbury eggs Okay, if that's your thing. But don't let that be what the time is all about. Take some time and read through the Gospels. Spend some time doing the Scriptures together. Just go to 1 Corinthians 15, like we went through this week on the Lion Within Us, and just share that with your kids.

Chris Grainger: 22:38

Be intentional. Be intentional. The rest of the world is just going to fly by this thing, man. It's just going to fly by. It's just going to be another blip on the radar. Okay, now we're moving on to what comes next. Probably Memorial Day or something right After Easter. Then everybody starts thinking about that. That's what's coming next. It's too big a deal just to willy-nilly fly by. So encourage yourself to slow down, enjoy the season and praise the Lord for the resurrection.

Chris Grainger: 23:07

So the question of the week is what does the empty tomb mean to you personally? Again, you have to answer this directly. I can't answer this for you, but my prayer is that it means something and that meaning something is going to drive you to do something. All right. So look if you need help, if you need encouragement, head over to thelinewithinus. Okay, so thelinewithinus, we have our new weekly roar that's out, comes out every Monday. It's pretty awesome. We also have our Christian leader assessment. That's incredible. Guys, go check that out. It's free resources, free tools.

Chris Grainger: 23:41

How about Bible studies, if you like, using the YouVersion Bible app? It's the most popular Bible app in the world. We have tons and tons of studies on the Bible app and you can even connect with me directly on the Bible app. We usually go through about two a month on the Bible app directly, and then we would love to just do that with you. Just take part. Let's just study the Bible.

Chris Grainger: 24:02

Or check out thelinewithinus and really encourage you guys to lean into the community. Go ahead and start it. Either start your spiritual kickoff, experience the full community or the summit. Pick one, pick one. We try to give you an opportunity to see for yourself what it's all about. But lean in. If you don't have that personal board of advisors right now that are speaking into your life like all of us got yes, guys, we got friends.

Chris Grainger: 24:29

I'm talking this level deeper the guys who are here. They're going to hear you, but then they're also going to challenge you. They're going to check you. They're going to hold you accountable. They're going to equip you. Come alongside you. They're going to pray you accountable. They're going to equip you. Come alongside you. They're going to pray with you. We don't have those types of bros anymore. It's just very, very rare. We've built that with our discipleship mastermind groups. I'm telling you, fellas, it's incredible what we're putting together, the growth we've seen with the guys that are there. But it means getting off the sideline. So the lion within that US. Get started today.

Chris Grainger: 25:07

Love to know what you think about this episode. I love to know about the spiritual kickoff, and so, before as well, give me some feedback. Ok, fellas, love to get that feedback. Give us a rating and review, if you. If you don't mind, there, that helps. Just promote the show, subscribe to us on YouTube, connect with us in many different ways and guys, just thank you so much. So come back on Friday. We'll have a good fun Friday episode for you as you go into this celebration weekend. All right, so get after it, have a great one. Just keep on leashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 25:37

I don't know about you, but I used to find Mondays really rough. I don't know about you, but I used to find Mondays really rough. I would find myself trying to reset for work, trying to get my bearing on the family calendar, trying to find time for my own spiritual growth and development, and often I found myself overwhelmed or just flatly ignoring aspects of my life that I know are meaningful to me life that I know are meaningful to me. What I learned was that if I had immediate access to important and impactful spiritual topics and reflections to start my week well after the allure of a Sunday sermon has passed, I would set my whole week up to be more meaningful and for the opportunity to make a true impact.

Chris Grainger: 26:19

If you think that getting such a boost would help your week to get started on the right foot, we would love for you to sign up for the weekly roar, which is our newsletter that is produced by the Lion Within Us Each week, will deliver a powerful reflection and practical steps to help you apply Scripture with clarity and purpose, all being rooted in light and truth. So in just a few minutes, we hope to arm you with insights for living out biblical leadership with confidence and strength, and maybe even have a little extra bounce in your step. If that sounds useful, head over to the lion within us. Slash roar to sign up today. That's the lion within dot us. Slash ROAR to get your weekly roar today.