It would be no small thing to witness something like what they were remembering in 2015. That was what Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Matthew Ntele, Steven Furtick, and Wade Joye were saying essentially with “Resurrecting”, when they sang it as part of an album, an album that proposed that believers in the One with the power to raise someone to life start to live with that hope while still here on earth. Jesus demonstrated that He had power over life, to resurrect the dead (like when Lazarus was raised after four days, as shown in this painting by Leon Bonnat, France, 1857), so when these Elevation Worship band members sang about that in the Charlotte church where they were ministering, they were saying in effect ‘let’s think of that happening in Charlotte today’. What would you think if that sort of thing happened in front of your eyes today?
Oh, that must be a hoax! How did they stage that one? Where are the doctors to verify what they claim happened? There would be lots of skepticism, for sure, if someone were to rise from the dead today. And, there are plenty of so-called ‘faith healers’ that do put on a show (as depicted in the Steve Martin/Debra Winger 1992 movie Leap of Faith). But the fact of Jesus’ rising is the foundation of Christian faith, and really, what other better option is there for humanity than to stake our lives upon the hope that God through Jesus’ resurrection gives us? The issue of His rising has been the subject of much historical study, including in lots of books that could be listed here; three come to mind -- The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona; Evidence the Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell; and The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel. Those are all studies of what happened to Jesus, about a key historical event more than 2,000 years ago. But what about today, and what about the people whose lives are changed radically? The Elevation Worship team also seemed to indicate that that is something that resurrection today brings. Although they don’t spell out explicitly why they wrote ‘Resurrecting’, this team of five songwriters suggests in their lyrics that knowing Jesus has risen can alter someone’s outlook fundamentally. They begin with praise for Jesus and His revival, and use that as a stepping stone for us mortals to worship Him and exercise a new life here and now. ‘Fear’ recedes in this new way of living, because ‘His…breath’ is inside the believer (v.3). And, they sing repeatedly that yes, we can expect to rise in the future, but they follow up that thought with He ‘is resurrecting me’ – in the present. He’s the One who resurrected people while He lived on earth (three people: son of the widow of Nain [Luke 7:11-17]; daughter of Jairus [Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-56]; and Lazarus [John 11:1-44]), people came out of the graves when He was resurrected (Matthew 27:51-53), and of course He came out of His own grave and appeared to many to prove it was fact. He knows all about resurrection.
This Elevation Worship team’s song was written probably at the Charlotte church where they are located, and where they recorded the live album on which ‘Resurrecting’ appears. It’s titled Here as in Heaven, evidently a reference to what Jesus prayed when teaching the disciples the proper way to address God, and how to regard His purposes for humanity (Matthew 6/Luke 11). Bring to earth and its inhabitants the ways of God. So, thinking of resurrecting as not exclusive to the realm of the afterlife is what Jesus wanted people to grasp. It can be now, and our engines are revved as we read about how He raised others physically, came out to the grave Himself, and plans to do that at the end of life for all who want Him and what He offers. That’s how we can start eternity-thinking today. As one of the apostles wrote, it’s now – you and I have it already (1 John 5:14). That is what the Elevation Worshippers in Charlotte also realized in 2015. Do you know it today? You can.
Read some about the song here: Resurrecting - Wikipedia
Read about the album on which the song premiered here: Here as in Heaven - Wikipedia
Read about the group that wrote the song: Elevation Worship - Wikipedia
Watch an inspiring story about related to the song here: Bing Videos
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