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HISTORY

Trial, Earthquake, Empty Tomb

Residents around Jerusalem are still wrapping their minds around the past week’s events. 

Things escalated two Sundays ago, when Jesus of Nazareth—a Jewish teacher and miracle worker with a fast-growing following—rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Crowds surrounded him, chanting, “Hosanna,” a salutation historically given to the Messiah. 

But by Friday, cheers for the teacher had turned to jeers. Jewish religious leaders sought to execute Jesus for blasphemy (not believing he was the Messiah), but needed Roman approval. So early in the morning, they arrested Jesus and brought him before the Roman leaders Pilate and Herod.

Though the Romans found Jesus “not guilty of any of your charges,” they put him to death by crucifixion on Friday afternoon to avoid Jewish rebellion. 

Locals around Golgotha reported the sky going dark for three hours that afternoon. An earthquake was also recorded in the region, with several eyewitnesses saying bodies rose from tombs that had broken open. And religious leaders were befuddled when the Temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. 

Jesus was buried late Friday. Then, Sunday, after the Jewish Sabbath, some women who had followed Jesus went to his tomb… and found it open, and the tomb’s stone moved. Two angels reportedly appeared and said Jesus “is not here, but has risen.” 

The Jewish leaders claim Jesus’s disciples stole his body, but his disciples and hundreds of others claim to have seen him alive, proclaiming that he is the Messiah.  

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RADIATE HOPE
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest headline we’ll ever write. It’s the only news that’s thoroughly good for us and our world, and it will still be earth-shaking news 10,000 years from now. Praise God that Christ has defeated sin and death for us. 

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (CSB) (read full passage)

Over the last week, we’ve partnered with three organizations that share the good news of Jesus’s resurrection every day. If you haven’t already, we challenge you to pick one and donate $50.
 

Earthly poverty shouldn’t determine eternity. Compassion International is teaching impoverished children that God loves them and has a plan for their lives, and that hope is real… regardless of their circumstances. By putting age-appropriate Bibles in the hands of kids, Compassion is helping the next generation go beyond receiving Scripture to engaging with it. Most gifts meet a temporary need; give something that will shape a child’s life and eternity.
 

Disability doesn’t hinder the power of the good news. Joni and Friends envisions a world where the more than one billion people living with disabilities are seen and embraced in the body of Christ. By distributing custom-fit wheelchairs and hosting retreats and church trainings, they ensure all are valued. Your generosity brings mobility, community, and the hope of Christ to people living with disabilities. Help deliver the 250,000th wheelchair this month!
 

Every person behind bars is made in the image of God. That conviction drives Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving those impacted by incarceration. Through Bibles, mentorships, and life-changing programs, Prison Fellowship offers hope and restores relationships between incarcerated parents and their children. Your gift puts the Gospel to work in places most people never see. Be a part of what God is doing behind bars.

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Spring has sprung…

What We’re Celebrating
Lives transformed!

Because of your generosity, lives are being changed—and that’s worth a happy dance. 

Through the TPO fam’s giving, men and women behind bars are finding freedom in Christ, people with disabilities are gaining mobility and a sense of belonging, and the gospel is reaching children in poverty around the world. Your giving is making an eternal impact.

In celebration, we’re giving away a bunch of stuff. Click here by the end of the day Wednesday, and you’ll…

1. Get our favorite audio Bible app, Dwell, free for 3 months.

2. Be entered to win one of 100 TPO “Eternal Hope” t-shirts. 

AND… be entered to win a mystery Aruna Project bag!

Who We’re Praying For
Over XXX people!

We’re lifting up hundreds of people you boldly invited to church this Easter—friends, neighbors, and maybe even that coworker. Every invitation is a seed planted, and we’re praying that God would water them, open hearts to the gospel, and lead people into an eternity-changing relationship with Christ.  

Will you join us in praying? Ask God to stir faith, remove barriers, and draw these people closer to Him. And let this be an encouragement to you to keep planting seeds and sharing your faith—you never know how God might use your faithfulness!