Faith in Focus #22
A reflection from Connection Church and other spiritual events from the week
Faith in Focus is a weekly reflection on what God has been teaching me throughout the week regarding my faith. Whether it’s personal interactions, reading, or the Sunday sermon, God speaks through it all, and I hope this helps you focus on His mission.
Follow Ben, and subscribe to Intellectual Dissatisfaction to receive next week’s edition.
Sermon Reflection
Based on the sermon by Jonathan Land, Connection Church Sioux Falls, April 5, 2026.
Of First Importance: Why the Resurrection Changes Everything
On Easter morning, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15 call the church back to what matters most. The resurrection is not one doctrine among many, but the foundation from which everything else flows.
There are moments when timing feels almost too precise to be coincidence. Easter Sunday and 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 is one of those moments. The resurrection account does not simply align with the day, it defines it. Paul opens with a line that is both pastoral and corrective. “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you” (1 Corinthians 15:1 ESV). This is not new information. It is a call to remember.
Paul is not introducing a deeper teaching but returning to the foundation. The issue in Corinth is not ignorance. It is forgetfulness. This same drift happens today. Faith can slowly shift from Christ to self, from grace to performance, from the Gospel to everything built around it.
Paul understands something critical. When the foundation is forgotten, everything built on top begins to fracture.
The World Behind the Text
The church in Corinth was marked by division, pride, and confusion. Across fourteen chapters, Paul addresses issues ranging from leadership factions to misuse of spiritual gifts. Beneath all of it lies a deeper problem.
They had lost sight of what mattered most.
Corinth was a status-driven culture. Honor, recognition, and personal advancement shaped how people lived and related to one another. That mindset had quietly worked its way into the church. Spiritual gifts became tools for self-elevation. Freedom became self-indulgence. Worship became disorderly.
The Corinthians did not reject the Gospel outright. They simply allowed it to move from the center to the margins. The danger for any church is not always abandoning the Gospel. It is assuming it. When the gospel becomes background noise, other things take its place.
Paul responds not by adding more instruction, but by bringing them back to the core.
Walking the Passage
Paul states the heart of the message with unmistakable force:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV).
Of first importance.
Paul is establishing priority, not dismissing other truths but ordering them. Everything else in the Christian life flows from this reality. Without the resurrection, there is no church, no salvation, no hope. The Gospel is not the entry point into Christianity. It is the entire path. As Tim Keller states, t is not the ABCs. It is A to Z.
Paul then provides a list of witnesses. Cephas (Who is the apostle Peter). The twelve. More than five hundred at one time. James. All the apostles. And finally, Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:5–8 ESV).
This is not abstract theology. It is rooted in eyewitness testimony.
Paul is anchoring belief in historical reality. The resurrection is not presented as metaphor or myth, but as an event that occurred in time and space. Faith in the resurrection is not blind. It is trust grounded in testimony.
Paul even notes that many of the five hundred witnesses were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV). The implication is clear. This claim is verifiable.
A Fair Counter-Reading
Some argue that the resurrection accounts were fabricated or exaggerated over time. Others suggest that the disciples experienced visions or collective psychological phenomena rather than a physical resurrection.
These perspectives attempt to account for the rapid growth of early Christianity without affirming the supernatural. However, there are significant challenges to these views.
First, the consistency of the resurrection claim appears early and widely. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is one of the earliest New Testament writings, and it already contains a structured summary of the Gospel.
Second, the willingness of the apostles to suffer and die for this claim raises difficult questions. People may die for what they believe is true. They do not typically die for what they know to be false.
Third, the inclusion of multiple witnesses and specific names invites scrutiny rather than avoiding it.
While alternative explanations exist, they often struggle to account for the totality of the evidence presented in the text. The resurrection calls for a response. It cannot remain a neutral idea.
The Turn
Paul’s tone shifts as he begins to speak personally.
“Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:8 ESV).
Paul does not present himself as a hero of the faith. He identifies as the least of the apostles, unworthy because he persecuted the church (1 Corinthians 15:9 ESV).
Then comes one of the most defining statements in the passage:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV).
Paul attributes everything to grace. His transformation, his calling, his labor. None of it originates from himself. Grace is not something to achieve. It is something to receive. And once received, it does not diminish over time.
Paul goes further. He acknowledges his labor, but immediately clarifies its source. “Though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV).
This is the paradox of the Christian life. Effort is real, but it is empowered by grace. The same grace that saves is the grace that sustains.
Song of the Week: Resurrection Story - Phil Wickham
In the week following Easter, I hope reflection lingers a little longer. For many, the celebration doesn’t end on Sunday morning as it carries into the days after, shaping how the story is remembered and lived out. In that spirit, this week’s selection turns toward resurrection not just as a historical event, but as a personal reality. Resurrection Story by Phil Wickham fits that frame perfectly.
The song opens not in triumph, but in confession. A choice that grounds its message in humility. Wickham draws on biblical imagery, likening himself to the thief on the cross, while also invoking the stories of those healed during Jesus’ ministry. These references aren’t incidental; they build a throughline that points to a singular cause behind each transformation. The change wasn’t earned or manufactured but happened because He arrived. As the lyric puts it, “One word, one touch, one encounter with the King.” The implication is direct: transformation begins with encounter.
While the verses lean inward, the chorus widens the lens. The resurrection is no longer just personal but historical, anchored in the defining moment of the Christian faith. “One cross, three days, then You rolled the stone away,” Wickham sings, tying individual renewal to the events at the center of Easter. The theology is straightforward but weighty. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, access to grace is no longer distant, but immediate. Redemption, once out of reach, is now offered freely.
What makes the song resonate in a post-Easter context is its ability to hold both truths at once. It acknowledges the historical reality of the resurrection while inviting listeners to see their own lives reflected in it. The empty tomb is not just a past event. It becomes a present invitation.
A week removed from Easter Sunday, as the significance of that day begins to settle, “Resurrection Story” offers a refrain worth returning to, “You alone get the glory, in my resurrection story.” It’s both a conclusion and a response. One that echoes beyond a single Sunday and into the rhythms of everyday faith.
Carry It Into the Week
Easter is not simply a day of remembrance. It is a call to re-center.
The message Paul delivers is not complicated, but it is comprehensive. Christ died for our sins. He was buried and was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV).
This is the core of the gospel. It addresses sin, death, and hope. Every part of life is shaped by this reality. Identity, purpose, community, mission.
Within the framework of gospel, community, and mission, this passage speaks clearly.
Gospel: The resurrection confirms that the work of Christ is finished and sufficient.
Community: The shared belief in the risen Christ forms a people centered not on status but on grace and love.
Mission: The reality of the resurrection compels proclamation. If Christ is risen, it must be told.
Grace is not something you move beyond. It is something you grow deeper into.
So the invitation is simple. Remember.
Remember that Christ came.
Remember that He lived without sin.
Remember that He died in your place.
Remember that He was buried.
Remember that He was raised on the third day.
Remember that He reigns.
And remember that this grace is given freely, not earned.
Week in Reflection
This week unfolded as a series of moments that intertwined faith, vocation, and personal reflection with each offering its own sense of purpose and perspective.
It began Monday with a notable professional opportunity: receiving press credentials to cover Journey at my local arena. For someone working at the intersection of media and faith, moments like these feel significant. Not just as career milestones, but as reminders of doors opening in unexpected ways. There’s a growing sense that these opportunities are part of a larger trajectory still taking shape and I can’t wait to see what God does with it.
That sense of purpose carried into the workplace throughout the week, where conversations about faith surfaced in practical and sometimes challenging ways. One such moment came in discussing how to handle a financial gift received from my family following the passing of my uncle. The conversation turned to tithing. Specifically, whether that money should be given to the church or used for personal wants.
It became an opportunity to articulate a deeply held conviction: that all resources, whether earned or given, are ultimately entrusted by God. From that perspective, giving back is not just an obligation but an act of stewardship. It was a moment that underscored a broader belief that faith is not meant to be compartmentalized, but lived out openly, even in everyday workplace dialogue.
The week concluded on a more personal and celebratory note. A close friend’s wedding provided a meaningful reminder of faith lived out in community. Having met nearly four years ago through a Bible class at Celebrate Church, our shared spiritual journey has grown into a lasting friendship. Standing alongside him as a groomsman marked not just a milestone in his life, but a reflection of that shared foundation.
The ceremony itself was centered on faith, with the couple openly expressing their commitment to building a marriage grounded in Christ. For those who have witnessed that journey from its early stages, it served as a powerful testament to growth, once separate, not joined.
Still, the week was not without its challenges. Moments of envy, pride, and distraction surfaced as reminders that spiritual growth is rarely linear. Yet even in those struggles, there remains a steady call to trust in something greater: that timing, provision, and direction are ultimately not self-determined, but guided by His larger plan.
Taken together, the week reflects a balance familiar to many. Opportunity and uncertainty, conviction and challenge, celebration and introspection. And within that balance, a continued effort to trust that each step, however small, is part of something more enduring.
And remember, God loves you, and so do I.
Connection Church in Sioux Falls is a gospel-centered community committed to helping people follow Jesus through authentic relationships, biblical teaching, and everyday mission. Rooted in historic Christian belief and aligned with gospel renewal movements, the church exists to see lives transformed by Jesus. Learn more: https://siouxfallsconnection.com/who-we-are
