The Greatest Gang Leader

(An Easter story)

My story today is about the greatest gang leader there ever was. When he wanted people to join his gang, he didn’t promise them wealth or riches, he didn’t tell them how great his gang was, he just said come with me. He spoke with such authority, that people believed in him. They dropped everything and left their family and friends and followed him to start the largest gang ever formed. As they walked from town to town they didn’t bully people and steal, rob, or beat people. Instead they helped people and ask God to heal people. The greatest gang leader taught people to love each other and to help each other. He went from town to town and showed his love, by praying for the sick and teaching the healthy, and sick about God.

Other gangs from these towns got together to fight the greatest gang there ever was. The other gang leaders didn’t want to join the greatest gang because they feared they would lose their power and money. They plotted to destroy the gang by killing it’s leader. One night the greatest gang leader saw them coming, with torches to light their way. The gang stood ready to defend their leader. When the gangs approached they told the greatest gang leader they were going to take him, and that’s when the fight started. One of the greatest gang leader’s men reached for his knife and swung at one of the rivals’ head. The rival gang member ducked, but the knife caught his ear, and his ear fell to the ground. The greatest gang leader held his hand out to tell his members not to fight. He reached down and took the ear in his hand and put it back on the gang member’s head. There was no more blood because the ear had healed. This didn’t stop the other gangs, they grabbed the greatest gang leader and dragged him back to there hide out, were they would try him in a mock court. Before they tried him they beat him, and made fun of him. They beat him so bad you couldn’t even tell he was a person. While this was going on, the greatest gang leader only had to call out for help and his gang would have come to his aid, but he chose to suffer. The other gang had their mock trial and found the greatest gang leader to be guilty of trying to take over their territory. They dragged him up and down the streets and made him carry a stake at least four times his size. When they got to the top of a large hill they hammered this stack into the ground. Wait, it wasn’t a stake…. It was more like a telephone pole (it’s great if you have a picture of a telephone pole to put on the overhead or screen). They stretched his arms out and drove nails into his hands and feat. He ask God to forgive these men and then he died. When he gave his life the earth shook and the skies grew black.

Today you can join this gang. You might be wondering why you would join a gang when the leader died, but that’s the best part. Three days after he died the greatest gang leader rose from the grave, when the rival gang went to his grave the grave was empty. Right now the greatest gang leader is preparing a place we can go and not have to worry about sickness and pain. We won’t have to worry about ever being beat up by bullies, or getting our things stolen, we will never be made fun of. This will be a place of love and forgiveness. You have probable realized the greatest gang leader is Jesus Christ. I have joined this gang and all of the leaders in this room have joined. Now it’s time for you to decide, to follow the greatest gang leader or to be on the other side. There are only two gangs. Right now you will make a choice to be on one of the two gangs in our story. You can say a prayer and join the greatest gang or you can say nothing and join the side of Jesus’ enemies. Please bow your head. You make the choice, pray after me or sit quietly.

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