THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:15-22
“With us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us… a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)
They had seen His miracles, heard His teaching, and see His love in action
But it was His resurrection that stood out as the game-changer.
Which makes sense, what use is a Saviour that cannot overcome our greatest enemy.
“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-19)
Paul, though he himself did not witness the resurrection, met the resurrected Christ.
It was his encounter with the resurrected Jesus by the Spirit that he became a witness.
This is how we can be witnesses too, even though we were not with Jesus when He arose.
The Spirit of Jesus connects us to Jesus, and He lives in/with us… to the very end of the age.
Jesus is alive, and this is the game-changer for us as well.
Our greatest enemy – death – and its cause – sin – have been beaten.
We witness to the game-changing hope of LIFE with God now, and forever beyond the grave.
Does your life witness to this hope, do you live as if you will live forever?
Are we pointing people to our resurrection hope in Jesus?
This is why we’ve been chosen and sent by Jesus!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, as I have just turned fifty, am I living as if my life is almost done, or that it is just beginning? Am I a witness to life, or to death, by how I live?