Provided Authority for Witnessing (Phil. 3:7-10)
We see the power of the Resurrection in the ministry of the apostles. Peter's words to the cripple are anchored solid in a resurrected Savior: "'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6, NIV). Then as the people go wild with astonishment and wonder over the miracle, Peter reminds them of the trial and death of Jesus (vss. 13, 14) and then begins to move toward the good news, his goal from the start: "'You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead'" (vs. 15, NIV). And, says Peter, it is through the power released by His resurrection that the crippled man was made to walk. "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man . . . was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing" (vs. 16, NIV).
The spectacular miracle notwithstanding, Peter is arrested and called upon to answer for these unusual developments: "By what power or what name did you do this?" (Acts 4:7, NIV). With such an invitation, Peter falls back on what fast was becoming his favorite theme, the resurrection of Jesus: "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed" (vs. 10, NIV).
So, on three separate occasions now, Peter has zeroed in like a laser beam upon the resurrection of Jesus as the source of his power for witnessing. In fact, the very preaching of Christ implied His resurrection (Acts 5:40-42).
"The conviction that Jesus continued to live transformed a dozen or so disconsolate followers of a slain and discredited leader into one of the most dynamic groups in human history. We read that tongues of fire descended upon them. People who were not speakers became eloquent. They exploded across the Greco-Roman world, preaching what has come to be called the Gospel but is literally the Good News. Starting in an upper room in Jerusalem, they spread their message with such fervor that in their own generation it took root in every major city of the region."—Huston Smith, The Illustrated World's Religions (New York: Harper Collins, 1986), p. 215.
Read 1 Corinthians 15, Paul's great treatise on the Resurrection. How central is this truth to the Christian faith? In other words, how much hangs on it? Do you have loved ones who have passed away? What particular sections of Paul's treatise bring you the greatest comfort?
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