Jesus is alive! He has been raised from the dead, never to die again. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Early that resurrection morning He was raised from the dead in the power of the Holy Spirit, as some of His closest followers were soon to discover. People are still coming to know Him today. 1Pet. 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” This verse connects our born again experience to Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and in it we are assured of inside out transformation that is good now, and lasts for eternity to come.
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything for people like us! His religion had betrayed Him. One of His disciples sold Him out. The rest of them abandoned Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter denied Him in front of witnesses. Many of the people He ministered to had sold Him out. On that day He revealed Himself first to Mary Magdalene, a one time demonized woman, that had become a devout follower (Jn 20:16). He would later that day reveal Himself to Peter (1Cor 15:5), regardless of his passionate denial of Jesus a few days earlier. Before evening that day Jesus would appear to His disciples in a closed room (Jn 20:19-20). Soon they and others would be filled with the Holy Spirit and give testimony to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:33).
In reading through the Acts of the Apostles the lasting transformation of Christ’s disciples is confirmed (Acts 4:13). They had gone from fearful to fearless, and would no longer be intimidated, not even by radical persecution. The good news of Jesus began to spread everywhere because the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, continued to bear witness through succeeding generations of Christians (Acts 26). Encounters with Jesus Christ today still yield life transforming fruit, as Christians come to know Him and choose to serve Him from the depths of their hearts.
Did Jesus come into your life with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit? If your answer is “yes”, then you aren’t looking for more proof. Books like Lee Strobel’s Case for Christ will further bear witness by providing some great thoughts the resurrection Scriptures. If your answer is “no”, many just like me are encouraging you to seek Jesus until you know Him. Rom. 13:11 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Jesus death, burial, and resurrection provided transformational perspective for Jesus disciples back then, and still does today. Do we need to better connect with His resurrection power? Of course! Could we more effectively share the life of Jesus with Christians! Also, yes! Can we all then take some steps to make Jesus, and what He accomplished the centerpiece of our lives? I hope we will!