“The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead!” ~Acts 5:30
When Peter and the apostles are questioned about their teachings, when they’re asked about their motivations, when they’re given an opportunity to share their beliefs, please notice where they start.
They start the Gospel story not with Jesus’ birth, not with his ministry, not with his teachings or healings, they don’t begin with his crucifixion. They start with his Resurrection. The God of our fathers, they say — our God, your God — raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior!
All of salvation history hangs on the Resurrection of Jesus; the fact that God brought him out of the tomb in a physical, bodily way; and the fact that God seated him in the position of honor and power and authority at his right hand.
This is where the Gospel gets its power. Jesus reigns! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is King! He is sovereign! He rules! He controls! He directs! All power and all authority and all dominion belong to the resurrected and exalted Christ who reigns at the right hand of God!
The whole world receives new life in the Resurrection of Jesus. And courage. And confidence. And power. And that’s a message worth telling. In fact, the angel of the Lord tells these apostles in Acts 5, don’t hold anything back. Tell the people the full message of this new life.
And they do.
“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ!” ~Acts 5:42
Peace,
Allan
Leave a Reply