And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NKJV
Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Christians universally accept the historicity of His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. This is the foundation of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity as we know it. I would be willing to say that without the supernatural, we are still in our sins. It’s supernatural when the Spirit of God opens a person’s heart to hear the gospel. It’s supernatural when the human heart is transformed, born of the Spirit. It’s supernatural when the Spirit of God comes upon a believer to empower him or her for ministry. It’s supernatural every time you speak in tongues.
We are supposed to be a supernatural people, not a self-help group or a book club. I love the third verse of Acts: “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 NKJV).
After His resurrection, Jesus spent time with His disciples. Yes, He taught them things. Praise God! It says that He also demonstrated that He was truly, physically alive from the dead. He gave them proofs that were beyond question. In a world steeped in skepticism, I believe we need infallible proofs more than ever. As Paul said, I want your faith to be in the power of God, not in the scholastic accomplishments of a man. Jesus is alive!
My prayer for you and your church on this Easter Sunday morning is that Jesus would visit you like he did them on that first resurrection day, walking through the wall, speaking out loud, and offering physical evidence that He is alive.
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 20:19-20 NKJV
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