The Problem of the Resurrection….
“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to, so Paul and Silas set out to work for Jesus..” Act 16:6-7, NIV
They were stopped by the Holy Spirit from doing a good thing—-because God had even better things prepared. Sometimes that happens in life. Our very, very good efforts are interrupted, we get disappointed, and then discover, if we don't give up, that He had a much better plan in mind. He very often shuts the door… or blocks our paths for a superior purpose! Paul did not whine or give up, he listened to the Spirit and obeyed. I am learning more and more of the blessing and peace that comes not from succeeding, but in being obedient to Him.
At the same time, note, they did sit and wait—neither should we. They went another way. In the great commission, Jesus told the disciples to “go” and preach. But a better rendering of the verb “go”, might be, “as you are going…”. And unless God intervened and told them to wait or go another way, the disciples went everywhere they could to share the good news. That is our call as Christians. Not to merely set aside one day a week to visit the lost, or to plan extensive trips overseas to evangelize, but as we go out to the market, the post office, to watch a football game—-be prepared to share the good news as He orchestrates the opportunity.
Do people want to hear about Jesus and God’s love? Absolutely—-but sometimes they don’t like the details. Behind fačades of confidence and happiness, a lot of people are sad, lonely, angry, confused. Every soul on this planet needs Jesus Christ in their hearts—and yet, just like a drug addict cannot give up his heroine, many people cannot give up their notion of being self sufficient. To become a disciple of Christ is to surrender to God, admit you’re not the person you should be, that you’re a sinner, and then humbly choose to place your trust in Jesus Christ.
And yet, as we share the good news, we can certain that some—-perhaps many—will ignore what we say about Jesus, particularly when it comes to one thing: The resurrection of Jesus. That’s the rub—the biggest point of contention with non-believers.
But here’s Paul’s response: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” (Acts 17:30-32, NIV).
The point here is that some will sneer at us, while others will believe! And that is our hope! That as many as are willing will repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ!
Believing in Jesus means that we believe that God raised Him from the dead. The resurrection. That’s the place where people stop listening to us. Why? Because to admit the resurrection not only requires faith—-i.e. believing something that you cannot prove to be true—but also to admit that is associated with the resurrection, ie. thatJesus Christ is the Son of God, all that He said is true, all the prophecies in the Bible that spoke of His coming are accurate, etc. It means a new way not only of thinking, but a totally new way to living. A lot of folks don’t want to admit their faults and live a new life—they’re quite happy as they are. Some of the Pharisees and priests knew that Jesus He was all He said, and watched the miracles, and were even convinced of His resurrection and yet still refused to repent of their sins and make Him Lord of their lives!
So here’s our dilemma as Christians: We’re supposed to share the good news about Jesus Christ and encourage men to repent from their sins and turn to God and place their faith in His Son Jesus, but most of the folks we share with, will not accept Him. We’re set up for failure!
If you read the book of Acts you will see that Peter, John, Barnabas and Paul pleaded with people to open their hearts to God. They spent days and even weeks arguing and debating and explaining the Old Testament and the life, teachings and Lordship of Jesus. But some will never make that decision. It’s a sad fact of life. Most of the folks the disciples preached to did not get saved!
And yet, as disciples of Christ, were are obligated to share the good news. Paul did not care what happened to himself, he just wanted to do all he could to spread the gospel to those that would be converted. That’s the same call for all of us. Share the good news—but leave the results to the Holy Spirit and don’t get caught up in numbers! Sometimes, the best way to share Jesus (and the most effective way to cause someone to NOT follow Jesus) is not what we say, but how we live our lives. What we do speaks much louder than what we preach….
We’re supposed to share the good news of Jesus Christ, along with defending the faith and praying for those that oppose us. In Matthew's gospel, these are His parting words to His eleven disciples: Make more disciples. A disciple is someone who becomes like his or her master by living in a servant relationship to him. They learn from and submit to that person's example. We’re not supposed to make converts—but disciples. The early church members were identified as “disciples of Jesus”—-the word Christian was used by the Romans as an insult!
“Discipleship” involves at least the two things Jesus mentioned in this command: baptism and obedience. The disciples are commanded to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The choice to be publicly baptized is evidence that someone has believed in Jesus and made the commitment to follow Him. The disciples were given the authority to baptize that person in the name of God, declaring that person was now a member of the family of God!
But do we talk about obedience when we share our faith? God does not save us to continue to live as we were, but to repent and live a new way. As humble, obedient, and faithful as Moses was, at the end of his life he was not allowed to enter into the promised land of Canaan. He begged, and God said, “no more of this!” Moses disobeyed God, on one occasion, and was punished for it later. That’s what sin does! It messes up the potential blessings that God has in store for us! Yes, Moses is in heaven now, but he lost the chance for being able to cross over into that incredible inheritance because he disobeyed.
Once you’ve been accepted by God, by repenting of your sins, declaring that you want to be obedient, turning to Jesus Christ and being baptized, you’re going to heaven! But choosing disobedience means you’re going to miss out on some the the blessings He prepared for you on this earth. He requires obedience—not our excuses or complaining.
So be prepared: If you obediently, humbly and faithfully share the faith, some folks will reject the whole concept of turning from sin and trusting in Jesus. Most everyone on the planet agrees that Jesus was a good man—perhaps even a great prophet—-and maybe the best man to ever live. The problem comes when we speak the central point of the matter: He was the Son of God, whom God rose from the dead.
Of all the teachings of Christianity, no doctrine is more central than the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The truth of the resurrection has been attacked from every angle. New books and television media regularly appear questioning the resurrection, re-hashing old theories about what happened to Jesus’ body. Since the resurrection is crucial to Christianity, Christians ought to be able to give answers to these inevitable questions with proof and evidence.
But ask yourself the question, do you believe in the resurrection? Is the gospel story historically credible or is it just a romantic legend?
Peter put it this way: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3, NIV) The resurrection of Jesus is everything in understanding the good news and essential for preaching the gospel! Paul said, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thessalonians 4:14, NIV
Once you and I decide to turn to belief, and away from doubt, the Spirit intervenes on your behalf! “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11, NIV
Jesus Himself said this: “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26, NIV
When you finally believe in His resurrection, and are sure of your salvation, you’re liberated from the fear of death and you’re able to serve a God who raises the dead. Jesus has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” (CS Lewis)
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