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Resurrection: You're the Evidence
Acts 2:22, 32 ?[Peter said:] "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know... God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.' (NIV)
 In the earliest Christian art, some of the most common pictures of Jesus involved his miracles. Even Josephus, the first century Jewish historian and no friend of the Christian cause, recorded in his famous ?Antiquities' that Jesus was a ?wise man' who performed ?astonishing feats'. The Greek word he used there is ?paradoxon', which he also used in other places to denote miracles. Even those who were not friendly to Jesus' cause had to acknowledge his power to work miracles. But it was one special miracle that set the world alight through the witness of the apostles: the resurrection. When the apostles began to share their gospel with the world it wasn't to the cross alone that they pointed, or even to Jesus' many miracles of healing and deliverance. It was the resurrection that was central to their work. After the ascension, when a rejuvenated - no, revolutionized - Peter preached the first sermon of the Christian age, Jesus' miracles and resurrection where the central part of his message. As the early church grew, it quickly became clear to everyone that these previously ineffectual fishermen were now a major force. They weren't eloquent, but they worked amazing miracles, and they said it was the risen Jesus who gave them the power. What evidence is there today for Christ's resurrection? The greatest proof is the same today as it was in Peter's day: it is the power of our faith, a faith that produces the most amazing results. In short, when we believe for and see major breakthroughs in and through our lives, we demonstrate once again the reality of Jesus' resurrection.
Prayer: 'Jesus, I want to demonstrate the reality of your resurrection by the way I live. I want people to see astonishing things happening because of my faith in you.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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Mal, thankyou for provoking me to think more. Your ministry is giving people a real wake up call, provoking Christians to seriously think about how we ought to be responding to issues like celebrity.
Kendal , United Kingdom
Iron sharpens Iron. Even though your Daily Recharge sometimes wakes me up quicker than coffee, I love the "sharp" way you work for God.
Robert, Germany
Your book on The Pioneer Spirit contains great truth and inspiration. It gives great practical advice about how to use or develop a pioneer spirit and get the vision into a reality. I believe everything you’ve written is worth reading and passing on to others.
Stephan, Germany
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