TESTIFY TO THE LORD'S RESURRECTION

MONDAY 18 APRIL 2022

On the third day after His crucifixion and death, Christ Jesus was raised by the power of God. Christ is risen and He is alive forevermore. It is finished and the Gospel is complete. Hallelujah!

Reference: Acts 4:32-33 New International Version (NIV) "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all."

Indeed, we are called to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Firstly, Jesus appeared to His disciples before His ascension to asseverate His resurrection. On one occasion, the Bible says, 'Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high"' (Luke 24:45-49 NIV).

In Pisidian Antioch, as Paul entered the synagogue on a Sabbath day and sat down, after the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue asked him to address the people with his words of exhortation, and one of the main points he made was this, 'We tell you the good news: "What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus"' (Acts 13:32-33 NIV).

Beloved, we have been called to testify to the Lord's resurrection by sharing the glorious gospel of grace and spreading the knowledge of the Son of God so that men might attain to an undeniable practical acquaintance with the Son of God. A sinner cannot quicken his own soul, but by the means of grace ministered to them through the Good News, they can come to the knowledge of Christ and lay aside every weight of sin and hinderance. Of course, we cannot convert our unbelieving relatives and friends by mere words and association, but when we share, instruct and invite them to know Christ, the Holy Spirit can convict them of their sinful state in order to open their hearts to the gospel and put their trust in the Lord.

For instance, in the church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers that gathered to pray and the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Then the two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues" (Acts 13:3-5 NIV). What is the point here? The Holy Spirit must be acknowledged in all our responsibility to share the Word and turn people's hearts to God, which is the very essence of evangelism.

We share and preach the gospel by the enabling influence of Holy Spirit. Without Him, we cannot function as successful witnesses to Christ's resurrection because He is the architect of our boldness in proclaiming the gospel. In another way, He is responsible for furnishing us with wisdom for any given situation and guiding us on how to approach every lost soul with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Act 4:31, the Bible says, "After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness" (NLT). This is one of the Christian's gatherings where they prayed to engage in a "collective evangelism." Clearly, you can connect to the truth that they couldn't engage in such without being filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is the same with our individual flow in sharing the Good news which involves the testimony of the Lord's resurrection and victory over the power of sin and death, just as recorded in Acts chapter 4:8-12: 'Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." Jesus is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone." Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name.'

Did you get it? Glory! As one man, Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke to the leaders with wisdom and boldness. Beloved, as you testify to the Lord's resurrection and its efficacious power, God's grace increases mightily in you to accomplish more exploit for the Kingdom of light. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Matthew 28:5-6; Mark 16:1-4; John 3:16; Revelation 1:17-18.

Exuberant Declaration: Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. Therefore I testify that Jesus is Lord and I firmly believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. He lives forevermore and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Hallelujah!