Just a Minute Devotional #45
The power of His resurrection
The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. (Philippians 3:10, CEB)
The risen Savior was on this earth for 40 days and was seen by more than 500 people before He ascended into heaven. Many of these not only saw Him but heard Him speak.
Saul was a fanatical foe to anyone professing Jesus Christ as the risen Messiah. He tried to annihilate the Christian faith, but on the road to Damascus, He encountered Christ.
Christ came to Saul and changed him forever. He also changed his name to Paul.
His mission completely transformed from killing Christians to building the Christian church. Paul was not one of the original disciples who had the privilege of tutelage under Jesus, so there would be no reason for him to make up this story. He did not gain any money or prestige. In fact, he suffered greatly because of his testimony.
If by no one else but Paul’s story, we could believe the strong evidence of a resurrection. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians approximately 20 years after the resurrection. In chapter 15, verses 3–8, he tells us that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were in line with the scriptures. He also speaks of all those who saw Him after His resurrection, and with a hint of sadness, Paul tells us that His encounter with Jesus was as if he were born at the wrong time.
But God’s timing is always perfect.
It would be very difficult indeed to make up a story with over 500 witnesses. Even today, 500 witnesses would be hard to dispute in a court of law.
Over 2000 years have passed since Christ’s resurrection, and the story remains unchanged. The evidence is in changed hearts.
Believe in the resurrection today; Christ’s power will change you forever.
