By Matty Russell, NOW Church
WELL, Easter has passed, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday have come and gone, and yet the resounding shout of joy continues…
“He is risen!”
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 28 and verses 5 – 7 the Bible gives the following account:
But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
Perhaps the biggest distinguishing factor that separates Jesus from every other spiritual leader in history is His resurrection from the dead.
This truly is a radical claim and one that His immediate followers were willing to suffer persecution and sword for.
Think about the gravity of that situation for a moment. To be willing to die at the hands of their persecutors for testifying of Christ’s resurrection from the dead meant either being fully persuaded, or totally delusional.
And yet this claim is widely believed by those who are fully persuaded all over the world today.
Christianity has become the largest religion in the world with over 2.7 billion followers. And all of them still echo the resounding shout of joy…
He is risen!
