Our reading this week is in Acts 1 through 4. I pray you will read along with me as we begin thesecond part of Luke's account of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
After reading these chapters, my mind kept going back to something that Peter said in Acts 1. He is talking about filling the "office" of Judas Iscariot who "turned aside" from the way of truth. What interested me most about Peter's speech is his qualifications for the position and his understanding of the responsibilities of the position.
As to the qualifications, the person must have been a follower of Jesus from the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (the baptism by John). As to the responsibilities, the person "must become a witness with us of His resurrection." (1:22)
I think what amazed me most about this verse is what is not included in the responsibilities. Peter does not understand apostleship to be an organizer of any institution, a ministry of service or helps or healing, the leader of a worship service, the composer of songs, or the solver of the world's problems. His focus is clearly upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This person must be a witness of the resurrection!
The resurrection changes everything!
It is the key to everything!
The Apostle Paul will say in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, we are enemies of God, and we are of all men most be to be pitied. But Christ has been raised, and that changes everything!
Twice in last week I have had conversations with people about how to share their faith with friends who prefer to be "spiritual but not religious." These friends admire the morality of Jesus, but they have no interest in giving him their allegiance. "How do I help my friends?" I answered, focus on the resurrection. That's the key. We can get bogged down in moral dilemmas. We can get lost in comparative religious studies. But the resurrection is a very clear historical event. If it did not happen, then the Christian faith is worthless. The Bible says so! But if it did happen, then it doesn't matter what you or I think about Jesus' morality. This is no longer a matter of personal preference or opinion. If the resurrection has happened, then Jesus has a historical claim that no one else can make. If Christ has been raised, then "he has been declared the Son of God with power." (Romans 1:4) And if he has been declared the Son of God, then he demands our allegiance, our loyalty, and our obedience.
As we draw closer to Resurrection Sunday, keep your eyes on he resurrected Jesus!
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