Luke : Day 40

Read Luke 24

Luke has made some big claims. But this is the biggest of all – that on the third day after His death, Jesus Christ left His tomb, fully alive, just as He said He would!

Let’s be clear – if this is an actual historical event, then it is the biggest, most important, most central event in human history. But if it is just a story, or a hoax, then Christianity falls flat on its face, and is a complete waste of time. After all, how could Jesus be God, or be able to forgive our sins, if He died 200 years ago, and stayed dead?

Can we be confident that the resurrection actually happened? Yes, we can. The apostles were certain of it, thousands of people were convinced in the following weeks, and the Christian message grew and spread rapidly, despite the persecution of the Jewish leaders, and later, the Roman emperors. For 2000 years, people have been so sure that Jesus is alive today, that they have committed their lives to follow Him, sometimes at great personal cost.*

Since Jesus Christ is alive, there are some things to think about:

1. His claim to be the Son of God, sent by the Father, needs to be seriously considered as true.

2. His message of repentance, and forgiveness through faith in Him, should be seen as the only way God has given us to get right with Him and be sure of future life and joy.

3. His claim that He will return as judge of the world also needs to be considered as true.

4. Each of us need to make a decision: “What will I do with Jesus?” We either accept his claims and commit our lives to Him, or we reject Him as the religious leaders did.

If you want to find out what happened next, read The Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s sequel. It describes the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus, and how they began to tell everyone what Jesus had told them to (verses 46-49). As you can imagine, it wasn’t plain sailing!

The apostles’ mission continues to this day. All around the world, people are coming to faith in Christ. Even in this country, as people grow more dissatisfied with modern life and morals, they are revisiting the Christian message. Now it’s your turn. Take your time to think it all through, and ask God to speak into your heart.

“Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations”

Luke 24:47