He is Risen!

Feb. 17, 2020 Monday Message:

“In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” 1 Cor. 15:20

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ – him rising from the dead – is the greatest feat in human history. Our entire religion hangs on this fact. Jesus showing us life-after-this-life gives us hope that we too can experience a life-after-this-life.

Jesus’ crucifixion is well documented in secular history, and the Roman Centurions were good at their jobs, a ruthless lot. And there is no historical disagreement that Jesus was placed in the tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea.

That women discovered the empty tomb actually lends credibility to the story. If this account were fictitious, the discovery would likely be credited to important men, not a group of women.

The risen Jesus appeared to many people, the first being Mary Magdalene, and later the apostles, followed by the “Doubting Thomas” incident. And Paul writes, “He was seen by more than 500 followers at one time.” At the time, most of the 500 were still alive and could have challenged Paul’s writing if it were not accurate. 1 Cor. 15:6

Early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, which turned the Roman empire upside down. They faced torture and even cruel death for their beliefs, and it’s inconceivable that people would die for a cause unless they actually knew it to be the truth.

Since those eyewitnesses were devout believers, so too can we be assured that Jesus is OUR Redeemer. He went ahead to prepare a place for us in his Father’s Kingdom. See you there!

Blessings,

Pastor Norton

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. We’ll look at Jesus gathering his first ministry team, Luke 5:1-11. See you at church!