Good Morning Friends,
Christian faith is not built on wishes, feelings, or private spirituality. It stands on history—real people, real events, real encounters with the risen Jesus. And someday you may need to bear witness to it in your life and how you arrived at your belief. But don’t be fearful, you have 2000 years of history beyond just the Bible to back you up. And when you look closely, you discover something remarkable: the story of Jesus is not fragile. It is stubborn. It refuses to go away. It keeps converting people who never planned to believe. The hounds of Heaven will chase you down. Still you may wonder, Why Is It That Jesus Cannot Be Explained Away?
Primary Texts
- 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (early creed + eyewitnesses + James + Paul)
- Acts 9:1–19 (Paul’s conversion)
- John 20:11–18 (Mary Magdalene)
- Luke 24:36–43 (disciples’ encounter)
- Galatians 1:11–24 (Paul receiving the gospel)
Supporting Texts
- John 7:5 → James’ unbelief
- 1 Corinthians 15:7 → James’ encounter
- Acts 2:1–21 → Holy Spirit’s power
- Titus 3:4–7 → Spirit’s transforming work
Message: Christian faith does not rest on feelings or philosophy. It rests on history—on a real Jesus who lived, died, and rose again. Even the most skeptical historians agree on certain bedrock facts:
- Jesus lived in first‑century Judea.
- He was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
- His followers claimed He rose from the dead.
- Those followers were transformed from fearful to fearless.
And the earliest Christians staked everything on the truth that Jesus rose from the dead. But the question is not whether Jesus existed. The question is why His impact exploded in a way no ordinary teacher or martyr ever has After the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene was the first to meet the risen Jesus. The disciples, who had been hiding in fear, suddenly became bold witnesses. And James, the brother of Jesus, who once dismissed Him, became the leader of the Jerusalem church after the risen Christ appeared to him. The Gospels do not read like legends. They read like testimony. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that this message—Christ died, was buried, was raised, and appeared—was not his invention. It was an early creed handed to him by the apostles themselves, a confession formed within months of the resurrection. It includes the appearance to James, to the disciples, to more than five hundred witnesses, and finally to Paul, the church’s former enemy. Paul’s own story in Acts 9 shows the pattern: the risen Jesus meets people who are not looking for Him, not believing in Him, not even wanting Him—and He changes them. And He has been doing that ever since. The same Holy Spirit who opened Mary’s eyes, who turned James from skeptic to shepherd, who transformed Paul from persecutor to preacher—that Spirit has been converting hearts for two thousand years. Across cultures, centuries, and continents, the risen Christ keeps calling people to Himself.
And So, if Jesus is alive, then hope is alive. If He rose from the dead, then nothing in your life is beyond His reach. And the same Spirit who changed them can change us today. Something happened to the first eye witness of the resurrection—something they insisted was not a vision, not a metaphor, but a physical resurrection they saw first hand. And the amazing thing is that because Christ lives each of us can experience it too.
Pray the Holy Spirit, open our eyes as You opened the eyes of Mary. Pray the Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire as You did for the disciples. Pray the Holy Spirit turns our doubts into devotion as You did for James. Pray the Holy Spirit transforms our lives as You transformed Paul. Pray the Holy Spirit makes us living witnesses to the risen Christ. Amen.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 