After I rise from the dead, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.
~ Matthew 26:32
Remember Christ's followers' fear at the crucifixion? They ran. Scared as cats in a dog pound.
But fast-forward forty days. Bankrupt traitors have become a force of life-changing fury. Peter is preaching in the very precinct where Christ was arrested. Followers of Christ defy the enemies of Christ. Whip them and they'll worship. Lock them up and they'll launch a jailhouse ministry. As bold after the Resurrection as they were cowardly before it.
Explanation:
Greed? They had no money.
Power? They gave all the credit to Christ
Popularity? Most were killed for their beliefs.
Only one explanation remains --- a resurrected Christ and his Holy Spirit. The courage of these men and women was forged in the fire of the empty tomb.
~Max Lucado, Next Door Savior
I have given you power...that is greater than the enemy has. ~Luke 10:19
Satan falls in the presence of Christ, is silent at the proclamation of Christ, and is powerless at the protection of Christ.
Because of the empty tomb...
Sin has no power
Shame has no power
Death has no power.
Maybe now more than ever....as we begin this week, following our very different Easter celebrations this year, let's move into our world with the courage "that was forged in the fire of the empty tomb."
Growing in Courage Together...