Resurrected Faith

           "A dead Christ I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me."
                                             Andrew Murray, Jesus Himself




During this month in which we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, it is important that we find the connection between it and the circumstances in our lives. Just as Jesus' death was the ultimate expression of God's wrath for our sin, so His resurrection is the ultimate expression of God's love and acceptance for those of us who are in Christ. In fact, not only does God love and accept us as His own, but He has also given us His righteousness and declares to the world that He is well-pleased with His children!

The book of Romans explains it like this,"But the words 'it was counted to him' were not for his [Abraham's] sake alone, but for ours also. It [righteousness] will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 4:23-25; 5:1).

All we have to do is simply believe and learn how to connect the dots. In fact, visualize a giant-sized poster filled with thousands of dots. God has designed one for each one of us. And, when our lives on this earth are completed, we will look with amazement on the image it creates. In actuality, we will be beholden to the image because, if our lives are submitted to Him, it will actually be a breath-taking portrait of our Lord and Savior!

The challenge comes as we move from dot to dot. Sometimes it is very difficult to see the difference the Resurrection makes to the individual details of our lives. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the difficulties in our circumstances in light of the power and purpose that God displayed when He rose Jesus from the dead. Sometimes, the deadness seems to scream loudly instead of the Life that God has purposed in the midst of it. As confused as we can sometimes be, we can find solace in knowing that the first century church had many questions as well.

After Jesus died, people started seeing Him alive again. It wasn't that anyone disputed His death. No, there were far too many witnesses for that. The questions began to surface when a multitude of people began to testify that they had seen the Risen Christ.

The apostle, Paul, recorded that the Risen Christ appeared to Peter, then to the disciples, and then to more than five hundred other people (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)! Many of these witnesses had actually been hostile towards Christ prior to their encounter. Perhaps the most dramatic account, however, came to Paul, himself. This is how he described his encounter, "Then He [Jesus] appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of all the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect" (1 Corinthians 15:7-10).

Paul was completely transformed by believing Jesus and allowing Him to connect the dots of his life by His grace. This was not a superficial belief, either. It was a genuine faith that was forged by the Truth of God's Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only then could Paul begin to truly experience the mystery of Jesus' Resurrection and walk personally in the implications of it. He completed his journey by allowing God to paint an exquisite portrait of Christ through his life!

Part of Paul's success was found in the fact that he had insight. He described himself as "one who was abnormally born" and the "least of the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:7-8). These words were not of a man who was beating himself up. Rather, they ascribed the greatness of his life where it belonged- solely in the hands of Jesus!

True insight comes from Jesus and is Jesus, Himself. When we are intimately acquainted with Him, He reveals to us both wisdom and insight. In a letter that Paul wrote to the Colossians, he described Jesus in this way, "In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden" (Colossians 2:3).

Paul knew how to tap into the hidden mysteries of God, which are all found in the person of Christ. He learned how to see himself in humility and to also understand that he was passionately loved by God. This balance enabled him to be one of the most effective ministers of the Gospel that has ever lived.

Another part of Paul's success was that he truly understood God's grace and he knew how to apply it personally to his own life. Despite the familiarity of the uncomfortable process of stretching that God uses to bring about transformation, Paul did not resist it. Rather, he cooperated with the Holy Spirit so that God could complete the work in him.

Paul understood that he had inherited the most valuable treasure in the world- that is, the grace of God. The apostle, John, had described it as the abundant goodness and blessings of God bestowed as "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). In other words, God pours out blessing after blessing upon His children.

Paul was filled with the knowledge of God's will and given "all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9). His life was pleasing to God in "all respects" and he was able to bear fruit "in every good work" (Colossians 1:10).  He was strengthened with "all power" and able to practice "all steadfastness and patience and joy" (Colossians 1:11). He had learned how to continually receive from God's unending fountain of grace.

Finally, Paul learned how to connect the dots in his own life. He said, "By the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect" (1 Corinthians 15:10). His focus was solely on God and giving Him the glory. He had truly mastered a God-centered life.

Within the context of a God-centered life, Paul saw himself in truth and clarity. This means he saw his strengths and his weaknesses and learned how to apply the Resurrection of Christ to each. He saw the dots that made up his life's journey and applied the Resurrection to each of those, as well. Paul saw the power and purpose in Jesus' Resurrection and learned to view each aspect of his life through that prism only.

After he learned how to live in light of Jesus' Resurrection, he saw that his life had value and purpose in the lives of others. He understood the power of a Christ-centered life and the effect on those it touches. Paul first received everything from Christ and then shared it with those around Him. In this, he had a resurrected faith that really mattered!


                                          "I Am the Resurrection and the Life."
                                                            John 11:25