One encounter with with the resurrected Christ is enough to change you, instantly, forever. Adapted, Luis Palau

Remember the Disciple’s fear at the crucifixion? They ran. Scared as cats in a dog pound. Peter cursed Christ at the fire. Emmaus-bound Disciples bemoaned the death of Christ. After the crucifixion, “the Disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19 NLT).

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.

The explanation? It could not have been greed. They made no money. It could not have been power. They gave all the credit to Christ. It could not have been 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. The Disciples did not dream up a resurrection. The Resurrection fired up the Disciples.

Have doubts about the empty tomb? Come and see the Disciples.

Adapted, Next Door Savior, Max Lucado