The Resurrection of Jesus is the only way we ultimately make sense of the suffering in our lives. In this Holy Week, I want you to be reminded that the resurrection of Jesus is what energizes our faith and service for our Lord. The resurrection, as you will see in the clip and interview below, is the eternal life support we have available when faced with grief, suffering and pain.

I enjoyed visting “Wednesdays in the Word,” with my dear friend Sheila Walsh (a gifted Bible teacher, author and amazing woman of God) of Life Today with James and Betty Robison.

Here’s a clip of Why The Resurrection of Jesus Matters Today as much as it did 2,000 years ago … I also encourage you to watch the entire interview. You may be surprised to learn life expectancy in the time of Jesus and the early church averaged twenty years of age. Skeletal remains suggest that as many as one quarter (25 percent) of the Roman Empire, on any given day, was sick, dying, or in need of immediate medical attention. Suffering was everywhere. Then came the man from Galilee who said, “The dead are raised up!” (Luke 7:22). Please watch and share these encoring evidences for our faith linked in this email.

He is Risen Indeed!

– Jeremiah J. Johnston, Ph.D.

Wednesdays in the Word with Sheila Walsh – Watch Full Interview

LINKS: An mp3 of the interview can be downloaded here and the transcript of the interview is available here. Please feel free to share and encourage others this Holy Week!

Key Point: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the seminal issue for the church today, as it was that first Easter morning in Jerusalem. If the resurrection did not happen, Christianity is a waste of time. If I were a critic of Christianity, perhaps the most difficult problem would be coming up with a reason for why there are any Christians (Christianoi) in the first place. Their founder was a crucified criminal. Crucifixion was considered to be the most heinous and shameful way to die. In the gospel of Luke, His disciples are said to have lost all hope following the crucifixion. They gave up, and why would they not? In that gripping scene in Luke 24:13–35, two disciples on the Emmaus road encounter an interesting stranger. Not realizing they are walking and conversing with the resurrected Messiah, they admitted, “we had hoped that he was the one” (Luke 24:21), with a particular note of defeat. The early Christian movement should have died out, but instead it thrived. Why? The resurrection of Jesus.

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