Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1095763
Too often today, we think of our salvation gained through Christ's work on the cross on an individual level and fail to grasp that salvation also includes membership in God's family, as each believer becomes a member of Christ's body. Additionally, we tend to think of the Resurrection as a future event that does not impact our daily lives. But Paul stresses the importance of Christ's raised body in the here and now, for the Church is Christ's body. Dr. Lynn Cohick ENGAGE 3 PRESIDENT'S LETTER Mark Young, PhD PRESIDENT Do you ever wonder what it must have been like to be with Jesus after the Resurrection? In the Book of Acts, Luke describes those days with these words: "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). The word translated "convincing proofs" means "evidence that cannot be refuted." That's strong language. It wasn't as if the disciples were sitting around and someone cried out, "Oh! Oh! I think I see Jesus in that corner over there in the mold pattern on the wall." No, Luke makes it clear that Jesus was physically with them. He talked with them and ate with them (v. 4). In His famous encounter with Thomas, the risen Jesus allowed the skeptical disciple to touch the wounds He bore from His ordeal on the cross. I'd say that's pretty convincing proof! The Resurrection changed everything for the disciples. From the pits of despair to the heights of joy and back down to everyday life with One whom they loved, the disciples' final 43 days with Jesus were a roller coaster of emotions. They didn't know what the future held for them, but they knew it would be nothing like the past. The Resurrection confirmed everything Jesus had told them about Himself and about them. He was the Messiah. He had inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth. And even though their faith had proven to be more fragile than they thought it was, the promise of the future was now more certain than they had ever imagined it could be. They had a Savior. They had a King. They had a mission, one given to them by the One who had conquered death itself. So do we. Let's be about it.