Sunday, April 7, 2013

Pondering the Resurrection: Evidence and Response

Easter Sunday is one day, but the resurrection is significant enough to ponder and celebrate far more than just one day, and I'll be focusing on it in these prayer guides for at least a couple of weeks. 

Jesus' death and his resurrection are strongly attested historically. For those who, like me, prefer to examine the evidence, there are many books that present the evidence for the resurrection from various angles. One that I'm reading right now is The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel. I am also reading the transcript of a debate between William Lane Craig (Christian apologist and theologian) and Bart D. Ehrman (agnostic New Testament scholar).

The love that led Christ to die for us and the power of his resurrection are events so unique that they require a response. This week let's think about these events and how we respond to them.


What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Corinthians 15:3-6


Monday: If you look at how you spend you time and money, what has top priority in your life? Think about the relative merit of whatever you actually value most, compared to the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. Ask God to help you set your priorities in a way that reflects truth and strengthens your relationship with him..


Tuesday: Christ’s death and resurrection was not a surprise; it was prophesied long beforehand. Ponder the fact that God knows everything, good and bad; past, present, and future.


Wednesday: Keeping in mind that God knows everything, meditate with gratitude on the wonder of Jesus dying for your sins.


Thursday: Death was not the end for Jesus. He was raised to life and is alive now. Do you believe this? If so, how does it affect your daily life?


Friday: Jesus appeared to many people who could and did give eyewitness testimony, making his resurrection well-attested historically. How do you give witness to his presence in your life?


Saturday: Let your mind dwell on the wonder of Jesus dying and then being raised to life again. Praise him!

4 comments:

Terri said...

Another book, while older, is also good. Ron Hutchcraft's "More Evidence That Demands a Verdict." Love the daily questions and meditations, Melissa.

Thank you also for the review on Amazon. It was wonderful!

Melissa Fischer said...

Terri, I thought that was by Josh McDowell... Is there also one by that title by Ron Hutchcraft? Doing a quick search just now, I couldn't find that title by Hutchcraft. And you're welcome! Looking forward to posting about your book on Tuesday. :)

Melissa Fischer said...

But yes, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" and "More Evidence that Demands a Verdict" are both good books. I studied them quite a bit years ago when I was searching to know the truth about who Jesus is.

Terri said...

Oops! You are right.

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