Jesus Is Alive

"but say 'Jesus is alive.'"

THE CHURCH in Acts 2, filled with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, preached the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus was their Messiah and had risen from the dead. Peter quoted the prophet Joel, regarding what happened that day before them, then said, “Jesus, who you have taken and crucified and slain, God hath raised up (Acts 2:22-24).” That was the message of the church. 120 Jews in a room in Jerusalem, the Jewish capital city for many generations, celebrating a Jewish holiday, saw tongues of fire, and then could do nothing but say, “Jesus is alive.”

3,000 Jews were saved.

In chapter 3, Peter and John caused a scene when they spoke of Jesus to the lame man at the gate of the temple. He sat there every day, begging alms, and was known by all. They did what Jesus did and raised him up. Walking and leaping and praising God, he entered the temple, and everyone noticed, including the Pharisees, who took offense. The church of Acts met to pray, we read in Chapter 4, because Peter and John had point-blank refused to shut up about Jesus. I find it interesting that the Pharisees couldn’t deny the lame man’s healing and so were forced to settle for a threat. But what I want you to see is what the church did.

“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)

The church preached Jesus. The church healed like Jesus. Jews, who were the church, spoke the Word that He was alive and still healing people.

Now, let’s enter into the scene, the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul preached the Gospel he heard directly from Jesus (Galatians 1:12). Not words he’d heard from any man, but the same Gospel he’d once destroyed (Galatians 1:23). Called to preach to the Gentiles, he went throughout the countries, outside of Israel, telling them Jesus is Savior, Jesus is Healer. Jesus is God. Jesus was his message.

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” (Acts 17:29)

“Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

The CHURCH was formed by Jesus to tell people what He had done. They came together to pray, to be united in the face of what was crazy talk to most people. They met to show love to each other and especially to the lost, who had no idea who one man, who’d died on a cross as a criminal, even was. Where we have the printed Word, they had the spoken Word, and thousands of years of Torah. But one message – Jesus is alive. Jesus heals.

God’s heart for the CHURCH has not changed. His instructions to us are not different. We are not now allowed to choose our purpose. We are not supposed to make our own decisions based on our political environment, our doctrinal education, or our ego. Jesus made it clear that the more mature you may be, the more called into a ministry office you may find yourself, then the more of a servant you become. He washed His disciples’ feet to set our example (John 13:14). If He was meek and lowly, how much more should we be meek and lowly (Matthew 11:29)? The CHURCH is not about attitude, except in being the love of God to all men.

Strangely, I finally saw this listening to the Jews. Again and again, they have said, “G_d is love.” After being so persecuted by Gentiles. Why, I asked, would you still believe in Hashem when 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust? Love is the reason. I watched a Korean young man convert to Judaism and deliberately not Christianity. And it was difficult, he said. He was given so many rules to follow in order to become fully Jewish. But he had found the love of God in them.

He didn’t see it in us?

The Jews teach God heals the sick with great miracles. He does so because He is God and He is love. Our faith in God should be that simple. Faith isn’t pass or fail, as we’ve taught it. “You either believe right or you won’t get healed.” We need to see that thought pattern as not from God. Because no one who calls to Him for salvation is ignored. So no one who asks for healing is ignored either. God meets each of us right where we are in knowledge and revelation of Him and turns us gently toward the Truth. Time isn’t the issue, except in our giving up. And the Gospel we’re called to preach, of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, when spoken from God’s heart, gives people hope.

Why did the CHURCH grow by 3,000 on Day 1? Why did the lame man stand up and dance? Why did Paul turn from hatred into love? They heard about Jesus.


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com