God Raised Him

Today’s reading: Acts 13:16-41

"But God raised him from the dead!" - Acts 13:30

One of the reasons this recorded message of Paul is so phenomenal is how he masterfully glides through an assortment of Old Testament prophecies, stringing them all together. From Deuteronomy 1:31 to Psalm 2:7 to Isaiah 55:3 to Psalm 16:10 and then finally to Habakkuk 1:5 -- we are shown how the early disciples made a case for the integrity of their (our) faith from the Hebrew Scriptures.

If Paul can convince this Jewish and Proselyte (Jewish converts) audience of the truth that Jesus had been raised from the dead, he knew it could change everything -- the door to their hearts would be kicked in and they would be readied for Jesus to begin his reign and rule in them.

It's almost as though he's saying, "Let me remove any intellectual issues you have with Jesus." -- "Come, meet the eye witnesses." (13:31)

From beginning to end, the faith of Christ rests on the solid ground of established facts; it does not depend on dreams and visions, nor on logical deductions or intuitions of the human reason; it is built on well-attested facts; - Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 1, p. 414)

Yet a satisfied intellect isn't enough. Surrender has to move from our heads to our hearts.