1 Corinthians 15:1–11

Be Still: Lord, thank you for the joy of Easter and your presence with us now. Thank you for your risen life and the Word that speaks truth and life. Draw us closer to your heart. Amen. 

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1–11

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. (v6)

Encounter: This week, following Easter Day, we will be rooted in 1 Corinthians 15, which is all about the Resurrection. Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth, where doubts had begun to creep in, false teaching was emerging, and Paul needed to act.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone who had said 'yes' to following Jesus. They described themselves as a logical person, who had never ruled out Jesus but also had never enquired about him. As they looked at the evidence, and collected the pieces of the puzzle, they came to this conclusion: there was and is evidence that Jesus really existed. They came to Church, experienced the presence of God, and put up their hand to say 'yes' to the preacher's invitation to receive Jesus. This person still had questions, but had found enough answers to have faith in Jesus.

I love the authentic nature of scripture. There are more manuscripts dating back to the New Testament than any other ancient texts. There is archaeological evidence, historical evidence, consistencies of people’s accounts, and when studied and interrogated, the evidence is compelling - the Bible is a trusted source. 

There is a fact stated within this passage that over five hundred people saw Jesus after his resurrection. In a court of law, one witness statement can change the direction of a trial. But five hundred witnesses! This couldn’t be a spoof, a fictitious story, or a did-I-just-see-that-moment – but the truth. Therefore, everything that Jesus said about himself, everything that people witnessed, must also be true.

Apply: Let your confidence in who Jesus is increase. Let the truth of God’s promises be reinforced. Our God lived, died and rose again to set us free. What does that do for your faith today?

Devote: Jesus, we love you. Today we thank you for the confidence we can have in you. Thank you that you are the way, the truth and the life. Strengthen us we pray, increase our resolve, and help us fall in love with you more.