He Arose
The first day of the week, or Sunday, is an important day to the Christian. The
church had its beginning on the day of Pentecost, which always fell upon a
Sunday (Acts 2:1-47). The congregations continued to meet together and worship
on the first day of the week in accordance with the instructions given to them
from God through the apostles (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1,2). It is upon this day
that early disciples remembered the Lord’s sacrifice for their sins by partaking
of the Lord’s supper together. It is also true that the Lord arose from the
grave early on Sunday morning.
The fact that we serve a risen Lord is what makes our faith valid. It is rather
easy for skeptics today to deny the resurrection of Jesus - all it takes is
words. But the eyewitnesses who lived then all affirm the fact and were willing
to die teaching others about the One who lives again. Not just one or two - but
many eyewitnesses. They saw, they told others, and many died refusing to recant
what they had seen with their eyes and heard with their ears. One of them wrote
and put it this way: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we
have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the
word of life.” (1 John 1:1).
The significance of all this is that one day by the same power that Jesus was
raised from the dead, we shall also be called to rise and enter into eternity.
The empty tomb of Jesus assures us there will be such a day!
By Jon W. Quinn
Final Page
From Expository Files 12.9; September 2005
