E XPERIENCING THE R ESURRECTION
P UBLISHED BY M ULTNOMAH B OOKS
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Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Italics in Scripture quotations indicate the authors added emphasis.
eISBN: 978-0-307-56154-1
Copyright 2008 by Henry T. Blackaby and Melvin D. Blackaby
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blackaby, Henry T., 1935
Experiencing the Resurrection : the everyday encounter that changes your life / Henry Blackaby, Melvin Blackaby. 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Jesus ChristResurrection. 2. Christian life. I. Blackaby, Melvin D. II. Title.
BT482.B43 2008
232.5dc22
2007033766
v3.1
Contents
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I NTRODUCTION
THE VALIDATION
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection
P HILIPPIANS 3:10
T here is power in the gospel to set people completely free from the destructive power of sin and to fill their lives with all the fullness of God. That gospel includes the cross, the resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. All three are equally important for the believer to understand and experience.
This book will focus on the power of the resurrection as the necessary completion of the work accomplished on the cross. As much as the cross has been a central theme for believers throughout the ages, without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.
If there were only the cross, sin would winas the apostle Paul made clear:
If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:1719)
The resurrection is proof of Christs victory over sin and our hope of salvation.
The resurrection, however, is not a doctrine to be pondered but an invitation to experience the living Christ in your life. And thats the reason for this book. If you dont appropriate all that God has provided through the resurrection, its of no value to your life. We want you to do more than gain knowledge of the resurrection; we want you to experience the resurrection in your daily walk with the risen Christ. For the resurrection is not just an event that occurred in the first century. It continues to impact lives to this day. In reality, not only was Christ resurrectedyou too are raised to new life when youre in Him. This is the gift of God to all who put their faith in His Son.
If there were only the cross, sin wins .
In Pauls words about his relationship to Jesus Christ, he said he wanted to know Him and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10). This word know is more than head knowledge. Its experiential, and it touches every part of your life.
If you watch the life of the average Christian, youll see little or no evidence of this incredible resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead. But this is exactly the power thats available to all who have accepted the risen Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior.
Consider the encouragement about this resurrection power that Paul gave to the church in Ephesus as he offered his prayer for them:
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe , according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:1723)
The resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead, then seated Him at the right hand of the Father and put Him over all principalities and powers, is the same power given to us. Should that make a difference in our lives? Should we be afraid of spiritual warfare? Is there anything we cannot overcome if were walking with Christ?
Listen carefully: the battle is won! Dont believe Satans lie that we have to do battle with him. Simply tell him, Youve already been defeated! And the same power that defeated you is the same power that now resides in my life. Dont get caught up in the fad of spiritual warfare that keeps you so busy fighting Satan that you have no time to follow Christ. The wars over! This is the practical expression of the resurrection, and its available to you.
When you become a Christian, youre set in a wholly different dimension in which you can see what others dont see. As Jesus told His disciples, It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given (Matthew 13:11). If youve been given ability to understand the mysteries of God, are you using your spiritual senses to detect the activity of God? Or do you act like the world, ignoring God until you need Him to bail you out of a crisis? You need to know what God is doing and then make whatever adjustment is needed to participate in His redemptive activity.
As a Christian, youre to be a witness for Christa visible demonstration of every truth God has said. But the religious culture in which we live encourages us just to practice religious activity. As a result, we misunderstand our relationship with God and miss out on experiencing His power. Unfortunately, many Christians are living way below their potential, believing theyll never be anything but ordinary. But, as Christians, were children of God! If were faithful in a little, He can make us rulers over much.
Youve been given the opportunity to function in the realm of resurrection powerthe most exciting life you could ever imagine. What then could God do in your life if He knew you were wholly yielded to Him? What could He do in you and through you if you believed He has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing, delivered you out of the kingdom of darkness, and taken you who were dead in sin and made you fully alive in Christ?
Youve been given the opportunity to function in the realm of resurrection powerthe most exciting life imaginable .
Are you willing to let Him use you?