Scripture: Acts 4:33 ESV – “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. “
The passage today is about a group of men—the Apostles—who persevered through a journey of being stretched beyond their human capacity to withstand. The message they devoted their lives to was so valuable that the cost to deliver it was beyond what they thought they could afford. They testified to the resurrection of Jesus, and they did so with great power. These testimonies weren’t just about a happy ending to a heart-wrenching journey; they were a declaration of a new beginning.
Jesus’ ministry was full of examples in which He healed the blind, the deaf, the possessed, and even the dead. But in spite of that, more than anyone else, He was rejected and vilified. The ministry of Jesus was as controversial as it was celebrated. Even those who celebrated His ministry found themselves questioning it. In fact, the testimony of the Apostles doesn’t just confirm that they witnessed Jesus come back from the grave—it also confirms that they denied Him in His death.
The best stories possess a powerful demonstration of how a life threatened by heartache, disappointment, and even death is one monumental moment away from a resurrection. The power in the Apostles’ story is rooted in the fact that through witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion, they wrestled with the parts of themselves that believed, and the parts that sometimes overruled what they believed. They witnessed the massive crowds Jesus taught, the sick He healed, and the tortured souls He set free. And though what they witnessed was undeniable, Jesus Himself would somehow become deniable to them.
The victory that came out of this is that they didn’t just witness His crucifixion—they also witnessed His empty tomb. Upon His resurrection, He presented Himself to them and to those who would answer the call to begin the movement of His church. It’s a powerful testimony that this group could stand on both sides of the crucifixion and say that the one they denied at the cross would not deny them at His resurrection.
What about your story? Can you see the power in it? Do you embrace the reality that there are people who need to hear it? Do the hurting around you cause you to be desperate for empowerment from the One who is over you?
There is great value in ministry to the hurting. After all, you hurt just like they do. But you know the pain isn’t permanent. The good fruit that grows out of struggle lasts far beyond what you once thought would destroy you. Why? Because you’re so strong? No. Because weakness is the harvest field for God’s resurrection power to be seen in its most vivid form.
When people ask about the scars you carry from the past so they can avoid their own scars in the future, it opens up a new dimension for your influence. You may be sitting in a café having lunch and hear someone at a nearby table talking about their struggle. As they go deeper, you realize that you fought a similar battle. Though it’s in the past, the healing you live in now is a constant reminder that the battle was real—and so is the victory. Out of heartache and desperation, you learned who God is and who you are.
As you sit and listen to their struggle, you realize you can’t help them. But you know without a doubt that Jesus can. You don’t just know this because you have read the Bible; you know this because what you have read in the Bible has been branded on your heart. The Apostles experienced something transformational between the Last Supper and Jesus’ ascension into heaven. The words of Jesus became forged in their hearts because of the redemption He brought through His death and resurrection.
You didn’t walk through the same struggles as the Apostles, but you do walk through your struggles with the same Savior. You can’t testify to being there to see Jesus after He left the tomb, but you can testify that the same resurrection life that set the Apostles free has set you free.
The Apostles’ testimony is that Jesus didn’t just die—He rose again. And it’s His work on the cross that brought reconciliation for all who will call on His name as Savior. That message is the central, life-changing truth. As a follower of Jesus, this is your testimony also. The movement has not ceased. His plan for the church has not changed. He stills seeks to use your story to tell THE STORY.
Reflection Questions:
- What are three distinct ways you are a different person because of Christ?
- What is so real about God’s work in your heart that your testimony almost writes itself?
- How does the testimony of the resurrection of Jesus change your life? What would it mean to you to see it change someone else’s life?
- Write down the names of two people who need to hear your testimony? Take some time to pray for open doors to testify of the resurrection of Jesus.