Good morning, my brothers! People may fail you. Churches may wound you. But one question still remains: Did Jesus rise from the dead, and what does that mean? Let’s go! 4-min, 2-sec read.

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Listen to the audio version here:

I recently talked with a friend about Jesus. He believes in God, but he has a real problem with Christianity.

As we talked, the reason became clear. His church had hurt him, and a pastor he trusted had deeply disappointed him. Somewhere along the way, the failures of Christians had gotten tangled up with what he believed about Christ.

I understood. Churches can hurt us. Pastors can disappoint us. Christian leaders can fail us badly.

So can I. So can you. But eventually I told him something I need to remember myself.

Don't build your faith on Christians. Build it on Christ.

And if we want to know whether Jesus really is who He claimed to be, there's one place we must go.

The empty tomb.

Everything Hangs Here

Paul didn't treat the resurrection as one Christian belief among many. He called Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and appearances matters "of first importance." (1 Corinthians 15:3)

Then he went further.

Paul puts everything on the table.

If Jesus stayed in that tomb, Christianity falls apart. But if He truly rose, everything changes.

His claims about Himself are true. His teaching carries authority. His promises can be trusted.

And death no longer gets the final word.

That matters for you and me, because our faith isn't ultimately built on how well Christians behave. It's built on whether Jesus Christ walked out of that tomb.

Look at What They Preached

As I've been reading Acts, I've noticed something I'd read past countless times.

The first followers of Jesus kept preaching the same thing. The resurrection.

Peter stood in Jerusalem and declared:

Again and again, the apostles pointed people to the risen Christ. They'd heard Jesus teach, watched His miracles, and lived beside Him for years, yet the center of their message was simple.

He was dead.

Now He's alive.

Luke tells us that after His suffering, Jesus presented Himself alive over forty days with "many convincing proofs." (Acts 1:3) Peter saw Him. Thomas saw Him. James saw Him. Paul says more than five hundred people saw Him at once.

Something changed those frightened men. The ones who'd hidden behind locked doors were now standing up in public in Jerusalem, saying the crucified Jesus was alive.

Their message wasn't about how impressive they were, or how perfect the early church was.

Their message wasn't, "Look at us." It was, "Look at Him."

Where Have We Put Our Faith?

This is where the resurrection gets uncomfortable.

It's easy to attach our faith to people. A pastor we admire. A church we love. An author whose books shaped us. A ministry that helped us grow.

Those can all be gifts from God. But they make terrible foundations.

Every Christian you admire will disappoint you eventually. Every pastor is still a man in need of grace. Every church is full of imperfect people.

And brother, that includes me. If More The Man ever has you looking more at me than at Jesus, something has gone wrong.

Our faith doesn't rest on the goodness of Christians. It rests on the reality of the risen Christ.

Maybe you've been hurt by a church. Maybe a leader failed you. Maybe someone you trusted acted in a way that made you question everything.

Those wounds are real, and I won't minimize them. But a Christian's failure doesn't change what happened outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago.

So go back to Jesus. Look at His life. Look at His claims. Look at the cross. Look at the empty tomb.

Then ask the question that changes everything.

If Jesus really rose from the dead, what right does that give Him over my life?

Because if that tomb is empty, we're not standing off at a distance sizing up a religion. We're standing before a living Christ who's calling us to follow Him.

And He isn't asking us to admire Him. He's asking for our lives.

Here's the hope in it. The same Jesus my friend can't see clearly is the One still walking toward him. Toward me. Toward you. The tomb is empty, and He isn't finished with any of us. Praise God!

Reflection

Where have the failures of Christians shaped the way you see Jesus?

Has your faith quietly attached itself to a pastor, a church, or a ministry more than you realized?

Are there guy(s) you’re talking with that you might help focus on the reality of the resurrection instead of men?

Prayer

Father, thank You that my faith doesn't rest on people. It rests on Your Son, alive and on the throne. Where I've let someone's failure cloud my view of Him, clear it. Show me the risen Christ again, and give me the courage to live like He's alive. Amen.

Action

This week, read Acts 1 through 4 slowly. Ask the Father to show you the risen Christ again, then ask Him what needs to change in your life because Jesus is alive.

-Will

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