Apostolic Christianity deals in reality. At the core of the faith is a belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But closely related to that belief is the insistence of ministry to the real world. Apostolic Christianity seeks to bring Heavenly glory to a broken world, and that glory comes through simple acts of love. The pattern of Jesus's ministry was the fact that he was in touch with real people and met them at their point of felt and genuine need. Jesus was in touch with the real world. But He spoke "from heaven," for that was His true home and even when He was on the earth, Heaven followed Him. He brought more than sympathy, more than perspective. He brought the very atmosphere of heaven into the earth.
He fulfilled and demonstrated His primary message, "The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe this good news." His life was a continual demonstration of what the kingdom of God looks like when it touches the earth. Indeed, the old promise of the presence of the kingdom of God was literally fulfilled with His coming.
Not only was the world different for Him and those whom He touched but also for all who believed in Him. In His presence was life and His life was the light of men. In the light of His presence one could discern the truth. Those who spent time with Him began to see the world differently. His resurrection from the dead was the final "proof" that what He declared to be truth was the truth indeed.
But alas, some experienced Him but did not believe in Him. They saw His miracles and signs and wonders. But faith is not as much a matter of seeing and believing as it is a matter of the will. Some simply refused to believe in Him because they had too much invested in this world as it was. They had too much to loose. And for them, the world did not change but rather continued to spiral into death.
To this very day, the distinction continues to exist. Some believe and the result is healing, restoration and victory in many forms and degrees. Others do not believe and the "law of sin and death" continues to be the dominant reality in their lives. Even many so called Christians live under a spirit of unbelief in spite of all their creedal confessions to the contrary.
The issue of belief in the actual resurrection of Jesus is critical for people's experience of Christianity for upon this issue the whole "faith" hangs in the balance. Authentic faith in the event of Christ's rising from the dead tips a person over the edge from dreary, lifeless religion into the realm of impossible becoming possible. This is because Christ is the "Son of man". What he did has implications for us all if we but trust in Him.
So again, I say, that Apostolic Christianity insists that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is more than just a religious statement of a creed. It is a reality that changes all reality. Nothing is impossible for God and one's belief in the one event pulls that person into all the implications. Resurrection implications are vast and comprehensive. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead carries implications for every atom in the universe for it changed the very substance of everything that exists. It is the premier catalytic event of all time and eternity.
The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe this good news. Mark 1:15
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