1 Cor 6:14 (NIV) By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. It is impossible to be a Christian, if we don’t believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. All of our power and success in the Christian life are going to come through Jesus. Our ability to resist the difficulties with the issues of life, all our hope for eternal life, and our citizenship in the Kingdom of God are based on life after death through Jesus.

1 Cor 15:19-20 (NIV) If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. If God didn’t raise Jesus from the dead, then we have no reason whatsoever to believe that WE will be raised from the dead; we can’t call on a dead God. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That means that when we call on Him, He will answer us and empower us to live the life of a citizen in God’s Kingdom.

Later it will be easy for your friend to know that Jesus has been raised from the dead. They will experience all kinds of miracles from Him that will PROVE His being alive. But for now they just need to consider a few truths about Jesus.

We are all going to live forever somewhere. Our bodies die; but the spirit person that is the real us is going to keep on living. Jesus never ceased to exist; He, as a Spirit being, continued to live; we can’t kill a spirit. All we are being asked to believe is, that the Father put Jesus’ Spirit back in His body. We aren’t being asked to believe that Jesus ceased to exist and the Father made Him exist again.

The question is, can we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead?

Col 1:15-17 (NIV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. If Jesus ceased to exist, the universe, the earth, and you would cease to exist. Jesus created them and is NOW holding them all together.

Rom 10:17 (NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Jesus spoke faith in you and your friend while you were being presented the good news message. It was a supernatural miracle that caused you to know you were hearing the truth. People could have tried to convince you; and, your could have tried to argue and debate with your friend. But, no matter how hard we may try, people just don’t believe without Jesus speaking this faith into them. That knowledge empowers your friend to KNOW God raised Jesus from the dead.

2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! You and your friend can feel “something” different about yourselves. There are new attitudes, new ways of seeing things, new desires in your hearts, and new circumstances starting to come your way. There is faith, hope, love, and power starting to show up in your life. You and your friend know God raised Jesus from the dead because He is changing you and your life.

1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. That was your and your friend’s life prior to salvation. Here you are reading these things and they are making sense to you. As you talk to your friend, they are understanding a lot of what you are telling them. As you can see, the Bible makes it clear that if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, He wouldn’t be able to speak to you and your friend through the Holy Spirit. You would lack spiritual ears and eyes that were capable of learning all the wonderful things of God.

Spiritual growth classes have been prepared for you and your friends. They will use the power we now have through salvation and help us be healed from the issues of life. There you and your friends will find powerful help from Jesus and His Bible to assist you in your journey into a life of victory. That life will be available for here and into eternal life in God’s eternal Kingdom. We are praying for you and your friends that these Spiritual Growth studies will bless and strengthen you.

You can also get a copy of this course in book form, if you want to.