Acts 2:22-24
Jesus Was Raised from the Dead
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 9:1-6
Paul is Converted
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 17:24-32
God Resurrected Jesus
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-11
Paul's Creed
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
When I read the gospels, I sometimes wonder if Jesus fits into our world, based on how He taught and what He spoke...He seems a little different than others, and not afraid to speak independently of anyone or everyone...He really does seem to come from above...And many did not believe Him or believe in Him when He was alive...
One was Saul of Tarsus, also called Paul...Paul was an adversary at the beginning with he first got knowledge about Jesus...Paul was a very reluctant believer...But he changed his mind about Jesus, when Jesus met up with Paul and spoke with him on the road to Damascus...A Light flashed from heaven and it knocked Paul off balance and he falls to the ground...Something or Someone from heaven was talking to Paul and those around him...Paul believed what he heard on the road to Damascus...He believed that He did hear Jesus...And Paul believed that Jesus was both Real and Divine...
After their meeting, Paul changes his mind about Jesus, and becomes a believer...Paul tells us that God has proven to us that Jesus is the Anointed One by raising Him from the dead...And if one believes that God what He did, then the world makes sense and those things created and around us can be explained, but if God did not raise Jesus from the dead, then life remains a giant riddle, since its inception...
Paul like Jesus’ Disciples, now believes in Jesus and that He did die and return to life...Peter told his fellow Jews that Jesus of Nazareth was a Man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know...This Man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross...But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. ..
Many people of Paul’s time and immediately after Jesus’ death believed that somehow and someway, Jesus had resurrected from His own personal death...But others sneered at this idea...But Paul honestly believed what he learned and received was of utmost importance...So he went out writing and teaching others about Jesus...He believed that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve Apostles...After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep...Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to Paul...