Alive - by Dave Smith

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of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–9). As Christian leader and author Pete Greig points out: ‘for every person who encounters Christ dramatically on the Damascus road with blinding lights and a booming voice, hundreds more meet him slowly and quietly, incognito on the Emmaus road, through friendship, Scripture and conversation’. 10 The conversation moved on to the travellers expressing their doubts concerning Jesus’ resurrection (to the risen Jesus himself!). Clearly, despite reports of an empty tomb and angels declaring that Jesus was alive, they still didn’t believe in the resurrection, let alone recognise the fact that he was there with them on the Emmaus Road! Hence, Jesus’ response: ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ (vv25–26). Notice, he didn’t suddenly reveal who he was but rather unpacked what the Old Testament Scriptures say about him: ‘And beginning with Moses, and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself’ (v27, my emphasis). This is so significant, not just for the disciples then, but for us today. While we don’t have the opportunity to physically ‘see’ Jesus alive, we have not only the same Old Testament Scriptures that the first disciples did, but we now have the wonderful benefit of the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, recorded for us in the New Testament. Just like he did with the Emmaus travellers, Jesus will reveal himself to us through the Scriptures. If this is true, we can expect that this will apply not just to the start of our spiritual journey, but to our ongoing journey with him. I know that for me, and for countless Christians throughout the ages, daily Bible reading (reflecting on what has been read, and then following
this up with prayerful application), has been a primary source of revelation and transformation, as Jesus increasingly makes himself known through the ever-present Holy Spirit. For the two disciples Jesus travelled with, it seems it was the Scriptures that impacted them deeply. As soon as their eyes had been opened to recognise him, they commented on what had happened as he had taught them from the Bible: ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ (Luke 24:32). PAUSE AND PONDER What’s your attitude to the Bible? Have you ever read it? If not, it can be helpful to start with the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke or John – to gain an understanding of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, before dipping into the wider biblical story. To gain an overview of both the Old and New Testaments you could try a Bible-reading plan that provides a passage from each for every day of the year (such as Bible in One Year <strong>by</strong> Nicky and Pippa Gumbel). There are also many Bible apps available today, including YouVersion, which includes many Bible plans as well as a ‘verse for the day’. If you are someone who currently does read the Bible, can I encourage you to read it with greater expectancy – allowing God to speak to you and reveal Jesus to you? Consider starting a journal and write down what you sense God is saying to you. 11 3. OPEN OUR LIVES: JESUS COMES WHERE
Page 2 and 3: Dave Smith invites us on a journey
Page 4 and 5: and fulfilled. A life where it’s
Page 6 and 7: I want to say a huge thanks to a nu
Page 8 and 9: Instagram a while back: ‘You wake
Page 10 and 11: eyond our physical and psychologica
Page 12 and 13: 4. A future life in heaven Widely a
Page 14 and 15: only £150?’ The wife replied,
Page 16 and 17: 3. On the first Easter morning, the
Page 18 and 19: second question of how Jesus’ res
Page 20 and 21: At 2.20pm, 5 April 1982, I ‘fell
Page 22 and 23: used to refer to romantic or sexual
Page 24 and 25: and controversial biblical characte
Page 26 and 27: teach us about the seeming absence
Page 28 and 29: testimony of female witnesses would
Page 30 and 31: 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ S
Page 32 and 33: What’s clear is that this was not
Page 34 and 35: THE ETERNAL DIMENSION OF LOVE One o
Page 36 and 37: know how much, in Christ, we are
Page 38 and 39: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. In the light
Page 40 and 41: It was a day not to be forgotten in
Page 42 and 43: group that didn’t survive: ‘The
Page 44 and 45: an all-loving, all-powerful God who
Page 46 and 47: 25 He said to them, ‘How foolish
Page 48 and 49: By the end of the journey, their
Page 50 and 51: deliverer had just suffered the mos
Page 54 and 55: HE’S WELCOMED Despite Jesus being
Page 56 and 57: Presumably there was something abou
Page 58 and 59: FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Take a moment
Page 60 and 61: The longing for inner peace is univ
Page 62 and 63: For example, it may be that as you
Page 64 and 65: True peace was at the heart of God
Page 66 and 67: sense of release, turn your palms u
Page 68 and 69: esponse to a perceived threat or po
Page 70 and 71: Spirit.’ The word ‘righteousnes
Page 72 and 73: To fulfil this new purpose, we must
Page 74 and 75: encounter may be of special encoura
Page 76 and 77: Spirit) when his followers are meet
Page 78 and 79: prospect of our long-lost peace and
Page 80 and 81: CHAPTER FOUR LIVING IN FREEDOM
Page 82 and 83: • Sweetheart died in 1835. • Ha
Page 84 and 85: est predictor of future behaviour i
Page 86 and 87: completely implausible to think tha
Page 88 and 89: FISH Afterward Jesus appeared again
Page 90 and 91: PAUSE AND PONDER If you are current
Page 92 and 93: Bible, he also speaks specifically
Page 94 and 95: vital that we don’t let it stop u
Page 96 and 97: ‘own’ the problem. Outwardly, P
Page 98 and 99: ock on which he would build his Chu
Page 100 and 101: Peter clearly took Jesus’ advice
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FURTHER REFLECTION 1. Are you strug
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I’ve always been a bit of a dream
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Neither - Emmons had hit the wrong
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our meaning, our purpose, our signi
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1. A TRANSFORMED MOTIVATION Saul’
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you may be aware of the Lord drawin
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that was going on in his mind or he
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living life as if there was no eter
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fallen asleep in Christ are lost. I
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of what that this will look like. T
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PATHWAY So far we’ve established
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sanctified by faith in me’ (Acts
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just that we can meet with the rise
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CONCLUSION FULLY ALIVE, FOR THE RES
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utilise the prayer of invitation th
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Even if you are convinced in the re
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his death under Pilate and his gath
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APPENDIX B: HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT
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to the fact he was about to suffer
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TOMB As we look at the accounts of
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• To groups of men and groups of
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them by others. The apostles died f
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ENDNOTES INTRODUCTION: FULLY ALIVE
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The book is also the basis for a sm
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Demands a Verdict (Nashville, Tenne
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FURTHER ALIVE RESOURCES Now you hav
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Alive - by Dave Smith

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