Did Jesus Christ really rise from the grave? The credibility of the Christian faith rests on this claim, and Jesus’ own disciples laid down their lives to defend it. However, the resurrection of Christ is often dismissed as fantasy by those who assume that miracles are a scientific impossibility. Is faith in the empty tomb nothing more than blind belief? In How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything , Dr. Gabe Fluhrer demonstrates that Jesus’ defeat of the grave is no mere myth—it is a historic reality supported by overwhelming evidence. To deny Christ’s resurrection is an indefensible position, but by God’s grace, to embrace the reality of the risen Lord is to have our lives changed forever.
One of my favorite reads this year. Fluhrer writes with clarity, purpose and a pastoral heart. He deals with a weighty topic, namely the resurrection of Christ and its implication for the lives of everyone, especially believers. He begins by unpacking the extra-biblical evidence for the resurrection, using philosophy and writings by other authors. He then delves into the Biblical support of the resurrection, followed by the Biblical implications for the lives of Believers. He is very careful to clearly explain that the Biblical support is not to be put on the same "level" as extra Biblical. While the extra Biblical support is helpful, our primary confidence is on what scripture alone reveals. He ends with the practical "what now?" even touching on suffering and fellowship viewed in light of Christ as our "living hope" I Peter 1:3-4 Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone! New believers, old saints and everyone in between will truly gain a lot from this book in the form of greater confidence in our living, reigning Lord.
Confusion descended upon those who followed Jesus.
He was dead.
Their own lives were in danger.
The hope they felt as they were with him, was crushed.
Then, on walking on the road to Emmaus, a man joined them. They conversed about the current events, about a prophet believed to be the long awaited Messiah, but now he was dead at the hands of the Romans. Defeat may have laced their words, perhaps there was despair, maybe their heads were hung low as the dust kicked up beneath their feet.
In response came words of strong rebuke from this strange traveller, "He said to them, "How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!"(Luke 24:25)
With all that is going on in the world the last few weeks, surely we have felt similar to the disciples. Uncertain about the future, plans we made are dissolved, and the danger of anxiety and panic can fall over us.
We can find ourselves hanging our heads in defeat and despair.
Do we find ourselves unwise and slow of heart to believe?
The disciples each had their own personal experiences with Jesus. They had their own thoughts and feelings; some were pummelled by doubt, another with guilt.
They each walked their own path to belief; a question repeated three times, a time of teaching along a dusty road, hands that felt the marks.
But believe, they did. With eyes opened by the Holy Spirit, who then empowered them, these men went out into the world, proclaiming a resurrected Christ; a Gospel born in suffering and sacrifice, sustained in a life resurrected, and, even now, is awaiting completion.
The resurrection has changed everything.
In his new book, Alive: How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything, Gabriel Fluhrer shares with the reader the importance of Jesus' resurrection and what it means for us today.
In 7 chapters, he walks us through the historical reality of Christ's resurrection, what Scripture teaches us about resurrection- from the Old Testament and the New- and how a resurrection life is a spirit-filled life.
He reminds us that we live in a time when miracles and the supernatural are pushed aside. Difficulty believing in life after death is a challenge, and it is easy for the 'enlightened' world to reject truth. Knowing the truth and the evidence provides us a foundation for the challenges of unbelief we may face, either our in own doubts or those of others.
He takes us through the Scriptures, where we see that resurrection was taught, of both our souls and that of the coming Christ. Eyewitness testimony written in the Gospels assures us that the resurrection was verified by others. The Acts of the Apostles convict us of the implications for believing, as we meet the first martyrs. The Word of God that we hold to carries the beauty of the Gospel and the hope of resurrection.
And, he points us toward living a resurrected life, a spirit-filled life. As believers, we are united with Christ by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This unity we have with Him embodies the reason why life is so hard, because "the irreversible pattern, both for Jesus and His followers, is suffering, then glory."
Before we experience resurrection, we will experience suffering.
This is the place where we can be empowered with the Spirit, "for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10).
I am no stranger to suffering, neither are you. You know what it's like to sink in that valley. Even right now, skeptical and unsure what the future holds, life is hard.
So, will we hang our head in defeat, or will we choose to believe?
The resurrection of Christ changes everything, how we live and how we believe. My prayer is that we acknowledge God in our weaknesses, even in our unbelief at times, and hold on to the truth we have in the Word of God; that we seek Him in all of our life right now, in the pain, the loss and the sorrow; that our eyes would be opened to see the Traveller beside us, teaching us and walking with us.
The Resurrection of Christ is Reality Minister, lecturer, and author Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer reflects about the impact of the resurrection of Christ in his book "Alive. How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything", published by Reformation Trust Publishing. The book is divided into seven chapters: 1) A Fool's Errand, 2) For Sure, 3) Foreshadowed, 4) Fulfilled, 5) Forward, 6) Fortaste, and 7) Firm Hope. Fluhrer walks the readers through the whole reality of the resurrection, starting in the Old Testament of the Bible where it was foreshadowed to the New Testament where it was accomplished and where the consequences of it can be found. Fluhrer holds firm to the fact that the resurrection is a historical reality which is supported by overwhelming evidence. To accomplish this goal he also deals with some objections raised by scholars, but mostly he concentrates on the biblical material. He states: "My goal is for the reader to gain an appreciation for, a wonder at, and an enjoyment of the stupendous truth that sets Christianity apart from other world religions, namely, the reality that Jesus Christ is alive. Yes, as the Apostles’ Creed confesses, He was buried. So were Muhammad, Buddha, and countless other religious leaders. But the next line of the ancient creed, simple in expression yet enormous in implication, is what I hope to expound, examine, and, most importantly, adore along with you in the pages that follow: “The third day he rose again from the dead.”" The book is Bible-based but also includes personal experience of the author. There are notes at the end of the book for reference and to dig deeper as well as a helpful scripture index. I recommend this book for readers who want to have a good overview about the resurrection. I recommend it also for those who are skeptical about the resurrection and want to gather information about it based on an open mind-set. The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Alive #NetGalley
Alive How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything by Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer
Reformation Trust Publishing
Christian
Pub Date 31 Mar 2020
I am reviewing a copy of Alive Through Reformation Trust Publishing and Netgalley:
Despite being told over and over again that life in the West has never been more secular, the author of this book Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer argues that Despite this well-worn narrative, a closer look reveals that secularism’s victory dance is premature. A strong argument could be (and has been) made that never before have we lived in a more spiritual age.
Did Jesus really rise from the dead? In Alive : How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything, Dr. Gabe Fluhrer demonstrates that Jesus’ defeat of the grave is no mere myth—it is a historic reality supported by overwhelming evidence. Denying Christ’s resurrection is an indefensible position, but by God’s Grace we embrace the reality of the risen Lord is to have our lives changed forever.
It is pointed out too the Resurrection of Jesus makes more sense than its chief rival nihilism. It helps when people are desperate to understand the confused age in which we live, the Bible offers us a picture of the world that explains why there is so much suffering, evil, and sin. But it doesn’t stop there.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a quick takes post to catch up--emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. --- The book starts with a look at the evidence for the Resurrection of Christ, and why it's important to wrestle with it and to be ready to defend it in our current culture. Then Fluhrer moves on to looking at the way the Resurrection was foreshadowed in the Old Testament, described in the Gospels, preached in Acts, explained in the rest of the New Testament, and serves as the basis for our sure hope. He covers all the bases and does so well.
Fluhrer has an apologetic goal for this book, it's not as compelling as he seems to think it is. Which really describes the book as a whole. In the end, it's too surface-level. It's helpful, the theology behind it is the kind of thing we need more of—a robust Redemptive-Historical approach à la Vos and Gaffin—and it's approachable. I just couldn't sink my teeth into it. I liked it, I just wanted to like it more.
Gabriel Fluhrer writes so well and demonstrates that Jesus defeated the grave and this is a historical event and a myth. He uses testimony and scriptures from the Old Testament and the New Testament to give overwhelming evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. This book is well written in simple and deep terms and it is written very well in understandable language. I would highly recommend this book if you would like to know more about the truths about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Great book on the resurrection. Fluhrer does a wonderful debunking the myths that the resurrection did not happen. He does a great job in explaining what does the resurrection mean for us in everyday life and how we should live it out knowing that Christ was resurrected from the grave.