Additionally, I think the reason that Jesus chose the 12 that he did was that he knew he could rely on them to follow through on his commands after he ascended. That's what set them apart. I mean, it wouldn't have mattered what they did while he was with them if they didn't follow up and spread the gospel after Jesus was gone.
I have a lot of respect and admiration for the early church. I'm sure it was terrifying, but you know it had to be exhilarating as well. The disciples could have just gone back to their families and friends; they could have gone back to earning a living; they could have just preached the gospel to their community and left it at that, but they chose to go out into the world. They chose to live a life of outlaws, relying on God to provide for them and keep them safe. Imagine how close they felt to God, knowing that He himself was taking care of them.
If these men had not been zealously sure that Jesus was the risen Christ, they would not have fought so hard to spread Christianity. Others would not have believed them if they had not felt the Spirit move within them. In Acts, during the oppression of the early church, a teacher of the Law named Gamaliel describes a variety of instances of men following false messiahs and how those cases all fizzled out once the "messiah" died. He says of the Christians, "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" Acts 5:38
It's good to know 2000 years later, folks are still zealous about Jesus. I think that lends some accreditation to his Savior status, eh? You can't deny the Spirit; it's a powerful thing.
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