Thomas speaking to Gary...
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this. J was crucified. We were wanted by the Romans. Most of us,
especially Peter, were demoralized. Even Thaddaeus and I were very
challenged. We understood the message of J, as did Mary, Phillip,
Stephen, and a few others; but this was still an extremely hard time for
most of us. Did we have faith? Did J really overcome death? Certainly none of us was in a frame of mind to go out and claim to the people that he did.
This is where you need to put two and two together. There’s no way that all the disciples would have gone out into the world and attempted to teach the meaning of what J was saying except for one fact: He really did appear to us as a body, just as real, or unreal, as anyone else’s body, after the Crucifixion. Anyone who doubts that J overcame death needs to consider that point carefully. How else can you explain the behavior of the disciples unless J actually was resurrected? There would be no logical explanation for our transformed enthusiasm.
Yes, his teachings and example before he died were extraordinary and inspiring, but the Holy Spirit knew we were ready for a demonstration to encourage us. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will work with you in a way that will encourage you to keep going on your path. We got the encouragement that we needed. Eventually, the world would change J’s message from a spiritual one to a religious one. But that didn’t matter to us at the time. There was no such thing as Christianity. We understood and believed that J had returned to God. ~ Love Has Forgotten No One
This is where you need to put two and two together. There’s no way that all the disciples would have gone out into the world and attempted to teach the meaning of what J was saying except for one fact: He really did appear to us as a body, just as real, or unreal, as anyone else’s body, after the Crucifixion. Anyone who doubts that J overcame death needs to consider that point carefully. How else can you explain the behavior of the disciples unless J actually was resurrected? There would be no logical explanation for our transformed enthusiasm.
Yes, his teachings and example before he died were extraordinary and inspiring, but the Holy Spirit knew we were ready for a demonstration to encourage us. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will work with you in a way that will encourage you to keep going on your path. We got the encouragement that we needed. Eventually, the world would change J’s message from a spiritual one to a religious one. But that didn’t matter to us at the time. There was no such thing as Christianity. We understood and believed that J had returned to God. ~ Love Has Forgotten No One
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