I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Eph 1:18-21)

Christ is truly risen from the dead!! This is an undeniable cornerstone for our faith and should be central in the gospel we preach. If miracles cannot happen and Jesus has not risen, Christianity is worthless according to 1 Cor 15. But if miracles do happen and Jesus has risen, Christianity is the most important thing in the world.

But not only is the resurrection of Christ the basis for our doctrine, it should also be the fuel for how we live our lives. As Paul writes above, the same power that rose Jesus from the dead is in us. Through the Holy Spirit we have the same authority to do miracles like He did, the power of the resurrection is available for everyone who wants it!

This is certainly good news. We will never have to think that there is a gap between the ministry of Jesus and our lives, that He could only do amazing miracles because He is God while we have to be sufficient with a “lower quality” of signs and wonders. No, the same power is within us. Of course, He was very good at handling it – being sinless and all – but still this “incomparably great power” as Paul calls it is not unreachable for us, we already got it!

Therefore we should not fear to pray for the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. It is our calling and we have divine authority to do it. It’s not limited to apostles or pastors. It’s nog limited to the time of the Bible. It’s not limited to Africa. It’s within you.

However, no matter how many or few miracles we’ll see, we do know that this resurrection power will do something completely wonderful for us, namely raise us from the dead. Romans 8:11 says: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” The easter message is nor just that a long time ago one man rose to eternal life, but also that because of this everyone who believes in this glorious man will rise just like Him and be with Him forever in a world fill with peace, justice and joy. That’s resurrection power!