THESE ARE WRITTEN THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE. John 20:30-31 Resurrection power is the power that catapulted Christianity onto the stage of world history. The resurrection of Christ [Acts 1:22] was the purpose for which the early Christian community came into being. They were to witness Christ's resurrection wherever the Gospel was preached. The prime function of the Christian community today is to witness the resurrection of our Lord Jesus to our generation and the world of lost souls all around us.
The transforming power of the Gospel is not the ethical teachings of Jesus but the resurrection of Jesus and all the implications that go along with that fact. The resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ opened the way for the unprecedented invasion into our world of the Holy Spirit of God. Joel prophesied it 800 years before it happened. When people receive the Holy Spirit, it opens up a personal fellowship with God based on the reality of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly alive in His resurrected body and is a real touchable Person who represents us at the right hand of the throne of God.
The cross of Christ reveals man’s basic problem—hostility against God. Some of those involved in Christ's crucifixion heard Peter preach and were called upon to repent and face up to the resurrected Jesus, who was Lord and Christ. If they wanted to be saved, they had to demonstrate the reality of their faith and their sincerity by calling on the name of the Lord. Then, they were baptized as evidence of the reality of their profession.