Imagine... from a tiny clan of timid followers in Jerusalem, thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands were persuaded that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Doesn't it seem strange that Peter, a fisherman who was prone to backing down when the going got tough, was able to speak so powerfully that a whirlwind of frenzy was created so compelling that it spread throughout Palestine and the known world within a few short years?

In spite of ruthless opposition, the church was launched at an explosive rate. Furthermore, it happened right in the heart of Jerusalem, the city of the empty tomb. This was the same city where the enemies of Christ had crucified Him only a few weeks before. And His church was founded on the very fact of the resurrection. If this resurrection was a farce there is no way the disciples could hope to convince the Jewish listeners of the deity of Christ.

The success of the early church should not be underestimated. It is perhaps the most far reaching of all the evidence. Further, it was done in the face of incredible persecution. Peter Gomes of Harvard University considers this to be of great significance,

"What is Christianity's greatest accomplishment in our century? It survived." ²

Even the apostles themselves would have been skeptical if their faith had not been firmly rooted in a point of undeniable historical fact. And here we have the response to the very odd circumstance. People, faced with the question of Jesus as Lord, could not deny this simple yet so profound fact.

Little is known about the apostles beyond the writing of the New Testament, but according to historical church tradition and secular writings all but John died as martyrs. These are torturous and horrific deaths, which they suffered for naming Jesus Christ as Lord.