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“That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!” —John 20:19–20 NLT

If we were telling the origin story of the Christian church, this moment would make a powerful opening scene. A small group of Jesus’ followers huddled behind locked doors—confused, grieving, and terrified. Their Teacher had been executed. Their hopes seemed shattered. Their future felt uncertain.

Then, suddenly, everything changed.

Jesus appeared—alive, whole, victorious. The One they had seen crucified now stood before them, speaking peace into their fear and showing them the wounds that proved His triumph over death. In that moment, the disciples’ despair turned to joy, and their fear began to melt away.

At some point—whether while Jesus was still in the room or after He left—the truth must have settled into their hearts: If their Lord had conquered death itself, then they had nothing left to fear. And if this was true, then the world desperately needed to hear it.

That realization transformed them. The same disciples who had been hiding in fear became bold proclaimers of the resurrection. Their courage, empowered by the Holy Spirit, ignited a movement that spread across continents and across centuries.

Church tradition tells us that nearly all of them paid for their boldness with their lives:

• Peter preached across Asia Minor and was crucified upside down.
• Andrew carried the gospel through Russia, Turkey, and Greece before being crucified.
• Thomas, once a doubter, brought the Good News to India and was killed by soldiers’ spears.
• Philip preached in North Africa and Asia Minor and was executed after converting a Roman official’s wife.
• Matthew shared Christ in Persia and Ethiopia and was stabbed to death.
• Bartholomew preached in India, Armenia, and Arabia and was crucified.
• James son of Alphaeus was stoned and clubbed to death in Syria.
• Simon the Zealot refused to worship a pagan god and was killed in Persia.
• Matthias, chosen to replace Judas, was burned to death in Syria.
• John was exiled to Patmos and is believed to be the only apostle to die naturally.
• Paul traveled widely and was eventually beheaded in Rome.

These ordinary men—once fearful, uncertain, and hiding—became bold witnesses who changed the world. Their courage wasn’t rooted in personality or strength. It was rooted in the resurrection. They had seen the risen Christ, and nothing could silence them.

John ends his Gospel by saying, “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25 NLT). Among those “many other things” was the way He transformed a small group of ordinary people into world changers.

And He still does that today.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to carry that same Good News—one conversation, one act of love, one life at a time. When we step out in faith, God uses our boldness to touch eternity.

Question for reflection: