Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4 6 2026
After the Empty Tomb… Now What? … The Silence After Easter
The Super Bowl of Sundays has just passed us. We looked forward to it. We celebrated it. Resurrection Sunday—He is risen. Wow, what a great service. And in that moment, everything Jesus declared was validated in full view of heaven and earth. The cross was not the end. The grave was not the victory. As Scripture says, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said” (Matthew 28:6).
But the resurrection was never meant to be a moment we visit once a year.
It was meant to become a power we live in every day.
After the resurrection, Jesus stood before His followers—they were still unsure, still wrestling—and He gave them a command that would define their lives:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18–19).
And yet, before they went, He told them to wait.
“Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses…” (Acts 1:8)
.
Power. Not personality. Not education. Not confidence in ourselves…but power from Him.
And when that power came, everything changed.
Peter—the same man who once denied Jesus—stood before a crowd and boldly proclaimed the truth of the risen Christ. And Scripture tells us, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41).
That same Spirit. That same power. That same mission… has been given to us.
So why are we so quiet?
We speak freely about the things that excite us—our opinions, our victories, our politics, even our mistakes—but when it comes to Jesus, we hesitate or are completely silent. We convince ourselves it’s not the right time, or that someone else is better suited, or that our role is simply to live a good life and let that be enough.
But Jesus didn’t leave room for silence. He said, “Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32–33).
That’s not a suggestion. That’s a line in the sand. How many lines in the sand have you crossed in your relationship with Christ?
The early church had to face this reality. At first, they gathered, they learned, they grew—but they did not fully go. It wasn’t until persecution scattered them that the message spread beyond their comfort zones. As Acts records, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4).
God used their disruption to fulfill His command. What about your disruptions? Your roadblocks. Your hit the wall moments. Did you go…or did you justify…being silent?
And here’s where it becomes personal: we have been given authority—not our own, but His.
“In My name they will drive out demons…” (Mark 16:17).
But that authority flows from a relationship, not imitation. In Acts 19, there were men who tried to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons without knowing Him, and they were overpowered by the demons. Why? Because power does not come from words alone—it comes from a life surrendered to Him.
Many today are saved, but living without power. Why?
Because we try to walk this life without daily dependence on the One who gives it.
Scripture reminds us, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
And again, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
This is not a one-time event. It is a daily posture.
When Peter and John were arrested and commanded to be silent,
their response was unwavering:
“We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).That is what happens when the Spirit fills a life—silence is no longer an option.
And we were never meant to do this alone.
God gave us the church—not as a place to sit, but as a place to be strengthened.
“Let us not give up meeting together… but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:25).
It’s not a resort; it’s a hospital. It’s not a hiding place; it’s a training ground. We come to be renewed, equipped, and then sent back out into a world that is desperate for truth.
Because out there… are people who are searching. and hurting.
And Scripture asks the question we cannot ignore:
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).
That someone is not just pastors or teachers.
It’s you.
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Every conversation matters. Every word…Every prompting matters. Every moment of obedience matters.
So now that Resurrection Sunday has passed, the question remains:
Did it move us… or did it commission us?
Because somewhere, someone’s eternity may be on the other side of your willingness to speak.
And if God is prompting your heart toward someone, you can be certain of this—
“The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
The tomb is still empty.
The Spirit is still present.
The call is still clear.
So go.
Just Go!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH9kYn4L8TI&list=RDtkRwkpYYTzY&index=2
Carrie Underwood, Must be something in the water
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