Acts 1:1-3 NASB
The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2] until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. [3] To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NASB
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; [7] then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; [8] and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Besides those listed above, the Gospels tell us that the risen Christ encountered Mary Magdalene in the garden: the small group of women who had left the tomb; the two men on the Emmaus Road, and the seven apostles fishing as recorded in John 21. The Angels at the empty tomb told Mary Magdalene, as well as the other women to tell the apostles that Jesus was risen, and the two on the road to Emmaus also went to the apostles to share what they had seen and heard, but it impresses me that Jesus felt it was important to again, and again personally reveal himself to his followers. Having personal encounters with him was something Jesus made a priority, and they had significant impact on their faith. All of us have spiritual heroes, and all of us have heard some of their testimonies; have read some of their books; have heard them speak at conferences, or have read books about them. Those are normally the people whose walk with the Lord we are impressed with and respect the most, but if I was going to pick an elite group of believers that I would want to spend time with, or be ministered to by; the original apostles; Mary Magdalene; James the half-brother of Jesus, and the apostle Paul would at least be numbered among that group. Except for Paul, all those I just mentioned, had numerous personal encounters with Jesus before the Cross, but there was something about having an encounter with the risen Christ that radically changed their lives at an even deeper level. When I look at what it says in Acts 2, I am so encouraged because it says that Jesus presented Himself alive to them with many convincing proofs, appearing to them again and again, over a period of forty days. These were the apostles, and yet it was important to them that Jesus appeared to them again and again with many convincing proofs. If you read each of the Gospels account of the resurrection and the days and weeks following, you will discover that over and over again, at least some of the apostles continued to struggle with doubts. I want you to notice what Matthew 28:16 – 19 says, “But the eleven disciples proceeded to galley, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,…” Once again, the risen Christ is encountering the eleven apostles, which he had already done several times, even showing all of them his wounds on two different occasions. (The first time he showed them his wounds and asked them to touch them, Thomas wasn’t there, and so became the second time eight days later, and this time he showed them all his wounds again and invited Thomas to touch them) The point being, Jesus had encountered them again and again after the resurrection and yet some still doubted. Even though some were still struggling with doubts, He still told them to go into all the world and make disciples. Jesus is not shocked that at times even His closest followers, have doubts, and that is why the risen Christ loves for his followers to have encounters with him throughout their journey in this fallen world. Every believer is in union with the risen Christ, and nothing can add to that or take anything away from it, but we are called into an ongoing intimate relationship with him, and with every fresh encounter with the risen Christ, our experience of that union is strengthened and expanded. We live in a cosmic conflict every day as believers, and the assault and the enemy is always going to be directed at our heart because our heart is the place faith comes from. In light of that reality, it is imperative that we position ourselves to consistently have fresh encounters with Jesus so that we can continue to stand in faith, no matter how severe the battle. Even though none of us alive today had the personal time with Jesus that his followers had before his crucifixion; but every believer since the resurrection can know the same encounters with the risen Christ that they experienced on that first Easter morning and beyond.