After Easter

Written by Angie Drummonds

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:8-9).

As we celebrated the joyous season of Easter, we remembered the sacrifice Jesus made for us as he suffered and gave His life on Calvary. We celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made which made it possible for us to be saved and set free from the bondage of sin. We celebrate that He defeated death, hell, and the grave and, on the third day, He arose from the grave. Today He is our risen Savior, seated on the right hand of the Father in Heaven! Hallelujah!

As we reflect upon what Jesus did for us, it is important to realize what we must do to share Jesus with the world. As Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and would be witnesses for Him to the world. The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross was for everyone and the power the Holy Spirit brings helps us share the good news of Jesus with the world.

The Spirit working within us is also the means by which we ourselves become spiritual participants in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. So that we too are invigorated by the same Spirit who raised Jesus and who will one day transform our own mortal bodies into the perfect image of the risen King.
 
Jesus’ final words are a reminder to us that we are to witness the good news of His resurrection to everyone we can. We all have a part in telling others about Jesus. Some would believe that only a pastor has that responsibility, or only a teacher, but Jesus tells us all to “share the gospel.”  Some of the last words Jesus spoke were, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In what we refer to as the Great Commission, Jesus made clear that we also have a job to do in helping others know about Him.

You may feel like Moses and think you are not adequately equipped with great speech to talk to others about Jesus. Moses asked God to send someone else because he felt his speech disqualified him from being the one to do what God needed done. How often have we felt like we have limitations that would hinder or prevent us from doing what God instructed us to do? We often think we aren’t qualified or equipped to truly make an impact in the kingdom. Just as Moses was the one for the job, you too are the one God has called. When God calls you, He will equip you. God doesn’t call the qualified—God qualifies the called. This is what we see in the scripture in Acts. Jesus was telling the disciples that the Holy Spirit would give them the power to go and witness to others.

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching” (Romans 10:14)?

How will your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family know about the saving grace of Jesus Christ if you don’t tell them? The Holy Spirit empowers us to go and share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. And as we go, Jesus goes with us.

Be encouraged with what Jesus said in Matthew 28: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

No matter how hard it gets, or how much opposition we may face as Christians speaking the truth and sharing the gospel, we are never alone. Jesus is with us, always, and one day, He is coming back again, and we will forever be with Him. I don’t know about you, but I want to see God’s kingdom filled for the glory of Christ.  

The message of the hope of Jesus and the sacrifice He made isn’t just an Easter message that we share once a year, it’s an everyday message that we should share at all times!