Ascension of Jesus
05/21/09 07:22 Filed in: Faith
“. . . ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John 16: 16-20)
On Ascension Thursday, we pause to reflect on Jesus’ final message to His followers in which He commissioned us to spread the Good News to all nations. And, like His disciples, we may wonder about what Jesus meant when He said that we would experience both sorrow and joy in fulfilling His command.
In the two thousand years that have elapsed since the ascension, Jesus’ followers have experienced the sorrow of persecution, even martyrdom; but they have also known the joy of winning great multitudes to the Gospel message. Today, there are more than two billion Christians world-wide, or about one out of every three people on the face of the earth. But much work remains to be done.
On Ascension Thursday, we pause to reflect on Jesus’ final message to His followers in which He commissioned us to spread the Good News to all nations. And, like His disciples, we may wonder about what Jesus meant when He said that we would experience both sorrow and joy in fulfilling His command.
In the two thousand years that have elapsed since the ascension, Jesus’ followers have experienced the sorrow of persecution, even martyrdom; but they have also known the joy of winning great multitudes to the Gospel message. Today, there are more than two billion Christians world-wide, or about one out of every three people on the face of the earth. But much work remains to be done.
“. . . ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John 16: 16-20)
On Ascension Thursday, we pause to reflect on Jesus’ final message to His followers in which He commissioned us to spread the Good News to all nations. And, like His disciples, we may wonder about what Jesus meant when He said that we would experience both sorrow and joy in fulfilling His command.
In the two thousand years that have elapsed since the ascension, Jesus’ followers have experienced the sorrow of persecution, even martyrdom; but they have also known the joy of winning great multitudes to the Gospel message. Today, there are more than two billion Christians world-wide, or about one out of every three people on the face of the earth. But much work remains to be done.
Starting in the 1980s, our numbers began growing at a slightly slower rate than the world’s population while the number of muslims grew faster, due to higher birth rates in under-developed countries.
Under the circumstances, we have to ask ourselves where do we go from here? What’s it going to take to win more souls for Christ? Clearly, we have to do a better job of communicating about our faith.
One of the axioms that great communicators follow says,"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”
Jesus was a great communicator because He told His disciples what He believed; showed them what He meant by means of parables and by His own example; and, He involved saints and sinners alike in His ministry. He reached out to the Samaritans (even held one up as a good example); touched the unclean leper; took pity on the Roman centurion; and befriended tax collectors and prostitutes.
The best way to communicate about our faith is to become living examples of what Jesus stood for. It’s not enough to preach the Gospel nor to make a show of our faith with clever bumper stickers, religious jewelry and roadside Church bulletin boards. It’s not enough to write out a check on Mission Sunday. Those efforts have their place. But, ultimately, each one of us has to get directly involved with the people we are trying to win over, right here in our own backyard. Their sorrow must become our sorrow. Their joy must become our joy.
On Ascension Thursday, we pause to reflect on Jesus’ final message to His followers in which He commissioned us to spread the Good News to all nations. And, like His disciples, we may wonder about what Jesus meant when He said that we would experience both sorrow and joy in fulfilling His command.
In the two thousand years that have elapsed since the ascension, Jesus’ followers have experienced the sorrow of persecution, even martyrdom; but they have also known the joy of winning great multitudes to the Gospel message. Today, there are more than two billion Christians world-wide, or about one out of every three people on the face of the earth. But much work remains to be done.
Starting in the 1980s, our numbers began growing at a slightly slower rate than the world’s population while the number of muslims grew faster, due to higher birth rates in under-developed countries.
Under the circumstances, we have to ask ourselves where do we go from here? What’s it going to take to win more souls for Christ? Clearly, we have to do a better job of communicating about our faith.
One of the axioms that great communicators follow says,"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”
Jesus was a great communicator because He told His disciples what He believed; showed them what He meant by means of parables and by His own example; and, He involved saints and sinners alike in His ministry. He reached out to the Samaritans (even held one up as a good example); touched the unclean leper; took pity on the Roman centurion; and befriended tax collectors and prostitutes.
The best way to communicate about our faith is to become living examples of what Jesus stood for. It’s not enough to preach the Gospel nor to make a show of our faith with clever bumper stickers, religious jewelry and roadside Church bulletin boards. It’s not enough to write out a check on Mission Sunday. Those efforts have their place. But, ultimately, each one of us has to get directly involved with the people we are trying to win over, right here in our own backyard. Their sorrow must become our sorrow. Their joy must become our joy.
blog comments powered by Disqus