Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
“The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, My Living Hope!” - “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham
I love singing about Jesus' triumph over sin, shame, and death! Our victory is complete in Jesus! He has finished the work of our redemption, and we know where our eternity is when we put our trust in Jesus! But you know what? The end is written, and we can rejoice in our unshakeable salvation, but we haven’t reached the finish line yet! The story isn’t done! As wonderful, powerful, and important as it is, we can’t close the book after Jesus’ death and resurrection! In between Jesus’ ascension and His second coming, He has given us a purpose and a plan for His Church!
Read to the end of chapter 24 when Jesus returns to the Father. This isn’t Jesus simply disappearing as He did from the Emmaus Disciples in verse 24:31; He left this world in a very public, gravity-defying way. Jesus wanted this to be witnessed and retold so that there would be no doubt about who He is and what He did for us. But this spectacular return to the skies was not the end, either. Jesus’ ascent to heaven simply closed one chapter and opened another. Jesus’ physical body left this world, but the story continues.
While Jesus’ followers waited for the promised power of the Holy Spirit to fall, they did exactly as Jesus instructed. First, they marked Jesus’ departure with worship, and then obediently, the believers returned to the very city where their Savior had been put to death 40 days earlier. We don’t know whether they felt afraid or uncertain, but Luke tells us they went to Jerusalem with great joy! In fact, as these believers waited in Jerusalem, they didn’t hide in their houses or lose hope; they were still overflowing with joy! These followers of Christ didn’t keep their faith for themselves. Luke tells us that they went out to publicly and continually praise God in the temple. Nothing was going to stop them from worshiping their Lord!
The CSB Study Bible commentary beautifully highlights these joyful acts of worship:
“Such devotion to prayer [and worship] was a fitting prelude and precondition to the wonderful things God would do through Christ’s earliest messengers. Christ’s church was set to explode onto the scene as a beacon of light and hope in a spiritually dark world.”
These believers were praying and preparing to do the work Jesus commissioned them to do! And in this chapter, the first believers show us the perfect example of how we are to live as followers of Christ:
As Witnesses – Whether we’ve memorized countless scriptures or are new to following Jesus, we can faithfully share our stories of who Jesus is and how He changed our eternities. (Luke 24:48)
Joyfully – Even in our darkest, scariest seasons, we can step out boldly with the joy of Jesus. (Luke 24:52)
Continually – As we go through our days, we can continue to bring Him our prayers and the praise He deserves. (Luke 24:53)
In victory, we get to continually lift our praises as witnesses of who our Savior is and what He has done. Victory is not one moment when the battle is initially won; it is every moment after! Jesus nailed our sin to the cross and overcame death as He walked out of that grave; now, we have a God-given mission to spread the good news of His victory until we see His return! And when we see Him face-to-face in eternity, we get to continually worship our God who created, loves, and redeemed us! This story isn't over! There is still work to be done, so let’s prepare for our mission, as the first believers did, and joyfully praise our God!
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
Praise God today! Start your day in praise, and lift your prayers to Him as you go. End your day in thanksgiving for all He has done!
As a witness of Jesus, your story has power! Share your story with someone today! You can share how Jesus has changed your eternity with your church family on the Venture Church App! Just click the “Share Your Story” button.