The ascension of Jesus barely registers on the radar for many. Yet it remains a crucial piece of “good news.” And it informs how we Christians can reclaim our role as “good news” in a world that so often views us as “bad news” today. Below is a free chapter from my book Newsworthy: Nine Ways to Live the Good News Now which explores the ascension of Jesus. Like it? Consider ordering the book, or joining one of my online formation groups.
Newsworthy Chapter 10
Step Seven: Hail The King
The Good News of the Aristocracy of Jesus’ Ascension
That Royal Bad News
I never lasted long in “King of the Hill.”
In fact, none of my friends did either.
Roaming the Lincoln National Forest surrounding our mountaintop homes we would find a mound of dirt, a pile of snow or even a fallen tree. One of us–the king–would ascend to the top. The rest of us–the revolutionaries–would attempt a coup. The first revolutionary who removed him from that dirt mound, snowpile or fallen tree became the new king.
But it was impossible to remain on the throne. Gravity and the gang of insurgents were just too strong. No king lasted more than a minute or two before someone dethroned him. The game should have been called “Kings of the Hill” because it was a relentless succession of king after king.
In some ways, Jesus suffers from a similar challenge. Jesus is standing at the summit. He is seated at the throne. The Bible’s main claim about Jesus is that he is King:
- “King” is Jesus’ “last name.” Christ, or “christos” in Greek, translates the Hebrew “messiah,” which refers to one who is anointed; as in one who is annointed as king. Roughly translated, “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus King.”
- Paul summarizes the work of God in Jesus as the work of a king: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13 ESV). Jesus is the king of a kingdom. He’s come to expand heaven’s reign to earth. We who follow Jesus exist in “the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.”
- The Bible ends with a kingly description of Jesus: “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings…” (Revelation 17:14 ESV)
King of the Hill. That’s our Jesus. In the famous words of Shadrach Meshach Lockridge, prominent African-American preacher, “He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. That’s my King!”[1]
But we turncoats are always trying to topple him from his peak. We stage unceasing attempts to overthrow him from his high place. We seem to treat Jesus’ kingship and kingdom as very bad news. “That’s my King!” is often a cry of frustration than exultation. We view his royalty as bad news. And that coup we do is fueled by three things:
- spiritual reasons,
- intellectual reasons, or
- personal reasons.
Some of us, like my former neighbor Mark, depose Jesus for spiritual reasons. Mark once said to me, “We believe Jesus is a prophet. But we do not believe he is divine.” Kendra and I were enjoying an evening in his home. And as our young children played together, Mark and his wife wanted to talk about Jesus. They delighted in the wisdom Jesus delivered. They loved the example Jesus lived. But they would not believe Jesus was divine. Their devotion to another religion demanded they dethrone Jesus.
There are many of us who similarly bring Jesus down because we’ve accepted teachings and perspectives outside the Bible regarding the the true nature and status of Jesus. We’re willing to accept him as our BFF in times of lonliness and as our rescuer in times of crisis. But we cannot accept him as the one true king.
Others of us have intellectual reasons for removing the crown from the Christ. Bart Ehrman, distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina claims that if you study the biblical text and Christian history carefully, you find that Jesus is not THE King. Not even A King. He’s just a man.
In his 2014 New York Times Best Seller How Jesus Became God Ehrman writes this:
“…in early Christianity the views of Christ got ‘higher and higher’… Jesus went from being a potential (human) messiah, to being…equal with God the Father and always existent with him… [But my own views] moved in precisely the opposite direction. I started thinking of Jesus as God the Son…but over time, I began to see him in ‘lower and lower’ terms, until finally I came to think of him as a human being who was not different in nature from any other human being.”
Christians’ views of Jesus grew higher and higher. They believed Jesus was unlike any other. But Ehrman’s views of Jesus grew lower and lower. He believed Jesus was just like all others. And if we are intellectually honest with Scripture and history, Ehrman believes, we will come to the same conclusion.
Sadly, some of us have. In spite of straightfoward texts of Scripture like those above and those covered in Chapter Two, our intellect refuses to bend the knee before Jesus.
But the majority of Christians and churches are not swayed by these two voices whispering thoughts of treason. No spiritual or intellectual reason would lead us to challenge Jesus’ prominent place. Still, we find ourselves side by side with those who are charging the hill, intent on overthrow. Our motive is not spiritual or intellectual. It’s far more personal. Many Christians and churches are culpable of the worst coup of all–we declare Jesus as King with our lips but deny Jesus as King with our lives.
Craig Groeschel, in his book The Christian Atheist, proposes that many of us believe in God but live as if we don’t.[2] A similar argument can be made regarding King Jesus. We believe in his deity but live as if we don’t. Our creeds declare his divinity but our deeds deny it. Our Sunday ballad ratifies his rule while our Monday behavior rejects it. Our individual and congregational relationships, spending practices, passions and goals don’t seem to be those we’d expect from those who believe Jesus is King. Our minds and mouths say “Jesus is Lord” but our calendars and cash say something else. Our Sundays seek to push Jesus higher and higher. Our Mondays seem to drag him lower and lower.
Jesus is King of the Hill. But there’s something within us that keeps trying to push him down. Because, honestly, his crown just kind of cramps our style. Who wants somone from heaven looking over your shoulder all the time? Who wants someone dictating everything you say and do, even if that dictator is Jesus? We Americans threw off the chains of aristocracy long ago. We value freedom. No one gets to tell us what to do, thank you. Thus, the worst news of all may be that there’s one wanting to rule us from on high.
The Good News of Kingly Command
Yet, one of the best parts of the Good News is Jesus’ crown. We’re tempted to view his throne as bad news. It is, however, unparalleled good news. And the more we churches and Christians embrace Jesus as king, the more we become good news the world could actually use.
There is no better place to witness this than the ascension. The ascension is the orphan of the gospel. It’s given little space in Scripture. And it’s given even less space in our spirituality and our churches. Squeezed in between Easter and Pentecost, in between the dead being raised up and the Spirit being poured down, the ascension is easy to miss.
Yet, in many ways, the ascension stands as a climax to the Gospel. If the Good News is fundamentally the announcement that a King has come to expand the rule of heaven to earth, then the ascension is the best possible news, because the ascension is the enthronement of Jesus as the one true King. The ascension is where Jesus’ deity, divinity, and devotion come into sharpest focus. It’s where every rival is put in his, her, or its place. None may attend the ascension and still declare that Jesus is just a person or just a king. The only conclusion possible after enjoying this enthronement is that Jesus is THE King. And this enthronement comes with wonderfully inspiring implications.
Luke describes the ascension in this way:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11 ESV)
New Testament scholar N. T. Wright points to two critical aspects of the Ascension.[3] I’ll put them in my own words and add my own twist. The ascension of Jesus is good news in at least two ways.
First, the ascension means that Jesus presides everywhere. The ascension is thus the good news about Jesus kingly command.
Through the ascension Jesus achieves a position which allows him to rule over all. N. T. Wright states, “The early Christians knew the world was still a mess. But they announced, like messengers going off on behalf of a global company, that a new CEO had taken charge.”[4] In the ascension Jesus rises to the highest possible office. From there he presides over all people in every place all over the planet. He is able to gain command over everyone and everything.
Paul describes it this way:
20 …that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Eph. 1:20-23 ESV)
In the ascension the Father placed Jesus far above all rule, all authority, all power, all dominion and all names. No one and no thing shared the super-elevated status of Jesus.
And this, it turns out, is very good news. Here’s what it means:
- The most corrupt country,
- the most menacing military,
- the most dangerous demon,
- the most profit-hungry pundit,
- the most terrible terrorist–
all are now assigned a permanent place in the shadow of Christ the King.
- Cancer,
- Alzheimer’s,
- depression,
- poverty,
- murder,
- sex-trafficking,
- fatherlessness,
- pornography,
- racism,
- genocide–
all are now forced to surrender to the Sovereign.
Because of the ascension, everything that smacks of hell on earth now submits to His Highness in heaven.
And Jesus’ cosmic command makes possible a life without fear. Fear plagues even the most successful.[5] Jennifer Aniston, Cher, and Whoopi Goldberg are afraid of flying. Barbra Streisand is scared of strangers. Michael Jackson cringed at the thought of infections and diseases. Woody Allen shakes at insects, sunshine, dogs, deer, bright colors, children, heights, small rooms, crowds, and cancer. George Washington’s phobia was being buried alive. Richard Nixon was terrified of hospitals. Napoleon Bonaparte, it is reported, feared cats. We’re all afraid of something.
The church is not immune to this plague. In this we-love-Jesus-but-we-hate-the-church culture, it’s easy for churches to be paralyzed by panic. In this time of renegade regimes, bold bandits, and dogged diseases it’s tempting for Christians to freeze with fear; to make ministry and monetary decisions based on despair; to hang our future on the dreaded outcome of elections. As a result, too often the church acts as if the latest breaking news, best-selling book, Supreme Court ruling, congressional action, medical diagnosis, or act of terrorism spells the end of God’s work, God’s ways and God’s world.
But the kingly command of Jesus empowers us to live without fear.[6] Fearlessness becomes possible through the ascension. The ascension points us to a Jesus who presides everywhere. A Jesus who’s in command of all the cosmos. There is no evil that lies outside his reign. No threat that escapes his rule. No danger that eclipses his deity. The ascension makes it possible for churches and Christians to operate out of an overflow of faith rather than fear. To base ministry and mission on hope not horror. Jesus’ inauguration transforms cowardliness to courage. He moves us from being distressed to dauntless.
This fearlessness, however, is based in an already-not-yet understanding of the sovereignty of Jesus demonstrated in the ascension. Because of the ascension Jesus is already King of Kings. He is already seated on the throne. He is already expanding heaven’s rule to earth. But that rule has not yet extended into every heart and every home. Diseases and dangers have not yet completed their surrender. Politicians and powers have not yet vacated their offices. Heaven has not yet fully arrived upon earth. Jesus’ administration has already begun. But it has not yet been fully implemented.
This is the tension that Luke points to in his account of the ascension. Luke knows that we live with Jesus already on the throne of heaven. Yet he also knows we live with Jesus not yet on the throne of every human heart. That seems to be why he book-ends his account with two questions:
Question #1: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6 ESV)
Question #2: “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” (Acts 1:11 ESV)
Question #1 is too earthly-minded. Question #2 is too heavenly-minded.[7]
In question #1 the followers of Jesus want to know if Jesus will use his kingly power to force his kingdom on earth: “Jesus, we’re living in a world where it’s far from heavenly. So, isn’t it time now to use your might to make right?”
That’s often our question. Philip Yancey writes, “I sympathize with their bewilderment, because I too yearn for a power-Messiah to impose order on a world of evil and violence and poverty.”[8] At times we’d like Jesus to use more muscle to speed along the transformation of earth and its citizens. Yet the ascension is not intended to prime us to pine for a holy war here on earth.
But if question #1 is too earthly-minded, question #2 is too heavenly-minded. The followers of Jesus stare into heaven as he ascends. Perhaps they long to join Jesus in that place where the kingdom has already come. Perhaps they long to escape this painful place where the kingdom hasn’t fully come.
That’s often our desire. “This world is not my home,” we sing. “I’m just a passing through. If heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?” Yet the ascension is not intended to cause us to focus exclusively on heaven and forget the earth.
In between these two questions comes Jesus’ statement: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV) In other words, Jesus says, “Get busy. Stop wishing for a heavenly army to invade earth and force the kingdom to come. You are the means by which the kingdom spreads. And stop dreaming of a mansion, a robe and a crown in heaven. I’m sending you to the ends of the earth. Get busy. Join me in expanding my rule. Participate with me in broadening my reign.”
Within this tension of already and not yet, within this tension of heaven and earth, we live out a fearlessness. The ascension means that Jesus presides everywhere. The ascension is the good news about Jesus kingly command. And there is no evil, no danger, that lies outside his rule. Though it may not yet be fully surrendered, all evil and danger is certainly fully defeated.
And in this fearlessness we join our enthroned King in expanding his rule in our lives and through our lives. This is how the LATER of Jesus’ rule becomes NOW. This is how the TOMORROW of Jesus’ rule becomes TODAY. This is how the NOT YET of Jesus’ rule becomes ALREADY.
First, we fearlessly expand his rule in our lives. The kingdom coming to earth begins with the kingdom coming in me. If Jesus is going to be the King of the Hill, the first hill he must ascend is the hill of my heart.
But my heart hides rivals to Jesus’ rule. Spaces around which I’ve erected heaven-high walls to keep Jesus out. He can rule over how I treat my kids. But he cannot rule over how I spend my money. I am willing to surrender to Jesus’ reign on Sunday morning. But not on Friday night.
That’s why the ascension calls for a full-scale surrender. Every pocket of resistance in our hearts must be eliminated. Every town and village of our minds must accept his terms of surrender.
What this world desperately needs are Christians and churches fully surrendered to the reign of King Jesus. Courageously and joyfully modeling a life of utter abandonment. Cut free from the slavish devotion of our culture to self, success, and status. Released from the fear of being hit or hurt or hated. Fully alive as servants of the one true King. Knowing there is no danger that eclipses his deity. This is how we become good news the world can use.
Second, we fearlessly expand Jesus’ rule through our lives. The gospel is about more than just having a personal relationship with Jesus that transforms me. It’s about having a public relationship with Jesus that transforms the world.[9] It’s as much about the restoration of the world as it is about the restoration of my soul. King Jesus wants not only to rule my heart. He wants to rule my world.
And he’s invited us to participate in the expansion of his empire. He’s invited us to be a living witness to the world, demonstrating to people what life can truly look like when surrendered to King Jesus. He’s asked us to show and tell them the gospel, the good news that a better King is here. He’s urged us to join him, in every setting of life–home, school, office—in eradicating conditions that are less than heavenly.
The church is called to put more ALREADY into the NOT YET of the rule of Jesus on the earth. And as we expand Jesus’ rule in our life and through our life, we find that the earth looks more and more like heaven.
Matthew Parris is an award-winning author who writes for the London Times. He is also an avowed atheist. Parris grew up in Africa and returned recently to research and report on a nongovernmental organization (NGO). What he found shocked him:[10]
“Travelling in Malawi refreshed [a] belief…I’ve been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I’ve been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God…Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”
Even an atheist can see that when King Jesus is allowed to truly rule on earth, the result is heavenly. When Christians fearlessly expand Jesus rule through their lives, the change is good. The very best.
John Ortberg makes a similar point in his book Who Is This Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus.The book chronicles the ways in which Jesus and his followers have radically impacted history. For example, Ortberg shows how society’s view of children has been profoundly changed by Jesus and the church. He discusses how Jesus’ treatment of women ushered in a paradigm shift regarding the value and role of women in human societies. Ortberg reveals how Jesus’ emphasis on the mind and his followers’ focus on learning led to the establishment of schools and universities around the world. He demonstrates how Jesus’ teaching undergirds many of the constitutions and laws of the land. Ortberg indicates that Jesus is the one responsible for making humility a desired trait when it was once considered undesirable. He discloses how Jesus’ movement led to the development of hospitals and charities across the globe.
To summarize, Ortberg quotes Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan: “If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of the history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”
History proves the claim of the Ascension. Jesus is the King of Kings. He alone rules. And when his rule expands in our lives and through our lives, more of heaven shows up on earth.
The Good News of Kingly Company
But the ascension not only means that Jesus presides everywhere–the good news of Jesus’ kingly command. It also means that Jesus is present everywhere. It’s the good news of Jesus’ kingly company.
Prior to the ascension, Jesus was present at only one place at a time to only one person at a time. Consider the time when a dying little girl and a diseased lonely woman both needed Jesus at the same moment (Mark 5). In taking time to heal the woman, Jesus lost the girl. He could not be in two places at one time. The result was tragic.
But the ascension changed Jesus’ physics. Now from heaven, by means of His Spirit, Jesus is present in many places at a time to many people at a time. Jesus has risen to an office so high that he can access every person in every place at the same time. The ascension did not decrease the presence of Jesus in this world. It increased his presence in this world. In transmitting Jesus from earth to heaven, the ascension did not minimize Jesus’ company with us. It maximized Jesus’ company with us.
That’s counter intuitive. Popular blogger Rachel Held Evans once reflected on Ascension Day, a holy day devoted to Jesus’ enthronement. She stated that, for her, the ascension brings up abandonment issues.[11] It seems like Jesus is leaving us. Retreating to his castle. Sentencing us to suffer alone and unaccompanied on this not-yet planet of pain.
But the truth is just the opposite.[12] In the ascension, Jesus wasn’t drifting farther from us. He was drawing nearer to us. Taking the throne makes it possible, through the Spirit, for Jesus to be present in our lives in an unparalleled way. Jesus is not less powerful and less present. He is now more powerful and more present The rest of Acts illustrates this:
- Ascended Jesus comforts Stephen (Acts 7:55).
- Ascended Jesus stops Saul (Acts 9:5).
- Ascended Jesus sends Ananias (Acts 9:17).
- Ascended Jesus guides Paul (Acts 16:7)
Jesus’ enthronement granted him the ability to be present at any time with any person in any place on the planet.
And isn’t that just the kind of King we need? How wonderful to know that we have a King who not only reigns over us on high, but walks with us down below! There’s no better news.
I’ve seen the difference this makes and how it empowers people to become good news. For nearly a year my congregation witnessed the heroic life and death of an eight-year-old named Carson. After visiting a doctor for pain in her leg, she was diagnosed with bone cancer and treated at Saint Jude in Memphis. Her and her family’s way of handling the heartache made them good news in the lives of countless patients, nurses, doctors and others. And this was made possible because of their undying belief in the company of King Jesus–a presence pictured by Carson as a tent.
In the early weeks of battle, my family shared a meal with Carson and her family in their home. Michael, her dad, showed us a painting that Chandler, her sister, had given the family as a housewarming gift. The painting portrayed the family at a campsite. A large yellow tent stood in the background. The Heads love to camp.
Then Carson asked us, “Do you want to see my picture? The one I painted?” Yes, we did. Paula brought it over.
“Do you know what this is?” Carson asked.
Since we had just been talking about the tent in the other picture, I said with some uncertainty, “Is it a tent?”
“That’s right!” Carson said.
The thin blue line was the zipper to the tent. The purple dot was the pull for the zipper. This tent was zipped tight — safe from everything outside.
“And do you know who’s in the tent?” Carson asked.
I could not even guess.
“Me,” she said. “And Jesus.”
Carson and Jesus inside the tent.
Here’s the backstory to the painting: the night before Carson and her family went to St. Jude for the first time, Glenda, another member of our congregation texted Paula. Glenda’s text included a line which read this way:
“Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!” (2 Cor. 12:9 Amplified Bible)
The Heads shared the text with Carson and she took it to heart: a tent pitched over Carson where she could be safe with Jesus.
As days of treatment at Saint Jude began to wear on, Carson started keeping a blanket with her. When things got overwhelming, she pulled the blanket over her head. She spent most of one particularly painful inpatient day under the blanket.. She hadn’t talked all day. Near the day’s end, Paula looked over and Carson’s little hand sneaked out from under the blanket. Tired fingers motioned for Paula to come over.
Paula knelt down. She asked, “What are you doing under here?”
Carson replied, “Shhh. Be very quiet. I’m in my tent, zipped up tight with Jesus. Want to come in? It’s just been me and Jesus in here all day. Want to join us?” And then she added, “It’s going to be OK.”
When Carson went home, she said “I need my canvas right now!” She sat at the kitchen table in their home and painted that tent.
When she was done, she asked Paula, “What is it?”
“A tent?” Paula said. And Paula pointed out the shooting star.
Carson said, “Do you see the zipper? That’s the most important part.”
Carson and Jesus–zipped up together inside that tent.
Carson won the war against her cancer. But she lost the battle. One the day we celebrated her life, our church building was packed past capacity. Crowds of people clamored to honor this tiny warrior whose faith, joy and compassion for others had eternally impacted their hearts. Carson had become such good news in the lives of so many people, largely due to the courage that came to her through her belief in the kingly company of Jesus.
And that’s one of the reasons why we need to let Jesus be King. Why we need to surrender to his deity and celebrate his divinity. Because, in a world like ours, we need a King like him. A King capable of reigning over us on high and walking with us down below. When we live deeply persuaded that he is present with us, it fills us with a boldness which enables us to continue to live for the sake of others, even when our own life is slipping away. And this makes us the very best news of all. In fact, it allows us to do in part what Jesus did in full. It equips us to be present in as many places and as many lives as possible. No longer do we limit our compassion to certain areas or certain times or certain people. Accompanied by the one who is present everywhere, we to strive to do the same. As we do this, we become good news the world could truly use.
Breaking News
There are two ways to put this chapter to work. First, as part of a “Good News Group,” follow the 5 week plan, reading and doing the prescribed activities each day.
Second, on your own, or as part of a group of church leaders (volunteer or paid) read each chapter and then take time to reflect on the two categories of questions below. “Breaking Good News Through Your Life” lists individual questions for reflection. “Breaking Good News Through Your Church” lists church leader questions for reflection.
Good News Group 5 Week Plan, Days 25-27
- Day 25: Read Chapter 9.
- Day 26: List 2-3 things you’d love to do for others on God’s behalf but that you don’t do because you are afraid. In other words, complete this sentence: If fear was not a factor, I would love to do this for others on God’s behalf: 1) _______, 2) _______, 3) _______. Pray over this list, asking God to grant you courage. Choose one and take one step towards completing it today.
- Day 27: Spend some time reflecting on these statements and the ways you would complete them: Because Jesus presides over _______ I have courage today to _______; Because Jesus is present with me in _______ I have courage today to _______. Now, complete these sentence: Because Jesus presides everywhere and is present everywhere, I will _______ on behalf of others. Take one step today toward completing this action.
Breaking News Through Your Life
- “We believe in his deity but live as if we don’t.” In what ways has this been true in your life?
- “As a result, too often the church acts as if the latest breaking news, best-selling book, Supreme Court ruling, congressional action, medical diagnosis, or act of terrorism spells the end of God’s work, God’s ways and God’s world.” In what ways has fear impacted your ability to be good news in the world?
- “The ascension points us to a Jesus who presides everywhere. A Jesus who’s in command of all the cosmos. There is no evil that lies outside his reign. No threat that escapes his rule. No danger that eclipses his deity. The ascension makes it possible for churches and Christians to operate out of an overflow of faith rather than fear. To base ministry and mission on hope not horror.” How would you complete this sentence? I am most grateful that Jesus presides over ______________.
- “The gospel is about more than just having a personal relationship with Jesus that transforms me. It’s about having a public relationship with Jesus that transforms the world.” What would change about your relationship with Jesus if you more often realized it was intended to benefit others not just you?
- “What this world desperately needs are Christians and churches fully surrendered to the reign of King Jesus. Courageously and joyfully modeling a life of utter abandonment. Cut free from the slavish devotion of our culture to self, success, and status. Released from the fear of being hit or hurt or hated. Fully alive as servants of the one true King. Knowing there is no danger that eclipses his deity. This is how we become good news the world can use.” What step could you take today to live out that reality?
- In the ascension we learn that not only does Jesus preside everywhere, but that Jesus is present every where. In what space of life are you most grateful for Jesus’ abiding presence?
- List 2-3 things you’d love to do for others on God’s behalf but that you don’t do because you are afraid. In other words, complete this sentence: If fear was not a factor, I would love to do this for others on God’s behalf: 1) _______, 2) _______, 3) _______. Pray over this list, asking God to grant you courage. Choose one and take one step towards completing it today.
- Spend some time reflecting on these statements and the ways you would complete them: Because Jesus presides over _______ I have courage today to _______; Because Jesus is present with me in _______ I have courage today to _______. Now, complete these sentence: Because Jesus presides everywhere and is present everywhere, I will _______ on behalf of others. Take one step today toward completing this action.
Breaking News Through Your Church
- “As a result, too often the church acts as if the latest breaking news, best-selling book, Supreme Court ruling, congressional action, medical diagnosis, or act of terrorism spells the end of God’s work, God’s ways and God’s world.” What are some signs in the past or present that your congregation has acted out of fear rather than faith?
- “The ascension points us to a Jesus who presides everywhere. A Jesus who’s in command of all the cosmos. There is no evil that lies outside his reign. No threat that escapes his rule. No danger that eclipses his deity. The ascension makes it possible for churches and Christians to operate out of an overflow of faith rather than fear. To base ministry and mission on hope not horror.” What would your church do in/for the community and the world if fear was no longer a factor?
- “The gospel is about more than just having a personal relationship with Jesus that transforms me. It’s about having a public relationship with Jesus that transforms the world.” Would your community say that your congregation’s relationship with Jesus is personal or public?
- “What this world desperately needs are Christians and churches fully surrendered to the reign of King Jesus. Courageously and joyfully modeling a life of utter abandonment. Cut free from the slavish devotion of our culture to self, success, and status. Released from the fear of being hit or hurt or hated. Fully alive as servants of the one true King. Knowing there is no danger that eclipses his deity. This is how we become good news the world can use.” What would most change in your congregation if this reality became true?
- List 2-3 things you’d love for your church to do for others on God’s behalf but that your church won’t do because you are afraid. In other words, complete this sentence: If fear was not a factor, I would love our church to do this for others on God’s behalf: 1) _______, 2) _______, 3) _______. Pray over this list, asking God to grant you courage. Choose one and take one step towards completing it today.
- Spend some time reflecting on these statements and the ways you would complete them: Because Jesus presides over _______ our church can have courage today to _______; Because Jesus is present with us in _______ our church can have courage today to _______. Now, complete these sentence: Because Jesus presides everywhere and is present everywhere, our church will _______ on behalf of others. Take one step today toward completing this action.
[1] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE
[2] Craig Groeschel, The Christian Atheist, (HarperOne 2014), 353.
[3] N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope (HarperOne, 2008), 111-112.
[4] Wright, 112-113.
[5] David Jeremiah What Are You Afraid Of? (Tyndale, 2013), x.
[6] Gen. 35:17; Gen. 43:23; Gen. 50:19; Gen. 50:21; Exod. 20:20; Ruth 3:11; 1 Sam. 4:20; 1 Sam. 12:20; 2 Sam. 9:7; 2 Sam. 13:28; 1 Kgs. 17:13; Isa. 7:4; Isa. 40:9; Isa. 44:2; Jer. 30:10; Lam. 3:57; Dan. 10:12; Dan. 10:19; Zeph. 3:16; Zech. 8:15; Matt. 17:7; Matt. 24:6; Matt. 28:5; Matt. 28:10; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:30; Luke 2:10; Luke 5:10; Luke 12:32; John 14:27; Rev. 1:17.
[7] John Stott, The Message of Acts The Bible Speaks Today (IVP, 1990), 50-52.
[8] Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Zondervan, 1995), 229.
[9] In his book The Hole in our Gospel (Thomas Nelson, 2009), Richard Stearns warns that the gospel is about more than just having “a personal and transforming relationship with Jesus.” It is also about having “a public and transforming relationship with the world.” (kindle loc. 268).
[10] http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/matthewparris/article2044345.ece;http://www.thepointradio.org/point-blog/entry/37/17826
[11] [www.rachelheldevans.com/blog/from-the-lectionary-an-open-letter-to-jesus-on-this-whole-ascension-business]
[12] [Johnson, Luke Timothy (2007-12-18). The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters (Kindle Locations 2694-2699). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.]
