Good morning, thank you for reading.
I have a brief message for you today. As we have celebrated Easter, where do we go now? While the cross is victory for Christ and those who believe in him, it is a beginning, not an end. In a way, Easter is the start of the Christian new year. What are you going to do now?
Why share the Good News of Jesus Christ, of course. Let’s look at Luke’s words in Acts 1:3-5,
“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”
The disciples, still struggling to grasp the new reality of Christ’s resurrection ministry, now ask Jesus this, in Acts 1:6,
“So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’”
The disciples of the risen Savior still do not understand the true, revolutionary, cataclysmic, eternity shifting change that has taken place. They are stuck in their old thought patterns, looking for deliverance for the people of Israel from foreign domination and the resurgence of the old style Jewish kingdom.
As with all the shortcomings of understanding within the Jews of Christ’s time, those of us today have to reflect inwardly, because we all are suffering from the same malaise as the disciples: We are concerned with politics and nation building. While we should be concerned with the Holy Spirit and Christ’s ministry of resurrection, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There is a place for politics and nation building. But not, if as in this instance, you are holding on to dreams that are unnecessary due to Christ’s victory on the cross.
We should all now understand that heaven on earth is not the future. Read Revelation, this earth will be destroyed. We will live in a new heaven and New Jerusalem.
Everything now is about eternity, specifically, where each of us will spend eternity.
Jesus’ victory on the cross has shown us the way, and while there is a necessary function for politics and voting reviving the United States, we must not confuse the message of the cross with political messages. While I am not naive’, and I do understand the spiritual battle within todays’ political headlines: I do wish, I do pray, that we have the spiritual energy for sharing Christ’s resurrection message as we do making America great again.
While I do sense a Christian spiritual resurgence, we cannot allow it to be misunderstood in a fashion similar to the Jews and their dream of restoring the nation of Israel. Winning souls for Christ is not the same as getting someone to vote for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
While the fate of the United States is very important, and I urge everyone to pay attention and vote with common sense, I am more interested in my neighbor’s eternal destination.
Let’s look and see what Jesus’ response was to his disciples. By the way, these were the last words that Jesus spoke before sitting down at the right hand of his Father in heaven. Acts 1:7-8,
“It is not for you to know the times of dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth..”
It is all about Jesus. Stay prayed up.
Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.