by Kala Loptien

Continuing the Commission

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He presented Himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 ESV

I’m intrigued by the lives of Luke and Paul. They were not part of the 12, and they did not meet or know Jesus while He was in the flesh. (There’s some speculation that Paul, in his former life, may have been in a city where Jesus was preaching.) What we gather from Luke and Paul’s writings, however, is that they spoke with several key witnesses to corroborate Jesus’ appearing to over 500 people in the course of his forty days, post-resurrection. Can you imagine how different your life would be after hearing these accounts?

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 ESV

That’s right. These accounts were carefully noted for the generations to follow. That’s us! We are a crucial part of the great commissioning. Luke, Paul and the other scripture writers had their own encounters; their own paths and testimonies. And we are the beneficiaries. We, like Luke and Paul, did not see Jesus while He walked the earth. We didn’t hear His voice speaking over the crowds. We didn’t witness His many miracles. We weren’t there when He reappeared to proclaim victory and preach the kingdom.

But we experience Him now. Jesus reveals Himself to us through the Word, drawing us near through the Spirit. He waits for us at the altar and baptismal font. We’ve also been given the power of our own testimonies that point to His mercy and miracles in our lives. With the knowledge of truth and our own experiences as changed people, comes great responsibility. We are therefore to go and make disciples. We are to spread the word like so many of the saints before us. Our time is now. Lord, we pray that in your perfect timing, we would receive the words and the platform to share your message of hope with the world.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado