Mar 10, 20193 min read

He's Alive!!! ...Now what?

Updated: Mar 23, 2019

by Dave Miller

Chapter 3: The Glory of God in the Gospel

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. – Jesus

Walk with me back on that Emmaus road as we listen in one more time. Jesus clearly taught the Old Testament pointed to his own death, burial, and resurrection. Yet as my friend, Cecil Dale, always says, “But wait there’s more!” Cleopas and the other learned:

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24: 46-47).

There is more to the story than the death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus taught the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sin in all nations was a specific part of the plan all along. It is through the preaching of the gospel by the church that lost sinners hear and believe. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom. 10:14).

Before ascending Jesus gave his final words to his apostles:

“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” (Acts 1:8).

The thrust of scripture moves to the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus and then catapults into the proclamation of this world changing historical event initiated by those called and trained by Jesus himself when the Spirit came upon them. The Great Commission of Jesus for all disciples in all times carries the same momentum:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mat. 28:18-20).

We are not talking about a side-show event or second chair fiddle. The proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth is the focus after the resurrection of Jesus.

The call of the church is to join the mission of God. We glorify Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel and God glorifies Jesus in the salvation of broken image-bearing ambassadors. Christopher Wright wrote:

Mission is not ours; mission is God's. Certainly, the mission of God is the prior reality out of which flows any mission that we get involved in. Or, as has been nicely put, it is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world but that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission-God's mission.[1]

The reality of Jesus Christ on the throne for eternity is set. The Glory of God in Jesus Christ is the end of all history. We either join our purpose for existence or continue to set ourselves as kings and queens of our own useless fading kingdoms. Our world has seen enough results of kingdom of man vs. kingdom of man struggles. We have left a trail of broken lives, broken marriages, broken families, broken relationships leading to war, poverty, crime, and every other twisting of God’s original design. However, everything changes because of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus is our salvation and he has come to seek and to save the lost.

Next up: Seek and Save

Until there's #NoPlaceLeft...

[1]Christopher J. H. Wright. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative (Kindle Locations 695-698). Kindle Edition.

Sentergy: When Jesus, People, Practice and Theology Collide

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Glory of God

Chapter 2: The Glory of God in Jesus

Chapter 3: The Glory of God in the Gospel

Chapter 4: The Glory of God in Disciple Making

Chapter 5: If You Love Me You Will Obey What I Command