After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” 
Acts 1:9-11

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 
Matthew 24:30-31

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I’ve noticed this bumper sticker that says, “CoExist” on it and all the letters that make up the word are religious symbols. It makes sense that to maintain a civil society, we must coexist—everyone should have the freedom to express their religion. Every time I see one though, I can’t help but wonder if the driver has ever experienced the power, reality, and love of the risen Jesus. I think God wants more than coexistence for us. 

In today’s Scripture passages, we see the Apostles witnessing Jesus ascending into Heaven to take His place ruling at God’s right hand. Understandably, they stood there gaping. It had to be astonishing. The angels informed them Jesus would return “in the same way,” bringing salvation and judgment. Matthew 24:30-31 gives more details about what that will be like. Can you imagine seeing Jesus coming in the clouds in power and glory? 

It might be hard to believe, but it is our future reality. And that is why as followers of Jesus, we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. We are tasked by Jesus to show and preach His Kingdom by how we live our lives, how we treat others, and through directly telling others about Jesus. 

I have come to realize that this is only possible by spending time with Him. Romans 8:28 says, “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”  This gives me confidence to face each day (usually) unafraid and to trust Him when things go dark and He seems distant or silent. I have walked through many deserts and dark nights. It is part of the growth process that God allows all of us who follow Jesus to go through. In it all, I experience His peace, confident that He will lead, guide, and deliver me.

For a growing number of people today, the world is increasingly unstable and scary. There is fear of climate change, economic collapse, the wrong people in political power, wars, disease, pandemics, and so forth. But if you read Matthew 28, Jesus either directly mentioned all of this or alluded to it as birth pangs immediately prior to His return in full, open power—2,000 years ago! That’s more amazing than declaring the Chicago Cubs as winners of the World Series before the season begins! So while things around us may seem unsure, we need not worry because we know Jesus is with His bride, the Church.

This is the good news that is greater than a life of coexistence. His transforming love goes beyond coexistence. It leads to an eternal reconciliation that produces worry-less existence this side of Heaven. As His ambassadors, we have work to do to share this eternity-changing radically good news.  

Next Steps

If you have hesitated about surrendering your life completely without conditions to Jesus, what is holding you back from entering into a new and greater life? Now is the time to come alive and begin a new and wonderful life.

Consider praying for a people group located somewhere in the world that needs to learn about Jesus and His Kingdom by visiting joshuaproject.net.

And, don’t forget, this summer, we are committing to a goal of 50,000 Acts of Service! As we continue on in our Unleashed series, we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors in our communities. You can log your act of service here. Let’s be bold, commit to acts of kindness, and witness God move powerfully through our communities!