Taking Us Back

We are given that same commission, although to Jesus I am sure he meant it to be more like an assumption. We are given the same commission, remember that Jesus is alive and we are forgiven through the stripes on his back, and the crimson liquid that streamed from his brow and his hands and feet. That is some blessed assurance that you can take to the spiritual bank of God.

Lets look at the second reason as to why we are unsuccessful in our ministry: forgetting where we have come from.

“Think about the first time you ever saw him. Think about your first encounter with the Christ. Robe yourself in the moment. Resurrect the relief. Recall the purity. Summon forth the passion. Can you remember?”

Can you remember the first moment of your new life? Think back. I remember it was April 20th, 1996. I was at a Ray Boltz concert. The lights were shining brightly like the sun itself, and it was as if the music had grown arms, legs, and a voice. It came over sat by me and hugged me tightly and said “Here I am son; come; follow me.” What was your first encounter with the risen Christ like, take a few seconds to pause and think and smile as you did that first day.

Lucado suggests that:

“There is a direct correlation between the accuracy of our memories and the effectiveness of our mission. If we are not teaching people how to be saved, it is perhaps because we have forgotten the tragedy of being lost! If we’re not teaching the message of forgiveness, it may be because we don’t remember what it is like to be guilty. And if we’re not preaching the cross, it could be that we’ve subconsciously decided that–God Forbid–somehow we don’t need it.

In what was perhaps the last letter Paul ever wrote, he begged Timothy not to forget. In a letter written within earshot of the sharpening of the blade that would sever his head, he urged Timothy to remember. “Remember Jesus Christ….” You can almost picture the old warrior smiling as he wrote the words. “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel….”

When times get hard, remember Jesus. When people don’t listen, remember Jesus. When tears come, remember Jesus. When disappointment is your bed partner, remember Jesus. When fear pitches his tent in your front yard. When death looms, when anger singes, when shame weighs heavily. Remember Jesus.”

We forget far too easily over the years, things pop up and we say that things take precedence. And the Christ…the Christ is forgotten. As the storms of life come, we seem to leave Jesus somewhere back there, in the eye of the storm where he beckons us to be. The calmest part. He stands there and says “Peace be with you.”

“Has it been awhile since you stared at the heavens in speechless amazement? Has it been a while since you realized God’s divinity and your carnality?

If it has, then you need to know something. He is still there. He hasn’t left. Under all those papers and books and reports and years. In the midst of all those voices and faces and memories, and pictures, he is still there.