THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!

Last Sunday was “Ascension Sunday” – the day of remembrance of when after Jesus had been raised from the dead and then He was seen venturing in and out of places to assure His believers that, INDEED, He was risen. On this day, He gave parting words to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. "Go into all the world and preach the good news!" (Mark 16:15).

In the movie "Risen", it was thrilling to have a visual of what it must have been like after Jesus came back to life. One of my favorite scenes in the movie included Bartholomew, a joy and faith-filled disciple of Christ. He had been found and was being interrogated, with the intention of Bartholomew leading Clavius, a soldier, to where the disciples were hiding out. Clavius said, "I'll kill you now if you don't tell me where His disciples are. TELL ME NOW!" Bartholomew broke into the biggest smile ever as he joyfully responded, “THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"

I loved that line because WE ARE EVERYWHERE. And, we need to keep reminding ourselves of that, especially when all the negative voices, quarreling factions, undermining and dissentious groups try to convince us that we're a minority and on the losing team. It looked that way in Jesus' time on this earth. But, like the disciples who went on to change the world, we, too are commissioned to change our world, and we continue to respond by going into our world (our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces -- everywhere) to share the good news of love and hope.

Often, it may seem that we're on the losing side, but NOT SO! The resurrection and ascension of Jesus changed everything -- our fears turned into love and our despair into joy. It changed guilty condemnation into a celebration of forgiveness and freedom. It changes anxiety into a hope that goes beyond the grave. There is a massive number of us who are followers of His message. We are EVERYWHERE! It's a message we stake our lives upon. It's a message of undaunted faith and determination to love unconditionally -- even those who oppose us so drastically.

This opposition we face is not new at all. Along the way, Emperors have tried to destroy the message of Jesus Christ. Philosophies have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the Earth with the very blood of those who claimed it. Yet the Good News of Jesus Christ still stands and still goes into the world.

Indeed, WE ARE EVERYWHERE, and it is up to us to change our world. The more we realize the responsibility and mandate of our Lord to be His devoted followers -- living out His ministry in words, actions and deeds, the more His message of love will be perpetuated. Isn't that what should be getting us out of bed each morning? Isn't that what should dictate which side we're on when it comes to loving or hating?

In this photo, Jesus is pointing to you and me, along with His followers and disciples, saying "We will change the world!" So, let's raise our hearts and hands saying "Pick me! I'll go!"