Ruins?
Only Jesus can fix it!
Jesus Alert! Please listen to the voice note first🫶🏽.
Today’s newsletter is special for so many reasons. First, I recorded you a voice note🤭. It’s more or less whisper mode and I have hints of an accent, both because I was at work and couldn’t speak up, and code switching is not that easy to turn off😂.
Second, today makes it 5 years since I died to sin and became alive in Christ through baptism by immersion and my faith is really my anchor. That’s why I’m sharing today’s newsletter with you, to tell you about what keeps me grounded and the hope I have that has changed everything for me.
Finally, I’m now a business owner🥳! I can’t believe it either, and this has been one of the scariest things I’ve done in a long time. Weird how every time I have to put myself out there, I get so scared, but I post on my socials every week😂. But I have a curated gift box business now. I give God all the glory!
Jesus had resurrected now, after being put to death by the Jews, and He had gathered all the disciples together. They were all with Him, except Judas Iscariot, and they were listening to Him speak, for what was eventually the last time they would hear His voice physically. He told them to sit and stay in Jerusalem, and to wait for the Promise of the Father,
“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.””
Acts 1:4-5 NKJV
And now, the disciples had a question for Him, a question that showed what the Jews believed would happen when the Saviour comes, and probably why they didn’t realize it was Him while He was with them.
“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?””
Acts 1:6 NKJV
For context, the Jews were at this time under the Roman Empire, and the reign of the Romans was, in a way I would say, akin to the colonization a lot of countries experienced. I would even say it was worse. The only hope the Jews had was of a Messiah, who would come and save them from the rule of the Romans. And so, when Jesus came and He was not interested in making war with the Romans and giving the kingdom back to Israel, they were really confused and thought there was no way He could be the Messiah they had been waiting for.
It’s easy to judge them, but I’ve found myself expecting a Messiah nowadays more than ever before. It feels like the world is crumbling before our eyes, and because I know the word of God, I know it only gets worse. How do children get kidnapped and a whole government doesn’t even so much as make a statement about it? How do parents prioritize themselves so much that they decide to abort a child because the child was diagnosed with a disability and they wanted to do what would benefit their family in the long run? When did we become so selfish as a society? Who can fix us and fix our world?
After they asked this question, Jesus gave them an answer:
“And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.””
Acts 1:7-11 NKJV
And here, this right here is the assurance we have. The Jesus who ascended into heaven is returning, and with even more glory. And this time, He will come and take back the kingdoms of this world and rule, and be under the rule of God.
“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
I Corinthians 15:24-28 NKJV
That’s the liberation and the kingdom promised, and the one we hold on to so tightly. That’s the one I’m asking you to look to. The truth is that, a good world right now is only a foreshadowing of the one to come, the beautiful one we will have when Jesus returns and rules. But how do we get access to that kingdom when Jesus comes, because not everyone will be a part of it?
“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:8-10 NKJV
The way to be a part of the kingdom is by confessing Jesus as Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. There are so many promises, and seemingly temporary fixes, but nothing can truly free us like the power of Jesus. I didn’t think the newsletter was going to take this turn today, but I really want everyone to be hopeful again, and not just hopeful about the temporary fixes that the people of this world might offer, but of the final and only fix needed, the one that Jesus offers.
My words are not perfect, and I’m not a preacher, but I really hope this blessed you. Consider sharing it with your friends and your siblings and everyone else.
I love you all, but Jesus loves you even more,
Wuraola ❤️