Proclaim the Good News

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:36–49
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Proclaim the Good News
It can sometimes be hard to be a Christian in today’s society. And I suspect it will continue to get even harder. The world does not want to hear what God has to say and certainly does not want to hear it from any of His followers. So, there is a tendency to hide our identities. We remain silent when the opportunity to share the Gospel appears. We don’t want to offend anyone with God’s Word, so we hide in silence. But we are not called to shut ourselves up in our churches and keep the Good News to ourselves. It was meant to be shared with the whole world. Jesus dispels all doubt when He offers absolute proof of His resurrection. Again, He points to Himself as Scripture’s center, but now includes the mission to all nations through the Holy Spirit’s power. There is the danger that we keep to ourselves when Jesus is equipping us to go out, we accept the fact that He is risen but deny the mission on which He sends us. The resurrected Christ truly equips us for our witness to Him with the Holy Spirit, whom He provides. May the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, enable us to bear witness to our crucified and risen Savior.