Beacon Touchpaper #21: "Jesus, our LIVING founder"

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt 28.18-20, ESV)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Mahatma Gandhi. Florence Nightingale. Leo Tolstoy. Sir Winston Churchill. Mother Teresa. William Wilberforce. Albert Einstein. Leonardo da Vinci. Martin Luther. Just a few examples of great men and women of history. All of these people have left immense legacies or made profound change for the generations to follow. Human rights, science, faith, liberty... these men and women have influenced millions for the good and for the future. They have shaped the world we live in. They have all died. They have all stayed dead.

Many more people throughout history have begun radical, continued social movements. But one significant difference each time is this: none of their founders are still with them. The Church, God's called and chosen people here on earth, is utterly unique for many reasons. Notably, it is the "only organisation in the world that exists solely for the benefit of its non-members" (Archbishop William Temple). And, more importantly, its - our - founder Jesus Christ is still with us. Always. To the end of the age.

As we celebrate Easter, just like when we remember Him in Communion, let us not only tell half the story. As we share the Gospel, let us not only preach His astounding work on the cross - paying our penalty for sin, dying in our place, receiving God's wrath so that we don't have to, granting us forgiveness - but let us also preach His glorious resurrection - in which we are raised to new life in Him, partaking in His righteousness, His blessings and eternity with Him. His death is only half the story; His resurrection completes it. Every sermon found in the book of Acts preaches the resurrection, bar one (Acts 7) - and that sermon was interrupted by the risen Jesus Himself while Stephen was preaching!

So be encouraged and preach the FULL story of Who Jesus is, not just was. Let our lives preach the glory of the living Jesus within us through His Holy Spirit. And let us continue to be strengthened by the knowledge that our glorious Founder (Heb 12.2), King and Saviour is WITH us now. Always!