Pastor’s Column 6/29/2025

PASTOR’S COLUMN

19 “When the Lord Jesus had finished  talking with them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached , and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miracles.”            Mark 16:19-20, NLT            

“Practicing What We Proclaim”

The real measure of missions is described in the appended portion of the Gospel of Mark that appears in most ancient texts. Because  Mark’s Gospel was the first of the Gospels, the earliest texts did not include the longer ending. These comprise verses 9-20.  Fortunately, we have these later verses included in the majority translations. We see Jesus giving the disciples the Great Commission to take the Gospel message to all the world; this includes all people. After Jesus ascended into heaven “to sit down in the place of honor at God’s right hand,” the disciples were given an important missional task. They were to go everywhere proclaiming the Good News of God’s love, forgiveness, and repentance trough His Son, Jesus Christ. What made the message compelling was not just what the followers of Jesus communicated, but the miraculous deeds they practiced. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come to them; live in them; and empower them to perform many miraculous works. The healing, help, and transformation people received was confirmation of the Message spoken and proclaimed to them. A phrase that was included in a speech Abraham Lincoln gave in 1856 said, “Actions speak louder than words.” There are other iterations of these words but the sentiment is the same.  What we do has far more reaching consequences than what we say. I believe the consequences of the good performed can only confirm the truth of what we say.Jesus told believers, when we feed the hungry; clothe the needy; and visit theincarcerated, we demonstrate our love for Him and all He teaches us. This way, miracles are performed each day!