Our Glorious Hope In Christ

As we approach Good Friday and Easter, let us reflect on the hope to which God has called us.

“ 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:17-18 NASB)

One of the saddest things in life is to have no hope for the future. Today, many people are so caught up with the things of this world that they do not think much about eternity. The Bible tells us that there is life after our physical death on Earth and the Gospel is primarily about everlasting life. Everlasting life begins when we truly believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord here on Earth and it goes on forever – in the new heaven and new earth. Everlasting life is more than just having a never-ending life. It is spending our life with God, and enjoying Him and His immeasurable blessings forever. This is the glorious hope that the Apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians 1:17-18.

This glorious hope of ours does not come cheap. It cost Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God, the Son, His life to save us on that first Good Friday. He rose from the dead on the third day and soon after that, ascended to heaven. One day, He will return to judge the living and the dead. We believers are now blessed with this glorious hope that keeps us going when our journey  on this earth gets rough and tough. When we suffer hardship, pain, grief, persecution etc. for Christ and His Gospel, we fix our eyes on Him and the hope He has given us.

But we must not keep this hope to ourselves. We are commanded to share it with the world. So, let us do it. “How?”, you may ask. At YCK Chapel, we have just embarked on the initiative: “One For Jesus” [OFJ]. It encourages us to intentionally identify at least one non-believer we know, befriend him/her and, as and when led by the Holy Spirit, to share the Gospel with him/her within a 10-year period.

“One person in 10 years? That is easy.”, some of us may say. But is it? Just ask ourselves: “How many non-believers have we reached for Christ and shared the Gospel with in the last 10 years?” In any case, if we think it is easy, then we should do it! Our Small Group Church [SGC] could help by reminding, encouraging and helping us do it individually or collectively. It could also create opportunities for us to bring our non-Christian relatives or friends to its fellowship meals or outings. Our SGC could also provide an opportunity for us to account to one another, the progress we have made in reaching out to the lost.

We thank God for this blessed hope in Christ Jesus, and pray that He will help and empower us to reach the world for Christ, by words and deeds, for His joy and glory. Maranatha!

By brother Lim Han Soon