Experiencing God live

Having just returned from Angola and already on his way to the North Sea island of Borkum, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider made a stopover at the Church Convention in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Ascension Day. “I apologise for just turning up like this,” he said in the evening service, which was conducted for the countless helpers setting up the event. “I have neither tickets nor a wristband.”

Eyewitnesses know more

He read a Bible passage from the Ascension events: “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: 10–11).

“It was obviously important to the Lord that the disciples should see Him return to the Father,” the Chief Apostle said, explaining the event. It was clear that Jesus had neither gone somewhere nor had He been kidnapped by enemies.

In fact, the disciples who witnessed the event with their own eyes recognised: “The Jesus who has gone up to heaven, who has all authority, who is now with His Father, is the very one who washed their feet. Brothers and sisters, this is our God. He has all authority, but He serves us.”

It was also important that the disciples understood that Jesus Christ was perfect, a human being as God wanted humans to be, the Chief Apostle explained. “And because He corresponded exactly to God’s will—He carried out His will exactly, never committing a sin—He was able to enter direct fellowship with God.”

Ascension Day joy

And then Jesus was gone. The disciples could have been sad, the Chief Apostle said, but they were happy. He explained why: “Firstly, they were glad for the Lord Jesus: He had accomplished His mission.” And: “They had experienced something unusual, something tremendous.”

Jesus had also given them two promises: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14: 18). And “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20). The disciples knew that Jesus had gone, but He had not abandoned them. They knew that He would be with them every day, that He was among them when they came together. He supported and blessed them. He was always with them. How did He do that? Through the Holy Spirit.

This joy still applies today: “In this way we can experience the presence of the Lord in our midst through the work of the Holy Spirit,” the Chief Apostle said. “We can encounter Him in the Holy Spirit, in word and sacrament. In the Holy Spirit we can experience the presence of Jesus Christ in the fellowship of believers.” God permanently dwells in our hearts, and this since we were sealed and received the gift of the Holy Spirit: “He reminds us: don’t forget what Jesus has done for you; don’t forget what He promised you.”

Concrete encounter

Not only was Jesus always with His disciples, but He had also given them this promise: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14: 3). “Here Jesus no longer speaks of a presence in the Holy Spirit, but of a very real encounter,” the Chief Apostle pointed out. “He with His resurrected body and we with our resurrection body. But the whole person.” Namely in body, soul, and spirit.

And Jesus is not waiting for us in His kingdom but is coming to meet us. “He is coming to get us in order to show us: I’m in a hurry for you to be with Me.” This is an expression of His longing and love. “In this way, He shows us that He really longs to have fellowship with us. He longs for you and me to be with Him. He longs to celebrate Holy Communion with us.”

This is also an expression of His grace, the Chief Apostle said. “We have no chance of entering heaven directly, of entering fellowship with God, because none of us can and will be perfect as Jesus Christ was.” Jesus knows that human beings need grace. That is why He will come to meet us, grant us grace, and lead us into His kingdom.

He is coming to meet us

All we must do now is to go and meet the Lord. That means we must

• return His love. “We love Him as He loves us, with all our hearts, that we truly long to be with Him.”
• seek His closeness. “If we really long to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus, then let’s take advantage of the opportunities He gives us to have fellowship with Him.” For example, through prayer, in divine service, and in the fellowship of God’s children.
• renounce that which separates us from God. “Let us give up everything that does not belong to Jesus Christ, everything that can separate us from Him.” If this is an issue for us, we should remember this: “The Son of God left the glory of God and gave His life for us.”
• serve Him. “If we love Him, we will also make the effort to be pleasant to Him, to please Him, and to serve Him. Remember that when we care for the poor, the sick, the naked, those in prison.” Jesus said, “What you did to one of them, you did to Me.”
• contribute to the unity of the church. “Paul uses an image we all know, namely the body of Christ. Christ is the head and the believers are the body of Christ. This means that in order to be drawn to Him, we must be intimately connected to Him, the head, and intimately connected to one another.”