Aftermath: Heaven's Promise - John 20:19-23

Whether or not Jesus would fulfill His earthly mission was never in question. However, whether His followers would accept their mission was a whole other story. After unfollowing Him and hiding out in fear, on top of outright scoffing at the idea of Jesus being resurrected, the Disciples weren't exactly eager for whatever Jesus had planned next. Jesus spent a period of 40 days after His resurrection persistently working to re-recruit His Disciples and turn them loose on the world. After several encounters, while they seemed glad that Jesus was alive, they weren't all too inspired. Eventually, they realize the errors of their ways and surrender to God's plan. But what if? What if Peter and the others had stayed on their self-centered path? What if they had chosen to stay in Galilee and reverted back completely to their former lifestyles. In this series, we study the aftermath of Easter and consider the potential directions things could have taken. We hear from Jesus how crucial and urgent it is that we continue His mission and prioritize His Kingdom over all else. How foolish would it be, to have witnessed all that God has done for us, but go about our lives as if nothing really happened? How can we claim Heaven's promise, but deny Heaven's calling over us? It's clear that resurrection's impact on us is determined by what we do with what's been done for us.