What's Next?

Christ is risen—so what now? The Gospel of John leaves us with a pressing question: Do you believe? At the end of chapter 20, John explains his purpose plainly: these things were written so that readers may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing they may have life in His name. Some scholars suggest that this was originally intended as the Gospel’s conclusion—a fitting and complete statement of faith and purpose. John makes it clear that it’s not enough to simply know the story; we are called to believe, because it is in believing that we find life.

During the Revolution youth retreat, the guest speaker shared a story about his plane rides. He said that as soon as he gets to his seat, he puts on a sleep mask and falls asleep, fully expecting to wake up safely at his destination. He then asked us to think about how crazy that really is—we trust a pilot we’ve never met, whose credentials we don’t know, and whose background we’ve never checked. Yet we still place our trust in them enough to sleep while they fly us 40,000 feet in the air at speeds of 600 miles per hour. But imagine what that trip would be like if we didn’t trust the pilot. How afraid would we be? How much anxiety would we feel?

The speaker explained that this is often what life feels like when we don’t believe in God. We look for security and comfort in other things—material wealth, power, fame—in an attempt to satisfy our insecurities and fears. This is why it is so important to believe in Jesus, whom John says gives life. Because to a certain level, our beliefs shape how we see the world and how we act within it.

For example, if we believe that people are our enemies, we will treat them that way. But if we believe that all people are God’s children, we will treat them with love and dignity. If we believe that survival depends entirely on us, we will live anxiously and self-protectively. But if we believe that God provides, and that our purpose is not just to survive but to live for others, then we will live differently.

What we believe shapes how we perceive, and our perceptions eventually shapes our reality. So let us believe that Jesus is the Messiah, who is risen indeed. Let us believe in his teachings and commandments, so that in believing we may perceive God’s Kingdom—and in perceiving it, that God’s Kingdom may become our reality.

Pastor Tae Park