I recently asked some of my students: Where is Jesus right now and what is he doing?
A number of my students responded somewhat tentatively, saying that Jesus is in heaven. Still, when I asked what Jesus is doing right now, I saw furrowed brows of confusion and silence.
Most students in your youth group will be able to give you an answer about who Jesus is and what he did on the cross. For many of them, however, this is simply an event that happened in the past, and they struggle to connect its relevance to their lives now.
If we are honest with ourselves, we struggle with the same uncertainties in our own lives and ministries. When I talk about Jesus and the gospel, I tend to discuss only what Jesus has done (his incarnation, life, death, resurrection) and what he will do (return and reign). We absolutely should be talking about these things! However, I do not often talk about what Jesus is doing right now. And what is he doing? Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, is even now sitting at the right hand of God the Father, ruling over all things (Col. 3:1-4; Heb. 1; 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 3:18-22). And he is doing this embodied fully as a human. Do you see that? A glorified human, Jesus Christ, is sitting victoriously at our Father’s side even now.
I want to contend for the vital place that Christ’s ascension plays in communicating the gospel to anyone, particularly to our students. When you sit across from a teenager who is heartbroken about her own failings or the sins of the world, you can point her to the finished work of Jesus. The picture of his complete work is not just the cross, but Jesus—fully God and fully man—sitting with our Father even now. My hope is also to encourage you to remember that all aspects of your ministry are done in power by his Spirit because of the current, bodily reality of Jesus’ ascended presence at the right of the Father.
The implications of this glorious reality of the ascended Christ could fill mountains of books. Still, I would like to highlight a few ways the ascension animates our ministry to our younger brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus’ Ascension Brings Cosmic Significance to Youth Group
When you listen to your student talk about her heartbreaks and desires (no matter how seemingly silly or small) you bear witness to Jesus’ loving care and powerful presence in her life (Eph. 2:5-6, 18-22). When you show up to lead youth group, tired and disoriented, Jesus reigns and intercedes (Matt. 18:20; Heb. 4:14). In other words, there is a cosmic significance to your ministry—even in the broken, ordinary, and mundane.
It is not of our own power, but by his Spirit we are literally participating in Jesus’ finished and active work. Jesus’ ascension allows him to “fill all things” and to send his Spirit to dwell with us (Eph. 4:8-13). If the Bible ended with Jesus’ resurrection, the story and promises wouldn’t be fully complete in a sense. Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t about eternal life and immortality for its own sake; instead, it is about being reunited with and beholding together our Father. The fulfillment of his promises and his will being done “on earth as it is in heaven” is and will be made complete through the work of his Spirit—using you and your students in the process!
God is using us as youth ministers to participate in and make known this present kingdom—inviting our students to taste and see that the Lord our God is good (Ps. 34:8). God chose to send his Spirit to be his witness to mankind; to live in you, me, and the students God has placed in front of you (1 Cor. 3:16). When you share his timeless Word, pray, or simply sit across from a student and provide a safe and loving space, you are manifesting Jesus’ current rule (Eph. 3) by his Spirit. Jesus’ prayer (and our’s) that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven is slowly but surely being answered!
Jesus’ Ascension Brings Confidence in Prayer
Secondly, Jesus’ ascension gives a sanctity and profundity to our prayers. Prayer is a mysterious privilege that wields power for us and our world (Lk. 24:49; Heb. 4:14-16; 1 Jn. 5:14-15; Jas. 5:13-18). It is also a practice that students often ask the most questions about. “Does God hear my prayers? Do they actually do anything?”
The answer is a profound “yes” because of Jesus’ current position at the right hand of the Father in his ascended, glorified state (Rom. 8:33-34; Heb 1:3-4; 1 Pet. 3:18-22). Prayer is not simply an exercise for us to feel closer to God (though I hope it does for you). There is actual power in prayer (2 Kings 20:1-6). This is because of our union with Christ who is currently exalted above the heavens. Jesus hears us and acts on our behalf, interceding for us as our perfect high priest (Heb. 4:14).
When your student feels like she is drowning in anxiety, when God feels distant, when she does not even know how to pray, point her to who Jesus is, where he is, and what he is doing. Jesus is like us in every way, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). He sits with God even now, making effectual intercession for us (Rom. 8:26-28). Even when we can not find the words to pray, Jesus knows and actively intercedes on our behalf.
Jesus’ Ascension Brings Confirmation of Our Salvation
Thirdly and finally, the reality that Jesus ascended and is right now sitting at the right hand of God the Father gives us a beautiful picture of the security of our salvation (and the redemption of all of creation). If your youth group is anything like mine, the question “how do I know if I am saved?” pops up regularly in conversation. This, my friends, is where you point them. The reality of our glorified state—is now in our union with Christ (Rom. 8:29-30)!
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is not merely a historical event that we hope and believe in. The finished work of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is applied to the saints throughout all space and time in and through Jesus’ ascension and presence with the Father. It is a reality the Spirit renews and sustains in us, in which our whole being participates by grace through faith alone (Eph. 3). The Spirit regenerates and sanctifies us and our students to become more like Christ, to become more like our glorified selves that the Lord made us to be.
What an encouragement to be able to share with our students in the midst of struggle. When your student comes to you with frustration with her recurring sin and shame, point to the ascended Jesus: Your sin is forgiven and does not have power over you. You are an adopted daughter of the Father, glorified in Jesus. It is grace alone that holds you, not your works. And there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God just as nothing can separate Jesus from His Father’s presence (Rom. 3:31-39). As Christians, we let Jesus be the one who defines who we are, not sin or the powers of this world.
Jesus’ Ascension Helps Us Take Heart in Youth Ministry
When you are tired and discouraged about the way ministry is going, or disheartened by the choices your students are making, look to where Jesus is: reigning with God the Father. Jesus hears your prayers, even the ones you have not uttered. He intercedes for you and your students. His Spirit makes fruitful even your most disorganized talk, your scattered presence with a student, or the temper you lost in a silly game. Because Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, God uses all of us for his glory and our good (Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28). We can’t sabotage God’s good and perfect will. He calls us together to repent, believe, and follow Jesus. Then we rest in the communion our Savior now enjoys with our heavenly Father. Perfect communion with God and the saints is what all of our hearts long for (Ps. 16:11).
Jesus’ ascension not only makes it possible but guarantees that we will behold God as he is, together with all of creation. This is what Jesus’ ascension holds for you and your students, even as you meet with them over a cup of coffee, on the soccer field, or in your Bible studies. We are all part of God’s kingdom now, with Jesus as our exalted head, uniting humanity and creation with God forever.
Join us at the 2024 Rooted Conference in Dallas, Texas, October 24-26 for gospel-centered resources and training for youth and family ministry!
