Acts 1:3. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Are you facing hardships or crises in your life? Are you discouraged by your present reality? Or are you suffering physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
Then come and meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives. There, He will open your eyes to see your problems from an entirely different perspective. You will begin to understand why God allowed those things in your life, and you will discover the mission He has prepared for you.
As you continue to meet the Lord on the Mount of Olives, you will experience the reality of the kingdom of God where you are, and your life will never remain the same.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus continually sought to open the eyes of His disciples to the reality of God’s kingdom. On one occasion, He said:
“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house” (Matthew 12:28–29).
Then, on the Mount of Olives before His ascension, Jesus spent forty days speaking about the kingdom of God. Why was this so important?
Because there is another kingdom at work in this world—a kingdom of darkness that brings curses, disasters, confusion, and destruction. Without experiencing the kingdom of God and discovering your mission within it, nothing can truly prepare you for the future.
Jesus knew that the fall of Israel was near and that the Jewish people would wander the earth for nearly two thousand years without a homeland. That is why He called His disciples to the Mount of Olives.
There, He explained why the gospel—that Jesus is the Christ—is the only answer to mankind’s fundamental problems (Acts 1:1). He taught them that living in the reality of God’s kingdom is the only way to overcome the world (Acts 1:3). And He commissioned them to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth through the promised power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
Today, God has also called us to stand in this age and block the disasters coming upon the world. That is why He has entrusted us with the gospel even in the midst of hardships and crises. Therefore, today’s problems are not truly problems. God still has hope and a future prepared for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
To prepare us for that future, God desires to change what has been imprinted, rooted, and established within us by replacing it with the blessings of the gospel.
Whenever God allows hardships in our lives, it is often because He is preparing to do something new and begin something new (Isaiah 43:19). He has an important mission for us to fulfill.
That is why the Mount of Olives became a place of healing, empowerment, and commission.
Whenever the scars and failures of your past begin to haunt you, meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives. He not only resolved all of them at the cross, but He will also use them to bless both you and others. There is nothing your True Priest Jesus cannot heal (Mark 10:45). There, you will begin to understand why certain things happened in your life.
Whenever you feel pressed on every side, meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the One who shattered the power of Satan through His resurrection from the dead (1 John 3:8). Nothing can stand against your True King Jesus. He will remind you of the spiritual authority and the keys of the kingdom of heaven He has entrusted to you (Matthew 16:18–19).
Whenever you lose focus and forget what matters most, meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the One who became the new and living way to the Father (John 14:6). Your True Prophet Jesus will remind you to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). He will fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you may testify to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).
Do not worry about anything. Take time each day to meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives again and again. There you will find grace, mercy, rest, and strength in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Meet with Him in the morning (Psalm 5:3), throughout the day (Ephesians 6:18), in the daytime (Psalm 23:1–6), and in the evening (Psalm 17:3). As you do, you will be revived, healed, and strengthened. God will reveal His mission for your day and for the rest of your life.
Start small, but stay focused: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
There is only one method: the power of the Holy Spirit. There is only one destination: the ends of the earth.
About one hundred and twenty people began with something very small: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14).
That was all they could do, yet that simple act of faith and obedience changed the world.
So stop focusing on your weaknesses and present circumstances. Come to the Mount of Olives today.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, remind me of who I am and of all that You have given me to fulfill the mission of proclaiming the gospel to all nations. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit so that I may carry Your gospel to the ends of the earth. In Your mighty name, Amen.