The Ascension: Hope Ascends - A FAITH BASED HUMANITARIAN AND EVANGELICAL ORGANISATION

The Great Commission: Sharing the Good News

April 8, 2024

PENTECOST: POWER UNLEASHED

April 10, 2024

SERIALISED PRACTICAL GUIDE

TITLE: WHAT IS NEXT AFTER THE RESURRECTION?

DAY 5 OF 14 SERIES (TUESDAY 9^TH APRIL, 2024)

TOPIC: The Ascension: Hope Ascends

AUTHOR: MARY LAWRENCE-DOKPESI

SCRIPTURE

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)

The Ascension: Hope Ascends

Gazing upward, the disciples witness Jesus lifted into the clouds. A bittersweet moment – their beloved teacher is departing, yet their hearts swell with a newfound hope. The ascension signifies Jesus’ return to his heavenly throne, but also the promise of the Holy Spirit’s arrival. A radiant light envelops Jesus as he ascends. A sense of peace settles on the disciples, a reassurance that their connection with him remains unbroken.

BENEFIT: The ascension reminds us that our hope rests not on earthly things alone, but on the eternal kingdom of God. Jesus, our advocate, prepares a place for us there.

ACTION STEP: Spend time in quiet contemplation, focusing on the heavenly realm. Reflect on the hope of one-day dwelling in God’s presence.

Prayer: Almighty Father, thank you for the promise of eternal life with you. Help me to live each day with an awareness of the heavenly realities that await those who believe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

FURTHER EXPLORATION: 1 Corinthians 2:9, Philippians 3:20-21

Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi

Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi was born in Nigeria to Patrick Abuda Obeakemhe and Juliana Fatimatu Obeakemhe, both from Ogbona Town. With a master’s degree in law, she was called to the bar at the age of twenty-two, and she is currently the principle partner of the law firm Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi & Associates. She is also the founder of two philanthropic organizations: the Living Waters Mission and the Rose Croix Foundation. In addition to law, Lawrence-Dokpesi was drawn to spiritual pursuits at an early age, having begun studying philosophy, theology, chaplaincy, and spirit therapy by the age of eighteen. Inspired by her spiritual calling, she has produced ten intensively researched manuscripts on spiritual matters. Although Understanding the Spiritual was the last to be written, it is the first to be published. Lawrence-Dokpesi is a mother and a wife living in the city of Abuja, Nigeria.