vation is assured only through the blood of Christ. Jesus is now living in us and it is our responsibility to carry out His ministry on earth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He left us with this message, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:18). We can continue Christ’s ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing. He has given us the power and authority to do so!Application to My lifeThe Spirit has impacted my life in so many ways. I was raised in a strong Christian home and God had always been a part of my life. I never questioned His existence or His power. He has always been so real to me. Growing up, I had a pretty close relationship with Him. When I entered high school, my relationship with God hit a stand still. At least this is what I thought, but the Bible tells us that if we are not moving forward we are moving backwards and this is exactly what happened. I spent less and less time with Him and although He was still very real to me, our friendship diminished and He was no longer a part of my life. His Spirit was still with me and I heard that voice telling me that what I was doing was wrong, but I learned to shut it out. God seemed so far away, so distant. There was a time when I could talk with Him for hours, now I couldn’t find the words to pray for five minutes, and I usually didn’t even try. I continued on this path all through high school; I was enjoying my life. I thought I had everything in the world going for me. I loved my school, my friends, volleyball; everything was great. As I approached the close of my junior year and my father receives orders (he’s in the air force) to move to the other side of the country. Move my senior year? I donR...
