Christians have been charged to hold tenaciously to their confession and faith, and not allow the enemy to deceive them, because Jesus Christ by His ascension has set them free from the devil’s bondage.
The Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, gave this charge on Ascension Day at a recorded church service at St. Matthew’s Church, Gwarinpa, Abuja.
Preaching on the topic: “Christ is exalted above all,” Ndukuba explained that no enemy had the right to hold any believer captive, because when Jesus died, resurrected and ascended, He held captivity captive and won total victory over sin, death and the devil.
“Jesus paid the price and so, every accusation of the enemy is cancelled and we have nothing to fear,” he said. He said the marking of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, 40 days after Easter was a celebration of the glory of Jesus Christ, which He laid aside to show mankind the way to salvation. The Primate argued that if Jesus hadn’t ascended to heaven, ministry would have been limited, because believers would not have received the power of the Holy Spirit that is necessary for exploits in the Kingdom of God.
The cleric noted that Christ’s ascension revealed that victory has been accomplished, heaven has been opened and that Jesus Christ is coming back again. He said just as Christ died, rose again, and was lifted up, so also shall believers in Christ resurrect and rapture.
“Today, Jesus was exalted and enthroned; and He resumed His position at the right hand of His Father. Nothing could stop Jesus Christ; not death or gravity, because He is Lord over all,” he said.
Quoting copiously from the Bible to buttress his point that Jesus ascended to heaven in fulfilment of the scriptures, Ndukuba said the point of Ascension is still in Jerusalem, just as the empty stone and that Jesus’ ascension was in reality and not fiction.