14th May 2026

We are participants in the loving fellowship of the Father and Son. Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection and ascension stand at the very centre of the Christian faith. They are not merely historical events but realities into which we have been drawn. We are baptised into Christ’s death and raised with him in his resurrection. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4). 

The question naturally follows — how do we participate with Christ’s ascension? Jesus was drawn up into the heavens in the cloud. Are we now just to wait until he returns? Jesus’ ascension is not disappearance but exaltation. Jesus was taken up in the cloud, the biblical sign of God’s presence as it was with Israel in the wilderness.

The risen Christ Jesus enters Father God’s glory, intercedes for us, and remains present with his people. Now we experience his presence in a deeper way through the Spirit. Christ ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe (Ephesians 4:10). There is now no place in the entire cosmos where Christ’s presence cannot be known or felt. When Jesus ascended, he did not leave behind a world deserted by Christ, but a world filled with Christ. And this is because Jesus sent his Spirit.

Jesus prepared and comforted his disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit. He told them he would send another Counselor, and the Counselor ‘will testify on my behalf’ (John 14:16; 15:26). And Jesus said something else remarkable. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them (John 14:21). 

Through the Spirit, we are not merely followers of Jesus. We are participants in the loving fellowship of the Father and Son. This shapes discipleship profoundly. Participation in this deep and loving fellowship of Father and Son, through the Spirit, becomes our testament as a sent people. As the Father sent Jesus, so he sends us. This very life we are invited into of eternal communion of peace, joy, hope and comfort, is the very life we are called to share and to extend to others.

This study was first published in the 7 April 2026 edition of the Equipper publication.

Local congregation:
You are welcome to attend one of our local church congregations located throughout the UK and Ireland. For details of your nearest local congregation check on our website, Grace Communion International | Grace Communion International under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.

Word of Life contact:   
wordoflife@gracecom.church