It is not an uncommon occurrence among many people to be telling a story, and someone feels at liberty to interrupt and interject, only to find out that they did not hear the full story! Sometimes, that interrupter might just be you.
It is ok to admit! Most people do this at some point of their life, but when you find yourself in this situation-
Make it right and finish the story.
As Christians, this ignorance of the full story plagues the way that we minister to others. We need to tell the whole story because Jesus completed the whole story.
Jesus Christ came as a babe, lived a sinless life, was wrongly accused, and killed on one of the most brutal, torture devices known to history- The Roman Cross (Luke 23:33).
And yearly on Good Friday, we share this brutal story of Christ’s death as good-
I mean, great news!
It may seem like as Christians, we live in a paradox by calling the death of our God good, but it was on the Cross that He was delivered for our offenses. But in ministering, I so often hear people talking about the death of Christ for our sins but disregard His resurrection on the third day.
Finish the story. Shortchanging your listener is comparable to a parent who tells an inspiring bedtime story about a grand hero but right at the climax-
Says, “The end.”
No! No! No! Finish the story!
Christ was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25). There is no power in a dead God. Our God is alive (Luke 24:6-7)!
Christians divide this grand story of redemption into over a month of Lent and then a seven-day Holy week of anticipation.
But we are not anticipating His death and we are not anticipating His resurrection. It is a done deal. As believers, we are daily participants to this finished work (Romans 6; Romans 10:9-13).
So, finish the story. Because Good Friday is not good news without Resurrection Sunday.