Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did not tell His followers to go back to the cross on Golgatha and tarry until they received power from on high. He emphatically said this:
He commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5, 8 NLT)
Very simply, once you have been to the cross, move forward. Too bad many Christians do not take this advice. Neither do they take the advice written in the Epistles that are filled with action verbs encouraging us to move forward in the faith. Notice that in the description of the armor a Christian is to wear, it only covers the front, because we are to always stand firm against the devil and advance forward in the faith:
As a matter of fact, there is admonishment for not moving forward:
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. (Hebrews 5:11-14 NLT)
This doesn’t mean that we are not to remember the cross and not take unbelievers to meet Jesus at the cross:
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV)
But far be it from me (Paul) to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14 ESV)
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV)
The following Scripture cements the fact that once we are saved at the cross, our salvation is to be continuously moving forward by the process of each of us working out our salvation daily with godly fear and trembling:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)
There is an old time hymn where the last stanza should be the first stanza to be Biblically correct. I took the liberty and corrected it so that after meeting Jesus at the cross we follow Him to wherever He leads:
1. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
2. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Never forget the fact that as Christians, it is all about the WORD. Jesus is the living WORD and the Bible is the written WORD:
But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)
“You need the Bread to feed the life to you. The Word of God is the Bread. There is no famine going on now; God is giving us the Bread of Life.” (Smith Wigglesworth)
Annointing 