In my first book I
told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until
the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further
instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after his crucifixion,
he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many
ways that he was actually alive. And he
talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Once when he was eating with
them, 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.” So when the apostles were with
Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel
and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times,
and they are not for you to know. But 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.” After saying this,
he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer
see him. As they strained
to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,”
they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven,
but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts 1:1 - 11 (NLT)
At the end of each year I
get all introspective, reviewing the previous year’s events and progress,
successes and flops. And then I look
ahead to the coming year; I want it to be better, more fruitful for the Kingdom
of God. Call it making resolutions, or
just
turning over a new leaf.
In 33 A.D. the disciples of
Jesus stood on the Mt. of Ascension and witnessed the turning of a new
kingdom. The course of history had been
altered forever. Jesus, the God-man, the
Eternal One who had entered time and space, had charted new courses for the
disciples and established new goals and rules for living in this new kingdom.
What
is this Kingdom?
Jesus said much in the forty
days after His resurrection about the Kingdom of God. Much of what he shared with them was
instruction, or commandments about how they were to carry out His mission in
the days ahead. What is the Kingdom? The Lord's Prayer tells us precisely,
"...Thy KINGDOM come, Thy WILL BE DONE on earth, as it is in heaven."
The Kingdom of God is extant wherever, and IN whom-ever makes it his
number one priority to do the will of God.
Now, this is not something
you decide lightly; something has to happen to set your mind in that
direction. For the disciples it was the
resurrection. That Jesus actually rose
from the dead and walked the earth for forty days is one of the most well-documented
facts of history.
In First Corinthians (15:1-8)
we find there are no less than eight specific persons or groups to whom Jesus
appeared after His resurrection. And
these were no midnight visions, no trances, or New Age séances. Jesus ate and drank with these people; they
felt the wounds in His flesh. He sat
with them in the light of day; He talked and taught and traveled with
them. This wasn’t Casper the Ghost, some
apparition, or disembodied spirit. This
was the living Son of God, raised from the dead, in the flesh and announcing
with His own presence that the Kingdom of God was upon us!
What Jesus taught in those
days was how to share this good news:
Institution of the Kerugma
The word "kerugma"
means "to proclaim". The
disciples spent time with the risen Lord learning about the Kingdom and how to
spread the Good News. And then they were
ready to serve Him. If you and I would
serve Jesus, we also must spend time getting to know His Kingdom. For those who would share Jesus, you must
have Him to share! It’s personal!
In our text note how Jesus
shares with the disciples His plans for reaching a needy world with the good
news.
First, note they were INSTRUCTED
…he commanded them, “Do
not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told
you before. Acts 1:4
(NLT)
He said,
"Wait". Those of us who are
more impetuous like Peter want to forge ahead like bulls in a china shop. We like doing things our way, but Jesus
instructed them to wait. It is always so
much more effective to do it God’s way.
We are like that in our
church evangelistic programs. We think,
"Get a 'name-brand' preacher, one that can really win people, get
decisions; that'll do it!" That may
sound like wisdom, but there's only one thing wrong - that isn't the way Jesus
said to do it. My friends, if you had
Billy Graham in this pulpit, winning 500 converts a week, this church would see
26,000 souls brought into the Kingdom this year. You would say “WOW, isn’t that wonderful”!!!.
But what if the 50 of us
here today each made it our goal to win just one person this year? And then spend a whole year helping that
person become a mature disciple who would win someone else the following
year?
Now, fast-forward twenty
years and check our evangelistic progress. With Billy Graham as pastor we’d see
520,000 people added to the kingdom. However, with just the 50 here winning 50,
then we have 100. In the second year
that 100 win another 100 and you have 200.
Keep doubling like that, and in 20 years we would witness over 52
million people coming to Christ. Which
is better? They were instructed and they
were…
INDUCTED
John
baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit.” Acts 1:5 (NLT)
...In the book of Acts there
are only six references to the "filling" (or baptism) of the Holy
Spirit. Each instance includes a bold witness
of Christ.
Conclusion? If you want to be a witness for Christ, you
will need to encounter and be filled by the Spirit. It’s also true that if you want the Spirit of
God blessing your life, get ready to be His witness!
The disciples were being given
advance notice that for the task set before them, God was going to do a major
overhaul on their courage. They were to
receive the tremendous compelling desire to share the message of Good News in
the home, synagogues, in the market place, and on the sidewalks.
They were Instructed,
Inducted, and…
INSIGHTED
6So when the
apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for
you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone
has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to
know. Acts 1:6 – 7 (NLT)
I can just imagine the
disciples were dreaming of powerful cabinet positions in the new kingdom. Promise and power from on high were theirs…and
what else, Lord? Imagine their surprise when
Jesus said, "None of your business, guys; you just do what I've told you,
and leave the driving to me."
Why were the disciples still
clinging to the ancient shrine of a national independence and kingdom for
Israel? Well, we ALL find it hard to let
go of our private, lucrative agendas.
The disciples had stuck with Jesus, all the way to Jerusalem Israel
The disciples had to learn
what we also must know...The church's job is proclamation of the gospel, not
prediction of the future. We don't have
to know what God's timetable is to be able to do what He's commissioned us to
do. He can still read a calendar. And He is still, most definitely in charge!
Instructed, Inducted,
Insighted, and…
IN-SERVICED
But
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 1:8 (NLT)
Jesus told them flatly that
they didn’t need to know the
times or the seasons..; Jesus had taken care of the power they would need –here,
my beloved, he says, is YOUR PART of the work...Here
is your priority; you be my witnesses. Go tell the good news!"
In Indianapolis many years
ago a young preacher stood on a street corner one day, and began to preach the
good news. Soon a huge crowd was
gathered, listening. The intersection
was so filled, that they were ordered by the police to disband, and the group
all moved inside the convention building.
Before the young preacher finished preaching to this overflow crowd, the
convention manager came and announced they'd have to get out to make room for
the clergy who had come to hear the speakers on "How To Evangelize the
Masses". While the convention was
DISCUSSING how to reach the lost, D.L. Moody had been DOING it!
That’s the bottom
line of being in-serviced – we go about the business of sharing the
Good News of God’s grace and saving power.
The final verses of the text
are about that – about how to cooperate with Jesus’ invitation to turn
over a new leaf this year.
Invitation to Cooperate
After
saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they
could no longer see him. As they
strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood
among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said,
“why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but
someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts
1:9 - 11 (NLT)
Jesus is suddenly taken from
the midst of His disciples – right up into the clouds! There they stand, eyes wide, mouths open,
totally amazed...and then so very alone, again!
They had to have had that same sinking feeling they had a few weeks
prior, after the cross when Jesus was buried in that grave. Now what?
But there are the angels,
standing there..."Hey, stop daydreaming.
Stop looking at the clouds. Jesus
is coming back in those same clouds someday.
And He's given you a job to do....Why stand there, when you've been
commanded to go?"
It seems it's always like
that. Suddenly graduation day is upon
us. School was regulated; time was
accounted for; structure was comfortable.
But then, graduation, and we're all grown up, supposedly, and it’s now
time to stand up and DO something!
The disciples did, indeed
“do something” – or more accurately, the Holy Spirit of God did something in,
with, and through those disciples. One
scholar put it this way:
After the wait, with the power of the Father, the church is unleashed
into the world with incredible energy and authority. It is unrestrained by the authorities it
encounters; it is unimpeded even by imprisonment. Its impact is “to turn the world upside down”
(Acts 17:6). I do not know about you;
this prospect and possibility seem remote from the church as I know it . . .
except, it is the work of the Spirit!
When the church waits and receives, it is emboldened in a way that
transforms. Imagine, “news” turned loose in the world: the truth of repentance, the reconciliation of
forgiveness. The church mounts, in effect, an abiding truth and reconciliation
commission. In the Book of Acts and long after, when
the church is empowered by the Spirit, the world finds it irresistible![1]
We have before us a new
year, new challenges and a new chance to serve our God in His Kingdom.
What is our outlook?
How shall we approach the
invitation to cooperate with God?
Will we pray and wait for
power, and then allow God to unleash us with the greatest news on a generation
of hurting and lost people that are our neighbors, friends, families and
strangers among us?
Is the world going to find
us “irresistible”?
It will, if we allow the
Spirit of God complete control here!
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