Acts is a book that is very transitional, bringing us from Old
Testament to New Testament. It tells us about the beginning of the church.
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he
through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had
chosen:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion
by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God:4 And, being assembled
together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.5 For
John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence.6 When they therefore were come together,
they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the
kingdom to Israel?7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to
know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.8 But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.9 And when he
had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.10 And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel;11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye
gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
In the first few verses of chapter 1, Jesus tells the
disciples what is to come, what they need to be doing, and the future. Then
they just stand there gawking up into the clouds until two angels came and told
them to quit looking to the sky and get to work. Even though Jesus told them what to expect
and what their jobs would be, it didn’t fit with the picture they had of Him
restoring His kingdom. They still thought he was going to kick out the Romans
and rule right there on Earth.
God doesn’t always show us the whole plan. We can’t understand
and comprehend the whole picture, He has to continue to teach and reteach us.
Jesus Christ is the head of the church. The church is not a
building, WE, born again believers in Jesus, are the church. Our job is to go
and share Jesus. We have to stop gazing up into heaven, and work while we are
waiting.
Paul Brow, Haven of Rest
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