Its Not the End, Just the Beginning

Acts 1:1–12 NLT

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 he suffered and died, 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!” Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.

Introduction:

One of the things that we all have a hard time with is CHANGE.

The disciples were going through a world of change and they were having to grasp their new reality.

Maybe you can relate… Really, we all can. COVID-19 forced the entire world to change. At times it felt like it was the end.

It was the end of the way things used to be…

Maybe you can remember when your former pastors announced their retirement. Maybe you felt like it was the end.

Last week we talked about Jesus giving His disciples the Great Commission to go and make other disciples, baptizing them and teaching them Jesus’ commands.

How were they to do this? Yes they were all changed men who had once abandoned Jesus but were restored and were willing to die for him, but they were just fisherman, ordinary men and women just like us.

I can only imagine what is what the disciples must have felt as Jesus left, came back and then left again.

The question on everyone’s mind was “What now?”

They must have started felt abandoned and were going to have to figure it out all on their own.

But this was not the end, it was just the beginning.

Let’s look at this well-known passage and unpack it as we continue our journey from Easter to Pentecost.

Theophilus

Acts 1:1 “In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach”

Luke is author (undisputed)

2nd Book after the gospel named after him

The book is written to Theophilus. Who is he?

“Friend of God”

possible benefactor - person funding the mission

In the gospel of Luke he is called “most honorable Theophilus”

man of position

yet he was listening to what the man of God said/wrote

there seemed to be some sort of relationship between Luke and this official

Luke was writing to all who would consider themselves, students/friends of God/willing listeners

Do we consider ourselves as such?

The Ascension

Acts 1:1–3 “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 he suffered and died, 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.”

Can you picture Peter, James, John and the others standing there looking into the sky as Jesus was taken up?

It must have felt surreal - have you ever been in a moment when you just had to slap yourself and say this can’t be real, this can’t be happening?

Jesus had been victorious over death and now He was leaving, being caught up into heaven.

It must have felt like the end for these disciples.

But this was not an abandonment by Jesus - This was an even further declaration of His Authority.

He did not just vanish - He was taken up and placed on His throne right in front of them

This was not a moment of loss but a coronation of the King! PTL (Got to have the right perspective)

Before this happened Jesus spent time with His students, 40 days, not just a casual conversation, here and there.

This was a time of intentional preparation for things to come

They needed to know just how big this whole thing was - it was a big deal!

He wanted them to know the mission wasn’t over, it was just getting started

It was a shift from the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of the disciples and the church

Jesus’s departure was not His way of checking out, but it was Him assuming His place as the rightful King.

Hebrews 1:3 “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”

Ephesians 1:20–22 “that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”

Knowing that Jesus is the King of kings and has all authority helps us as we carry out the mission of the church. It assures us that we have His backing.

We have confidence in knowing that we are taking up something valuable and worth fighting for and that we are not doing it on our own.

He gives us help!

The Promise

The disciples stood there dumfounded trying to make sense of it all when Jesus gave them the simple plan: WAIT.

Acts 1:4 “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.”

I can just imagine Peter ready to go out and win the multitudes for Jesus.

He just witnessed Jesus’ resurrection

He saw Jesus walk through walls

He saw the nail scarred hands

He saw Jesus on the beach

He saw the charcoal fire and

He heard Jesus ask him if he loved Him

He recieved restoration

and now He witnessed Jesus ascending into heaven

Do you know what I want to do when I get my marching orders? I want to take the hill? Maybe you are a lot like that.

But Jesus says WAIT!

But why wait?

This mission was too big for them to do in their own efforts. They were going to need some help. They needed power that was beyond themselves.

Acts 1:8 “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.””

These guys were not just going out as mouthpieces - they were going as Spirit empowered witnesses!

This was not a job they could do out of their own power—they needed the power and presence of God to be in them and work through them.

They needed the Holy Spirit and so do we!

The Holy Spirit is not a thing — it is the very Spirit of God Himself.

It is His Spirit that equips us for the mission

His Spirit empowers us to speak truth in love

His Spirit empowers us to love boldly when people are unloveable

His Spirit empowers us to live in a way that reflects grace

The Holy Spirit is not given so you can have a feel good experience or just speak in tongues or feel like you are better than others

He fills His believers to be witnesses

One report shows that roughly only 35% of people in charismatic churches actually speak in tongues, which we believe is the initial evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

It would appear that the Pentecostal church is becoming less and less Pentecostal.

We need to remember that we have been given a great mission and one that we simply cannot do in our own efforts.

We need to seek a closer walk with God and actually desire all that He has for us, including the baptism of the Holy Spirit

If you have been seeking an experience but have felt like maybe it wasn’t for you, it is for you! God wants to use you and to do that He wants to fill you.

Don’t just seek an experience, seek God! Ask Him and receive Him.

The Mission

Acts 1:8 “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.””

The Mission is clear and one that moves out from the center

It started in Jerusalem (the place where they were) - this is the people who they knew and were comfortable with, people who spoke the same language, shared the same culture, were like them. The mission started with people they already knew.

Then the mission circle widened to Judea and Samaria - this would have been telling people who probably made them feel uncomfortable or challenged their preconceived ideas about Jesus. Judea was a desert region and Samaria was a group of people that would have definitely been outside of their comfort zone. These people had a much different idea about religion and the cultural divide was huge.

The mission continued to ever widening circles. Now the call was to go to the ends of the earth. Have you ever been to the ends of the earth? This is a call to reach everyone, all nations, all peoples from all languages, all cultures, cross all borders, and go into places they never even dreamed of.

This mission continues today!

We are called to engage those in our home and neighborhoods

We cannot keep the good news to ourselves. We need to share is with those who are not like us, those who challenge our ideas, those who talk differently, those who vote differently, those who look different.

He didn’t just call us to go, He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us.

Where are you today?

Who do you need to share Jesus with?

Do you need that empowerment?

Conclusion

As I begin to pray today and conclude this part of the service I want to leave you with this thought.

The Angels said:

Acts 1:11 ““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!””

This question is huge.

Why are you standing there staring into heaven.

I am reminded of when God filled me with His Spirit. It was a Sunday evening service and there were a bunch of people there that night. We had a special guest speaker from Arizona and the lady preached one of the most compelling messages I had heard to date. I was moved and Inez and I went forward to be prayed for. After having a word proclaimed over us and the laying on of hands, I fell under the mighty power of God and laid there on the floor while my sweet bride prayed in the Holy Ghost over me. I laid there while the altar service continued on and felt such wonderful peace as God ministered to me. Then I heard in my heart something that I will take with me all of my life: I know it was the Lord and He spoke this to me, “It is time to get up off this floor and get to work.”

It wasn’t just something that Jesus told me to do, I have felt His empowerment to do that since that day.

So my question to you is simple: “Why are you standing there?”

Altar

Now is the time for you to move.

If you need to empowerment of the Holy Spirit - He is wanting to fill you today, but you are going to have to take a step of faith to receive Him. It’s time for you to move out of your seat and come down to this altar.

If you need to surrender your heart to Jesus whether it is the first time or you have turned your back on Him and want to come back, it is time to move. Come and let Jesus be Lord of your life.

If you just need to talk with Jesus, come and talk with Him.

As I pray, that is your time to move