Ascension

 Watching their newborn sleep, Bonnie & Clyde were spellbound. Bonnie glanced at Clyde. On his face was a mixture of skepticism, doubt, disbelief, delight, amazement, & enchantment. Touched, Bonnie slipped her arm around his waist. A penny for your thoughts," she said. "Amazing!" said Clyde. "For $50, how can they make a crib like that?" Just because we see a scene doesn't mean we understand it. Too often, we focus on unimportant details. When that happens, we miss the miracle in front of us. Jesus told His disciples they'd be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Galilee hicks! Ambassadors for the King of Kings! And what are they doing? Gawking at the sky. Let's look at the story in Acts 1:1-11. 1In my former book... That was the gospel of Luke. Theophilus, I wrote about all Jesus began to do & to teach. A visitor to Hannibal, MO, Bob came up to the old, white-bearded owner of a roadside stand. He knew Mark Twain spent his boyhood days in Hannibal. Bob asked, "Did you know Mark Twain?" Indignant, the old man replied gruffly. "Yes, I knew him. And I know just as many stories. Only difference? He wrote 'em down." Many knew stories about Jesus. But Luke wrote 'em down. Some of them. There were just too many to tell them all. In addition, each witness Luke interviewed knew stories the others didn't. And some details got left out. For example, before Jesus' resurrection, only in Mk 14:28 & Mt 26:32 did Jesus tell disciples He'd meet them in Galilee. And on Resurrection day, only in Mt 28:10 did Jesus tell the women, "Tell my brothers to go to Galilee." He told them. But a week later they were still in Jerusalem. And then, only John tells us that Jesus showed Himself to Thomas. Soon after, the disciples finally went to Galilee. We only know because John told us. On the shore of Lake Galilee, Jesus restored Peter by a charcoal fire. Our verses pick up the story. Jesus kept on 2instructing the apostles he'd chosen through the Holy Spirit until the day He was taken up to heaven. Through the Spirit, they were chosen & taught. 3aAfter his suffering, He showed himself to these men & gave many convincing proofs He was alive. Jesus invited them to touch His wounds. (Can't touch a ghost.) He ate. (Ghosts can't.) He kept appearing to as many as 500 on different occasions. (That many? Can't be imagination. To be legal, only 2+ witnesses were required. Many more than that saw Jesus, after His resurrection.) 3bJesus kept appearing to them over a period of 40 days & kept teaching about the KoG. Wouldn't we love to be in that bible study? Peter's & John's books show how much they learned! 40 days in Galilee passed quickly. They came back to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). 4aOnce, while eating with them, Jesus commanded, 4b"Don't leave Jerusalem. Why? 4cWait for the gift my Father promised. Wait? Not our human strong suit. We're all in a hurry. We want what we want. Now! But when Jesus says wait, it doesn't mean pace the floor, looking at our watch. We're in a hurry, but God isn't. What does Jesus mean by wait? Keep praying for it, hopefully. Keep looking for it, expectantly. Watch & pray till it comes. Trust God & His timing. He'll lead us & bless us. That's how to wait for God's promises. What did He promise the disciples? 4dYou've heard me speak about it. When? Only John tells us, in Jn 14:26, 15:26, & 16:7. 5aJohn baptized with water. That's what John said in Lk 3:16. John also said Jesus' baptism will be even more powerful. When will it occur? 5bIn a few days you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Jesus will baptize with fire when He returns. He's been teaching them about the KoG. They get it. It's already here. 6So while they were meeting together, they kept asking, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" The KoG has started. Is Jesus also restoring Israel's kingdom, now? 7Jesus answered. "It isn't for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. His point? "You're in sales. Not management. Only the Father is Management. Dates & times are His." As for you? 8aYou'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Power! Yes! What's the catch? No catch. But there's purpose. A mission. 8bYou'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem. Start where you are. Work outward to those nearby. Those like you in 8cJudea. Then go to 8cSamaria, nearby areas where people aren't like you. Keep witnessing. Go 8dto the ends of the earth." Make disciples everywhere. Baptize them into Christ as you go. 9aAs soon as He said this, Jesus was taken up before their very eyes. As the Father took Him up, they were as spellbound as Clyde, looking at his son in the crib. Soon, 9bthe shekinah glory cloud hid him from their sight. No wonder 10athey were looking intently up into the sky as he was going! They were as amazed as Clyde as they gaped in the wrong direction. 10bSuddenly 2 men dressed in dazzling white stood beside them. Suddenly? Dazzling white? Angels! 11a"Galileans," they said. Like Jesus, Galileans. Brothers. 11b"Why do you stand here looking into the sky? You're marveling over the $50 truth. You should be marveling that the King of Kings has made you His ambassadors! Besides, He'll come back someday. 11cThis same Jesus, Who's been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you've seen him go into heaven." Coming back on a cloud? He's the Son of Man from Dan 7:9-10, 13-14! Jesus gave His disciples a mission. Their mission is ours. Still need help in how to get started? Maybe this story will help. A stranger approached a wealthy Boston woman on the street. He talked to her about Christ. She felt bit overwhelmed. Finally, he invited her to accept Jesus as Savior. When she got home, she told her husband all about it. He replied, "Wish I'd been there. I'd have told him, "Go away! Be about your business." But his wife retorted, "You should've heard him. If you had, you'd realize he was about his business!" That business is our business. Their mission is ours. The real question? How will we start? How will we keep going? Dr. Howard A. Kelly had a creative way to start his mission. He often wore a large button with a big question mark on it. Why? Strangers often asked, "What does the question mark mean?" He'd answer with a question. "What's the greatest thing in the world?" Many answered, "Good health." Others said, "Money, happiness, etc." Whatever they answered, Kelly always said, "No. The greatest thing in the world is this question. "What do you think of Jesus?" Why? The answer has eternal consequences. Kelly then told them about Jesus. That question mark button was his springboard to talking about Jesus. What's ours? Ascension - Acts 1:1-11 Page 1 of 1