Chop, Chop Christians!!

Read Acts 1:1-11

Title in NIV: Ascension of Jesus to heaven.

Acts starts where the 4 gospels end. Jesus promises a gift from his Father in heaven; he promises the Holy Spirit. Luke says that all Jesus did and taught and instructed was through the HS. John records Jesus’ description of the HS in John 16:7. “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” “It will teach you all things” (John 14:26). Jesus also said his disciples would be baptized with the HS and with fire (Mt. 3:11).

 Sunday we discussed that just like we only use 10% of our brain, we only use 10% (or less) of the HS’s power in our life. It was explained that if the ocean were the amount of HS available, we would take our small Coke can and say ‘fill’er up.’ We only use a Coke can amount of the HS when the whole ocean is there for us. Our humanness can’t fathom the HSs power. Ephesians says “That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead…” We have the same power that the Father used to raise Jesus, we just don’t use it. What is keeping you from tapping into that power?

In verse 6, it is apparent that the disciples still thought Christ was going to restore Israel and become a king to defeat their enemies. Jesus explains that they are not to know the times and dates of the end. So what are they supposed to do? Be witnesses to the ends of the earth. So are we! We are not supposed to be so alarmed with the end of times that we look for the signs of ‘labor pains: wars, and rumors of war. Such things must happen. Nation will be against nation, famines, earthquakes…false prophets will appear, wickedness will increase, the love of most will grow cold.’ (Mt. 24:6-12).  We are to stand firm and share the gospel. Jesus will know you by how you loved, how you shared the gospel, how you shared your possessions and time, how you forgave, how you held out the Word of life to others here on earth. Jesus will not know you by how much you stock- piled money, food, weapons, ammo to survive the ‘end of times.’ (By-the-way: no one is getting out of this world alive.)

It is interesting that the men were looking intently up into the sky after Jesus. Two men in white came to them and basically said, “Chop, chop! Get to work! Stop wasting time looking for physical evidence of Jesus and the cloud he will return in and go tell someone about him.”

We need to get busy using the power of the Holy Spirit of save lives and grow His kingdom. Happy hunting and fishing and may your nets over flow!