Acts 1 Acts 1:6-11 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The LORD makes it clear to us that we should keep in mind the hope of eternity, His return, and the day of fire. But it is also clear that there is much more for us to have in our thoughts and important missions for the Kingdom of God. Are you still gazing up into the sky looking for Christ? Or are you going about your Father’s business, doing as Jesus did while He was here, loving people, showing them the Kingdom of Heaven and glorifying (being the image of) God? Just before, the ascension described in Acts 1 Jesus gave the apostles a job, THE job, it is this: Matthew 28:18-20 8 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” You have been called to do a great work; you are given great power and authority to do this. He didn’t leave you alone, He is with you. You have the Holy Spirit and He is powerful. Are you sitting on the sidelines wishing you had the kind of power displayed by those “strong” Christians? Do you wish you could have the impact for Our LORD that Billy Graham has? You can! We all have the same Spirit! He is powerful and He is inside you, waiting to fill you and flow from you, ready to let you use Him so He can use you. Mathias was a disciple of Jesus; he followed Him from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was not one of the chosen twelve, but he was there anyway. He loved Jesus and was just as devastated as the eleven when Judas of Iscariot betrayed their rabbi. After the ascension, Mathias probably expected to go back to his life, and in that life tell people that he had been a witness to the Messiah. Instead though, he was chosen to be an apostle. He was called to a very important job. He took that job and he did it. Jesus knew from the beginning that Mathias would be an apostle, even though he was not in the chosen twelve. God gave Mathias everything he needed to do the work He was born to do. Not only was he given gifts and talents, but he like all believers was given the Holy Spirit. God has called you to do a job as well. He prepared you. He has given you everything you need to do great acts and good works for Him. Don’t be like the guy with super powers that chooses not to use them to fight evil and instead uses them to move the couch so he can vacuum. Be like Clark Kent and use your gifts and power to be Superman.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:42:53 +0000
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