Waiting can be the hardest thing you have ever done. When we are waiting for a baby to be born, we wait anxiously. We anticipate what it will look like. Will it be healthy, when can we take it home, how will we take care of it, or will we be good parents? Sometimes we wait for test results from a health issue, and we anticipate the worst but pray for the best. We wait for loved ones to be saved while we pray that they will not die before they accept Christ. All throughout our lives, we wait on different things, yet it is what we do while we wait that makes the difference once the waiting is over.
In Acts 1:6-11, we have the account of Jesus leaving His disciples and going back to the Father in Heaven. They had been with Him when He healed the sick, fed the hungry, taught in the temple, and died on the cross. They loved Him and followed Him. After His death the pain must have been almost unbearable, not understanding all that He said, their minds must have been reeling with questions and grief. After His resurrection, their grief quickly turned to joy. Their Savior and their friend was with them again! Now, in this passage in Acts, He is leaving again. I can only imagine the roller coaster ride their emotions were on.
Jesus told them that they would receive power after they had received the Holy Ghost. This would be His Spirit coming to dwell within each of them. No matter where they were on this earth, He would be with them. Now, in verse 8 He tells them why He will dwell within them. He gives them a mission that is for each of us. This truth is for all who believe in Him. He gave them power. The Greek word for power is “dunamis” and it means a force, specifically miraculous, mighty abundant violent strength that will empower us to do what He has called us to do. We have this ability dwelling within us at all times ready to be used for His glory.
Act 1:6-10“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 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. 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. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel.”
After Jesus gave them their instructions He left. It must have been breathtaking watching Him ascend into Heaven. They were looking steadfastly; this word translates as to an imperfect gazing into the clouds. Imperfect implies a lack of understanding as to what they saw. In our world, we would say we were speechless. No words could accurately describe what had happened. They could not do anything to change it, all they could do was experience it and seek to obey His last command.
Now that He was gone what would they do? How would they react to all they had experienced with Him? So many mixed emotions must have flooded their souls. As the image began to fade away, they lowered their heads and saw two men in white clothing standing with them. Again, there must have been an element of shock as these men spoke. They tell His disciples “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.”
Acts 1:11 “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.”
Now He is in Heaven pleading our cause to the Father. He is praying for us, and He is waiting to come and get us. In verse 11 we have the most wonderful events that a Christian can experience. He ascended to the Father and the two men proclaimed His second coming. In I Thessalonians 4:16, Paul expands on this glorious event. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” This is what I am waiting and longing for. As I look to the sky this morning, I imagine hearing the trumpet and seeing Him descend. That is enough to make a Christian shout! However, there is a job to do until this happens. We are to be consumed with seeing others come to know Him. For us it will be the best day ever, a hallelujah day, a day of unending rejoicing, a day that begins eternity with Him. On the extreme opposite of our day of rejoicing, are those who have not surrendered their lives to follow Him. For them, it will be the most horrible day in the history of mankind. A day that starts an eternity of torment worse than we can imagine. There will be no end to the pain, no end to the sorrow of separation from God and their loved ones, no end to their loneliness in Hell, and no end to the darkness and fear that will engulf their souls. As I look to the sky, I must keep these people in mind also. I must do all I can to reach them in their ignorance and proclaim to them Jesus Christ. While I am waiting for Him, I must do all I can to bring others to Him. He died for them just like He died for me. He loves them and I must love them too.
Are you longingly waiting for Him? Are you obeying Him and seeking to win others to Him while you wait?
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