Dear Family,
Today is Friday, April 21, 2023. It is Day 13; and, Day 6 of Week 2 in our Count to Pentecost.
Off and on for 40 days our Savior remained in physical contact with His disciples following His resurrection. What an incredible period of time this must have been! It is interesting that these very special 40 days receive so little space in the New Testament Scriptures.
Clearly, Jesus showed Himself to many individuals, with the focus being on His resurrection. Much of the story that is recorded for us is found in Luke 24. Additionally, there are a few Scriptures in 1 Corinthians and Acts.
1 Corinthians 15:4-7 (4) And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (5) And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (6) After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. (7) After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
Acts 1:1-8 (1) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. (2) Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: (3) To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (4) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. (5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. (6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (7) 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. (8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit 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.
Notice that the risen Savior; now a Spirit Being; told them of many things; things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Also notice, however, that they still did not grasp the timing of the Kingdom of God. Even after 40 days with the risen Messiah, they again asked if He would restore the Kingdom to Israel “at this time.”
As we consider these 40 days of special teaching, we must remember that the disciples were still 10 days away from receiving the Holy Spirit when they asked this question. They were still 10 days away from the “power” to become sons of God and to be “witnesses.”
As we read and meditate upon these Scriptures, may God bless us with a fuller understanding of just how much we need both the law of God and the power of His Holy Spirit to complete His plan for us. Without the Spirit of God, knowing, understanding, and even trying to keep the law is of little consequence toward salvation. True understanding and the Power of God is required to write His Torah in our hearts. Then, we can be effective witnesses of what God has done and will do for mankind.
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
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