Dear Family,
Today is Thursday, May 18, 2023. It is Day 40; Day 5 of Week 6 in our Count to Pentecost.
Jesus came preaching that the Kingdom of God was near.
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison; Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God
During the 40 days He spent with His disciples were to further equip them to be His witnesses. Those 40 days were days of special preparation. The disciples were to preach about the Kingdom of God just as Messiah had done. They were to explain what the Kingdom of God entailed, including Messiah’s virgin birth, His teachings and miracles, His sinless life, sacrificial death, resurrection to eternal life, and His ascension to heaven to His glorified position at the right hand of the Almighty Father. They were also to preach repentance and remission of sins in the name of the Anointed One of God.
It was the ascension of Messiah into heaven that marked the conclusion of the physical preparation of the chosen apostles. Ten days after the ascension, God sent His Holy Spirit to grant them the spiritual preparation for their evangelistic witness to all the world. On Pentecost, they were to be given qualities of God’s divine nature including the boldness to preach the gospel and power to become sons of God.
The ascension, which occurred 40 days after the Wavesheaf offering, is mentioned in both Acts and the gospel of Luke.
Luke 24:45-53 (45) Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (46) And said unto them; Thus, it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) And ye are witnesses of these things. (49) And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (50) And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. (51) And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (52) And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: (53) And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
Acts 1:1-11 (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 themforty 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. (9) And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (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.
Jesus sent the apostles to Jerusalem. There they waited in one accord in prayer and supplication. They had great expectations, and they were not going to be disappointed.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.
May God bless us with just such an expectant approach of being in one accord with prayer and supplication as we look forward to the coming of Pentecost and all that God has in mind for us this year.
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
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