Acts
1:1-11 Ascension
Day
Next
Thursday, in the Christian calendar is called Ascension Day, it is the day when
Christians commemorate the return of the Lord Jesus to Heaven.
He
had been on earth about thirty-three years. Thirty of those years had been spent
in obscurity in a little town called Nazareth. The last three years had been
spent training twelve ordinary men to change the world. His teaching method
seemed similar to that of other iterant teachers in Judah at that time but the
outcome was entirely different because he was not just another itinerant
teacher. His discipleship classes were like no other before or since. Jesus
Himself was the difference and Jesus is still the difference between what He
does and what well-meaning Bible teachers are doing today when they run
discipleship classes. There is only one person who can effectively run Christian
discipleship classes and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. What is the secret?
Those determined to become disciples must spend time with Jesus. The first
disciples spent all day, every day with Jesus and learned from Him. He was
unique. No matter whose Christian discipleship classes you attend regularly
today unless you spend much time with Jesus the class will not be effective
because Jesus was an absolutely unique person. He was the only begotten Son of
God and no one else can, or ever will be, a Son of God as He was a Son of God.
Let’s
get to know Jesus and learn how unique He is.
HIS miracles are unique.
Luke 5:22-26
22 But
when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are
you reasoning in your hearts? 23
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up
and walk'? 24 But that
you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" — He
said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed,
and go to your house."
25 Immediately
he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his
own house, glorifying God. 26 And
they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying,
"We have seen strange things today!"
His
teaching is unique.
"Never
man spoke as this Man."John 7:37- 46.
37 In
the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any
man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
43 So
there was a division among the people because of him. 44
And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. 45
Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said
unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46
The officers answered, Never man spoke like this man.
His character is unique.
He was absolutely sinless John 8:45-47
45 And
because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth,
why do ye not believe me? 47 He
that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are
not of God.
Jesus
presents us with an example for all time and He prepared the first disciples to
carry on where He left off.
He
prepared the disciples for their future work by instruction and by example. He
made them realise that they could have no other Master. They were assured that
to learn of Him was to learn the truth. This relationship continued while He was
with them, but they had to be prepared to continue it when it seemed that He was
absent.
Now,
just before His return to Heaven, He introduces them to their future work in the
church in succeeding ages.
First
there was an error He had to correct.
It
was an error with regard to the date of the Messianic Kingdom. When the Kingdom
will be set up on earth is not something that has been revealed to His disciples
because it is something that they do not need to know.
Then
a promise to give.
“You
will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”.
The
Father made the promise.
Christ
bestowed the promise.
The
Holy Spirit was the subject of the promise.
They
had to wait for a baptism of the Holy Spirit that would endow them with
spiritual power.
Then
they had to go and tell others about Jesus.
They
were to be witnesses of who Jesus is and what He has done.
They
had to go into all the world and make disciples. They were to baptise these new
disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and
then teach them to obey everything that Jesus had commanded His disciples to do
The
sphere of the commission was open ended. It was to continue and to stretch out
until it reached the uttermost part of the earth.
Centuries
have rolled by, and Christianity has not yet fulfilled all that Jesus desires of
His followers, yet the name of Jesus has never ceased to be spoken. His Holy
Spirit still performs miracles in the lives of people around the world by means
of the truth however poorly understood. Of Jesus continuing ministry we have
abundant proofs in buildings, institutions, and saved souls.
Jesus
has made provision for the perpetual continuance of the work until He returns to
set up His Kingdom on earth. Like runners in a relay disciples today have taken
the baton from those who have gone before. If Jesus does not return in our
lifetime others will in turn carry the baton and pass it on to the next
generation. The church will continue to grow until Jesus returns to establish
His reign of peace on this earth.
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