Scripture
“In
my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and
teach 2
until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his
chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.”
Acts
1:1-2 (NLT)
“So
let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you
crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Acts
2:36 (NLT)
Reflect
In
the first two chapters of Acts Luke records the ascension of Jesus to the
position of ruler of the Universe, with all authority over heaven and earth.
Jesus has become Lord.
For
most of my adult and Christian life I had no idea why the ascension mattered.
I’ve finally come to understand what the disciples experienced.
Peter makes it clear that the ascension is far more than a momentary
disappearing act. Rather, just as a
monarch’s ascension to the throne means the assumption of authority over a
kingdom, Jesus’ ascension meant to the disciples that Jesus was Lord, that
Jesus is ruling the world, not Caesar, not the corrupt tax collectors, not the
Roman military, not oppressors or enemies or bad circumstances.
Jesus is Lord. And those
three words were the Gospel that the disciples spread throughout Judea and
beyond.
In
order to understand how huge this is take time to reflect on the following quote
from scholar and author J.I. Packer.
"‘God is love’ is everything.
Every single thing that happens to
me is an
expression of God’s love for me . . . at every moment and in every event
of every day of my life. Even when I cannot see the why of what God does
or doesn’t do, The Gospel tells me that there is love in it and so he can
rejoice always, and therefore when things are going wrong. I know that the
true story of my life and my family’s life, if I could see it now, will prove to be,
as the hymn says, ‘amazing, amazing, amazing Grace!!”
expression of God’s love for me . . . at every moment and in every event
of every day of my life. Even when I cannot see the why of what God does
or doesn’t do, The Gospel tells me that there is love in it and so he can
rejoice always, and therefore when things are going wrong. I know that the
true story of my life and my family’s life, if I could see it now, will prove to be,
as the hymn says, ‘amazing, amazing, amazing Grace!!”
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
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