Acts 1
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 Ghost 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 Ghost 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 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.
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.
We don’t know much about Theophilus, but dr Luke wrote his epistles to him. His name has a double meaning, “the one loved of God” and “the one who loves God”.
Jesus said of the pharisees, “do as they say, but don’t do what they do”. Jesus was not like that. That was also why at the beginning of the revival we emphasised this point that we need to live the Gospel.
Watch those who talk a lot. They are the ones who sin a lot.
Theophilus was hungry for the Gospel. He wanted to know how the first church started and grew. So Luke first wrote about the foundation, how Jesus lived and what He taught.
Can you also tell about God’s work in your life and how it’s growing?
In his second letter, Luke decided to write about certain people whom God used.
If Luke had to write about you, what could he write? Your life is being recorded in heaven. What is being written about you?
Luke also wrote about Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, for without it there would be no outpouring of His Spirit.
In Acts Luke started after Jesus died and rose again, for Jesus is the foundation of the church and the work done by His children is the work of God.
After Jesus was risen from the dead He revealed Himself to them during a period of 40 days. But this time was different to the time before His death and resurrection. Before His death and resurrection He had a body like ours. He got tired, got hungry etc. After His resurrection He had a new glorified body, a heavenly body, a body that would never hunger, never experience pain and weakness. He was no longer with His disciples in the same manner He was with them before His death and resurrection.
He didn’t have the same human limitations they had. If they wanted to enter a room they had to enter through the door, but He entered and exited closed rooms at will through the wall. He would appear at vastly different places and then disappear again. At one time He revealed Himself to 500 at once.
He was however still recognizable as the same person as before.
We also see this on the mount of transfiguration that Moses and Elijah could be recognised even though they had glorified bodies.
His glorified body was also not a spirit as He said to Thomas to touch Him, and also at another time to the disciples to touch Him, when they were amazed at Him appearing in a locked room.
Those days must have been wonderful, like in heaven!
During those 40 days their eyes and affections were fixed on Him in His glorified body and they drank in every utterance from His lips. His words was like the sweetest honey to them! Every word He uttered must have made the deepest impression on them never to be forgotten again.
Finally He revealed Himself to them on the mount of Olives, the very same mount where He sweated drops of Blood and suffered the deepest humiliation.
We will never in all eternity be able to fathom what He went through when He drank that cup filled with our iniquities. Sin became so united with Him that God His Father forsook Him and He cried out in anguish, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me”. Oh, how He suffered even before He died!
He took His disciples back to this very place of humiliation, and from here He ascended into Heaven, as conqueror over sin, death, hell and satan.
He had been rejected by men, so despised that no one even wanted to look upon Him. Read Isaiah 53 to see to what extent He was rejected and suffered for us.
Here He ascended into Heaven in His sparkling glory. There was no more fitting place for Him to ascend into heaven.
If we read in the Psalms it sheds light on what occurred during His Ascension.
Psalms 47
5 God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
The greatness of the occasion must have drawn all the host of heaven to applaud Him and praise Him with shouts of praise and jujulation, after all He went through and conquered!
We lack eyes and ears and senses to comprehend the great victory He accomplished!
His victory is my victory. His glory is my glory too. We are limited by our bodies to express this!
Do you realise that through His victory you are an heir of heaven? It is said of JF Kennedy, president of America, that his small son entered while he was with a foreign dignitary. His son simply waded to his father and jumped on his lap. Even though other people, even important people, had to specially arrange a meeting with him and then only for a small time, his son had no such limitations but had full access, being his son.
So we are heirs of heaven and this right has been won for us by Jesus!
Do you comprehend the greatness of the matter?
The servant of Elisha only saw God’s host once the prophet prayed that God would open his eyes. May God so open your eyes.
Have your eyes been opened to see that “God has gone up with a shout”?
Do you see this? Are you united with the host of heaven and His children in celebrating His conquest and victory?
The psalm we read continues as follows:
7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.
What does this Jesus and His Ascension mean to you? Are you oblivious to this and like the blind leading the blind? Or does this fill your heart and soul and is your consuming passion that’s continually renewing and changing your life?