The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Monday
August 4, 2008
When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going
to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?"
"The Father
sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for
you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere – in
Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky
while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were
straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among
them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky?
Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him
go, he will return!"
Acts 1:6-11
First, let me just thank all of you that responded Friday. It just let me know that I am listening and being obedient.
Now, talk about a one track mind…! For centuries prophets predicted the coming Messiah who would restore Israel to its original position of respect; at least that's the way they interpreted it. It didn't happen while Jesus walked in the flesh. So, now that He is resurrected they want to know if He is going to bring about all the promises they heard of. Well, they didn't get the answer they wanted to hear. Can you relate to that?
Way deep inside each one of us is a need – a hunger – for significance. We want to be wanted and known by another person (or many people). I'm not sure, but I think maybe these few men and women were the same way. Yes, they wanted all the prophecies to come about, but they wanted it like we want it – instantly – overnight – supernaturally!
Well, Jesus simply tells them that once they have obeyed Him they would receive the power to go around telling people about Him. Now, do you really think they fully understood what He was talking about? I don't think so! However, Dr. Luke tells us that not long after Jesus gave them this commission He disappeared into a cloud right in front of them. Hey, if that won't make you withdraw from folks for a while - nothing will. So, they were given a promise by two angels…Jesus would return! I believe I would want to spend some time with the people I experienced this with and just reflect on it. That is what they did.
Several years ago, after attending the Emmaus Walk, I looked forward each week to the night those who had attended the retreat got together. Our meetings were usually pretty intense as we shared our failures and successes for the previous week. As we did this we began to experience a genuine bond of love connecting us! In doing so, we grew, but so did others God led us to reach out to. I think it was the same with the disciples.
If we are going to do great things for the Kingdom we are going to need the support of others who are heading in the same direction. One of God's promises is that one can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. There is strength in groups of people who find their significance in Him! He is coming back…let's go tell!
Father, sometimes we just lose sight of the truth…Jesus will return! We forget that we are supposed to be about the work of bringing lost and scattered sheep into the fold. Please forgive us and help us to stay focused on Your purpose for our lives - for each one to reach one!
