WORD From The Woods
Act 1:1-11
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
The scene is powerful. Jesus, risen from the grave, gathers His disciples one last time. He tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Then, after speaking about the Kingdom of God for forty days, He is lifted up before their very eyes.
But before we move on, we need to stop and really think about where Jesus went and why it matters.
Christ did not simply ascend to some faraway place. He ascended to His throne. Hebrews tells us, "After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3). He didn't drift off into the clouds to some unknown fairy land awaiting his destiny; He was enthroned as King. When He said in Matthew 28, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," He meant it. Right now, this very minute, Jesus Christ reigns over all.
I think sometimes we miss this in our daily lives. It's easy to feel like the world is spinning out of control. We see sin celebrated, truth mocked, and evil paraded as good. But the reality is that Christ is on the throne, ruling and reigning. Psalm 110:1, a very important prophecy, says, "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'”. And we see it again in Hebrews 10:12–13 "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet." What we see here is that Christ, who was has made the single sacrifice for all time, ascended to heaven, sat on his throne at the right hand of the father, and will stay there until the enemies of God are made His foot stool. And this changes everything for us.
Because Christ reigns, the Great Commission He gave us carries weight and authority. It's not a polite suggestion; it’s the command of the King. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," He says. "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." We must understand what Christ has done, in order for us to understand what he is calling us to do. The calling Christ has given to all humanity is massive, and if we're honest, it’s intimidating. How are we supposed to fulfill this mission when I can barely muster the courage to share my faith with my neighbor? Let alone with my buddies at work, at the landing, or over the CB radio, places where we are far more likely to be mocked and met with a flood of foul language than welcomed with open arms. But Jesus said, "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." There’s no pretending otherwise: obedience to Christ will often feel like losing our life, our reputation, our comfort, and we might look foolish, sound crazy, and yes, in some circumstances (though I pray it never comes to this), we might even be threatened. But we must cling to this unshakable truth: Christ has not abandoned us. He is with us — even to the very end of the age and Christ will come again, just as He went, bodily, visibly, and triumphantly. So, just as the angels asked the disciples, the same question is posed to us: “Why do you stand here looking into heaven?” Let us stand firm in our faith, with courage, because our King reigns, and victory is certain. Let us move forward, reading our Bibles, praying, worshiping, speaking truth in love, raising families in the fear of the Lord, and discipling nations. Do not trust in our strength, but in His promise.
Christ is on the throne.
Christ is with us.
And Christ is coming again.
Have a blessed week -Ethan-
Act 1:1-11
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
The scene is powerful. Jesus, risen from the grave, gathers His disciples one last time. He tells them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Then, after speaking about the Kingdom of God for forty days, He is lifted up before their very eyes.
But before we move on, we need to stop and really think about where Jesus went and why it matters.
Christ did not simply ascend to some faraway place. He ascended to His throne. Hebrews tells us, "After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3). He didn't drift off into the clouds to some unknown fairy land awaiting his destiny; He was enthroned as King. When He said in Matthew 28, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," He meant it. Right now, this very minute, Jesus Christ reigns over all.
I think sometimes we miss this in our daily lives. It's easy to feel like the world is spinning out of control. We see sin celebrated, truth mocked, and evil paraded as good. But the reality is that Christ is on the throne, ruling and reigning. Psalm 110:1, a very important prophecy, says, "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'”. And we see it again in Hebrews 10:12–13 "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet." What we see here is that Christ, who was has made the single sacrifice for all time, ascended to heaven, sat on his throne at the right hand of the father, and will stay there until the enemies of God are made His foot stool. And this changes everything for us.
Because Christ reigns, the Great Commission He gave us carries weight and authority. It's not a polite suggestion; it’s the command of the King. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," He says. "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." We must understand what Christ has done, in order for us to understand what he is calling us to do. The calling Christ has given to all humanity is massive, and if we're honest, it’s intimidating. How are we supposed to fulfill this mission when I can barely muster the courage to share my faith with my neighbor? Let alone with my buddies at work, at the landing, or over the CB radio, places where we are far more likely to be mocked and met with a flood of foul language than welcomed with open arms. But Jesus said, "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." There’s no pretending otherwise: obedience to Christ will often feel like losing our life, our reputation, our comfort, and we might look foolish, sound crazy, and yes, in some circumstances (though I pray it never comes to this), we might even be threatened. But we must cling to this unshakable truth: Christ has not abandoned us. He is with us — even to the very end of the age and Christ will come again, just as He went, bodily, visibly, and triumphantly. So, just as the angels asked the disciples, the same question is posed to us: “Why do you stand here looking into heaven?” Let us stand firm in our faith, with courage, because our King reigns, and victory is certain. Let us move forward, reading our Bibles, praying, worshiping, speaking truth in love, raising families in the fear of the Lord, and discipling nations. Do not trust in our strength, but in His promise.
Christ is on the throne.
Christ is with us.
And Christ is coming again.
Have a blessed week -Ethan-