And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:7-9)

The resurrection of Jesus brought great hope and joy to the disciples who were hiding for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). The established religious council will surely pick them up and send them to prison, for so they thought. But when the Master suddenly appeared to them in their hiding place, all of the disciples were amazed and could not contain their joy that indeed the Master was risen already. To Thomas who was naturally inclined in probing things, he could not believe the news that the Lord was already risen and he said that unless he inserts his fingers into His wounds and touch His sides, then he will believe.

Thomas’ unbelief is not without some grounding, because he was hiding when Jesus was crucified and he knew that no one could really rise from the dead except Him who has the power over death. John writes, the disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord (John 20:20). This rejoicing was like being reunited with your friend whom you have missed for a long time; finally, they saw Him whom their soul loves. It was only later after eight days more that Thomas had his fingers probe the wounds of the Lord and touched His side, exclaiming in great joy, “my Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Despair turned into hope for finally he has found his Savior true to His words, He indeed rose in the third day after He destroyed His temple.

Likewise, there are true disciples of the Lord who unless they will see first His miracles and His evidence, they will not easily believe in Him. It is not a doubt to mock that they have, but a doubt that wants to believe when they see Jesus Himself in nature. Or in His works. I for one could not believe what my ears heard and what my eyes saw when I first attended a meeting of students who believed in the Holy Spirit and in His power. I have never thought that the stories in the Bible could be so alive, not until I myself saw it and heard.

There were emotions mixed with joy and euphoria but in all of these, the people I saw were different because they live their lives in accordance with the Bible. Before, I only knew the stories, but when I saw them with my two eyes, I finally believed God is alive and He is moving in the present, not only in the past. I see too, that in my generation, there are many youths who are in bondage to many forms of addictions which take their time, money and learning but if they were to be touched by the Lord, we do need some changing in the church. They have to find a church that is genuine and whose God is alive not simply spoken of. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that he came not in persuasive words but in power so that their faith will not be in the wisdom of men but on the power of God. Without this power, how can this new generation which is addicted to need adventure be turned to God? Read again the Scriptures which was mentioned above,
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1-5 NASB)

The church that will be found by the Lord in His coming will not be the lukewarm church which many have acted. But it will be the church that is purified and caught up in the third heaven with the Lord. When John was in the Spirit, the angel who gave him the book told him that he must prophesy again to many peoples, nations, tongues and kings (Rev. 10:11). From the angel’s mouth, it seems improbable that John who died in 100 A.D. could have prophesied to many tongues and nations and kings except that of the Roman Empire in his days. Another explanation for this could be that John was a type of the Church who must prophesy again to the nations these last days.

In Rev. 19:10 it states, “the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy,” which means that indeed John (the Church) will preach again Jesus Christ into all nations in these days proclaiming the message of the Kingdom. This could also be the reason why the Lord told Peter that even if John should remain, what is that to Peter? (John 21:22). We have finally reached a juncture in time when the Church must keep on advancing and take its destiny with violence to the forces of darkness. The main reason for this is possibly the closeness of John to Jesus which even Peter acknowledged (see John 13:24). This will be the Church whom the Lord shall find, a spotless and pure bride that He has redeemed from the world and from darkness, paid with His own blood.

A new power

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

The ascension was not just the aftermath of the resurrection but it contains events worthy for inspection and instruction. The Word of God tells us that every part of the Scriptures is useful for training and equipping so that we will be “thoroughly equipped” (2 Tim. 3:16). Just knowing the events that transpired in the life of our Savior will do us no good thing unless we learn to extract truth and life from them. Many are weak, powerless and sleeping because they only gave lip service to the Holy Spirit.

Many of these churches do not give Him free reign to transform their programs and services into the most passionate praise of love to the Lord. As the Lord Jesus Christ was God Himself, so is the Holy Spirit who was the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself. In the beginning when there was but a formless mass, the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters and He called forth the creation from this worthless mass. In the living Bible, the Hebrew word in Gen. 1:2 is translated as “shapeless and chaotic mass.” This too has a reason as the Lord often restores, recreates and brings perfection out of the most imperfect beings and things of this world.

There are not many wise, or nobles but God calls those who have the humility to receive His words from His servants who too are made of clay, frail and without any strength and power of their own. Today the Spirit of the Lord is again forming the new creation in the midst of chaos.

If the disciples ran away during the crucifixion, after they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit, they stood against the most powerful religious council of that time and they declared, that they would rather obey God than men. The same power which was in them have been shed abroad even in our hearts. When the apostles died, they did not take with them their strength and anointing. The same level of anointing can be said to be at work today as it was with the apostles but even greater because the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former. Not that we are far superior to them in any discipline or gifts, but because the Lord will also fulfil what He has said in His word that the last shall be the first and the first shall be last. We need the great light and grace of God so that we can finish our mandate.

There would be a time when even one single believer who walks intimately with the Lord shall overthrow even a company of persecutors in so much that they would wonder with what power God has delivered them. These wonders are for us, bread for the Bride who has purified herself from dust. No wonder the Lord wanted to go away because it would be far better for us so that the Helper would come. The Spirit of the Lord will once again move in awesome wonders even through all believers given to Him. These messengers of power and who made it their resolution to seek to serve Him even in the darkest of times will not only be known by hell but even by heaven. As extraordinary as they are, they won’t be found in the palaces for they mix and mingle easily to even the humblest believer.

If He had stayed, we would have been limited and fighting for His attention and presence, but because He ascended and is now seated at the right hand of God, the hand of power and authority, we have Him in our midst where there are two or three who are gathered in His name. He has sent His Holy Spirit to be in us. Think about that, the power of the Holy One lives in every believer. This truth is not new but we all have to start living its meaning. We all have to devote our lives seeking Him every day and enjoying His presence. He is just a breath of prayer away from you. You can start to have this secret relationship with the Lord. God is still moving today just as He moved powerfully before. He is calling His children who are willing to leave the known for the unknown, to sail the treacherous sea with Him as the Pilot. Just as when He ascended on High, He released and commissioned His disciples, today we have been sent and we have been released!

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)

Sent into the world

We are ambassadors of the Most High sent into this world! Ponder about that, we are His ambassadors. An ambassador is one who represents the interest of his country. One cannot become an emissary without having distinguished himself of knowing his own country so well so that he could represent the interests of his people better. Take Mary Magdalene who was honored to be the first to see the resurrected Jesus and was tasked by the Lord to proclaim His resurrection to the disciples. This experience could have only come from a close personal walk with the Lord. To better represent the interest of heaven, we are all called to be one with the Lord. In fact, those who seek Him the most, those who desire Him the most can walk as closely as they could with the Master.

Our walk with God must be focused on this single aspect, to be as close as we can get with Him because all learning, wisdom, guidance and deliverance can only be found in Him. I have heard other Christians say, then that is selfish! It can be selfish, but even what we may think of as being selfless can be our means to self-righteousness. Deliverance from selfishness cannot be removed by focusing our vision to ourselves because we are fallen creatures. The only escape can be found in Jesus, the perfect One. He alone can deliver us from all evil, even our self-centeredness; He alone can show us our sins and He alone can keep us away from “foxes in the vineyard that can spoil” our relationship with Him. There is no single resolve that can better inject insulin to a diabetic church that this, that we all keep getting closer with the Lord.

The most productive servants of God are often also those most given to walking closely with the Lord. Although we cannot measure productivity by number of products we sell in the Kingdom of God, their products can be measured by how much love there is in them. Since we are not under compulsion or under the Law, all the things that we do are indeed measured by love. As Thomas A Kempis wrote, “he does much who loves much.” Therefore, without love, all external products are of no value be it to God or man. These will be clanging cymbals in the ears and heart of God. I would rather do little with much love than do much without any love in it.

Sunday people

Many children of the Lord are deceive by living double lives. They thought that they can get by these things without jeopardizing their souls or salvation. The lack of conviction should be interpreted as a judgment itself for they are storing up greater condemnation in hell. James wrote about these Christians, as double-minded men, unstable in all their ways (James 1:8). This lack of stability brings them into deception that feeds on the lies of hell. That said, those who continue to praise God during Sundays and then live in the world during the other parts of the week, becoming adulterers for they co-mingle with the world are by far in the most miserable state. They justify this religiosity by their Sunday goodness, only to wallow again in the mud in the next days. They sell their oil to the fairs of this world and forget the admonitions of the Lord, living lives of hypocrisy.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? (James 4:4-5)

When we allow the world to influence us rather than us changing the world, it is time to move. It is time to do violence to ourselves and repent of our compromises. We cannot remain pure unless we stand for the purity that God called us to be. Our victory can only be complete when we rest in His victory, which is, done! It is presumption to even think that we can overcome the world if we are not spending as much time with God as we do to our chores.

The Lord must be our single most devotion and desire. We must do all that we can to become as close to Him as possible. Abide in the vine. For in Him lies all our sustenance, protection, healing and empowerment. The ascension demonstrates to us one thing, He is far above all power and authority and seated at the right hand of God. Those who walk closely with Him will demonstrate His authority because they are also seated with Him in the heavenly places.