4. On one particular occasion, while He was eating with them in one of these meetings, He spoke very directly to them, saying, "Don’t leave Jerusalem…wait there for the gift that My Father promised you…the gift about which you've heard Me speak several times…do not leave there until that promise is fulfilled for you!5. You all know that John baptized with water…well, in the same way, and in a few short days, you will all be baptized with the Holy Spirit there."
6. But when they met together, they had no response to His insistent instructions about their introduction to the other Comforter. Again, as they had done every time He had broached this subject with them, they just seemed to ignore His words. Instead they asked Him, "Lord…now are You finally going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7. But He said to them: "Stop being preoccupied with trying to figure out natural things about a natural nation…things like times or dates. The Father has taken care of all that by His own authority.
8. Focus instead on this…on the promise that you will receive dynamic power and inherent ability when the full revelation of the Holy Spirit dawns on you…and then you will be able to be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the entirety of the earth."
9. After He said this, He was engulfed in a cloud, and completely disappeared into it from their natural sight.
10. So they looked up into the sky, gazing intently at all the clouds, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them on the ground.
11. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking up into the sky? You will not see Him there. Look around you here on the earth…be His witnesses here, as He commanded you. As He was taken from your physical company into the heavenly realm, so He will return to you shortly in this dimension, according to His promise!”
14 comments:
v.4 - ..."wait for the gift" caught my attention. (of a multitude of options, how many would consider baptism a gift?)
I like how that makes me wonder.
I appreciate how baptism is an outward show of cleansing, purification, initiation, and dedication. (some are even named at their baptisms)
v.8 - is it too "out there" to wonder? Isn't Jesus the promise? Is He saying, "Hey, guys - watch Me!", before climbing into cloud v. 9? (David Blaine -top that!)
V.11 - ever wonder why the two men in white specified, "Men of Galilee"?
Love it; so fascinating!
First thing that "spoke" to me directly, so I have to respond to it ~
vs 7... so clear to me >> it's about HIS time, and in my case what's "not yet" ~ and it's ALL GOOD to have it be that way !
Peace,
Northern Light
I enjoy as Karl wrote was well previously, how Jesus often included spiritual feasting with natural feasting - nutrition, enjoyable flavor and texture/context, and satiation across the board.
Clarity in the natural and The Spirit as you write Bishop. Yum !!!!!!!!!
‘The promise received, dynamic power, inherent ability, as the full revelation of the Holy Spirit dawned on them’. Witness to their own evolution.
The Holy Spirit blossoms in each of us. A recent era psalmist sung-
I made it through (my) wilderness, somehow …
didn’t know how lost I was until I found You,
.. You made me shiny and new ,
My fear is fading fast … ‘cause only love can last
Makes me strong, makes me bold,
Your Love thawed out what was scared and cold.
I’ve nothing to hide … you love me.
_____________
The promise received, realized, the full revelation of The Holy Spirit engaged. Express, Live, witness the Spirit in what we do.
Greg Crawford said...
This is going to be good!
Ditto, Izumi/Joy and Greg Crawford...so fascinating and this is going to be good!
Izumi/Joy...it is so cool that you out-of-the-box wonder at things.
V.6 "they just seemed to ignore His words"...v.7 "stop"...v.8 "focus on this" -- BITN helps us really see Jesus' ragtag team...making sure we do not see them as perfect men following perfect Jesus perfectly.
"gazing intently at ALL the clouds"...cool. I like the sense this gives of them searching for Him...and immediately guidance comes to stop...and get focused back on the earth.
Amen, Greg, amen!
* Good evening beloved Universe.
* Happy Mother's Day to CITN moms! Hello to every God seeker.
* Thank you, Avatar! Greetings, NL, Erik, and Greg Crawford.
Good to 'see' you again, Izumi/JOY, missed you.
In Him we live and move and have our being...what a wonderful gift and expression of God's grace and love ...to receive dynamic power...the same spirit that raised Jesus..dwells in us!
Love this!!!
Love the Book of Acts. They just caught glimpses of the spiritual realm until the time when the Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. After this, the internal revelations burst forth naturally, organically-the Teacher had come to live and instruct from the inside out.
About the Body of Christ:
"Always remember that you are but a member, you need to accept the workings of the other members. When you submit yourself to a visible authority you are in perfect harmony with the Head, since the fact that someone has the supply constitutes His authority. The eye alone can see; so in the need to see you have to submit to the authority of the eye and receive its supply. The ministry God appoints is authority; no one should reject it. Most people want to have God's direct authority, but God's more frequent way is to set up indirect or delegated authorities for us to obey. Through them we are to receive spiritual supply."-
From pg 82 from Spiritual Authority, by Watchman Nee
God makes it incumbent upon us to take the "Love Walk" if we are to have Himself revealed to us, because it is through the loving sumission to one another in the Body that Christ is revealed. Awesome.
God morning beloved Universe!
* Thanks, Erik. (lots of travel - so fun!) Back ITB soon!
He said, "Don't Leave Jerusalem... Wait there........"
Many promises to human kind but the problem lies in whether we're ready to wait or not. Acts is and will ever be practical to all those who wait upon the Lord.
You taught in one Wednesday night 2008 from the book of Isaiah 40:28---. and you used the Hebrew word "Cava" not actual spelling. But the context was about waiting on positively yet unyielding.
So let's always be positive and not doubting that He who promised will perform His word in glory. For he cares for for His word to see that it's fulfilled.
Thanks Bishop, thanks bloggers,
Pr. Ben Nadiope.
I really appreciate what's been shared so far. Pr. Ben, I noticed that, too. Also rhema to me were the words, "...is fulfilled for you!" (the impetus being on God)
What touched me was . Sometime we are so busy looking for what we think is coming . We miss what is already here ...
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