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Articles 2018-2020
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach…
If Luke’s former account (the gospel of Luke) was about what Jesus began to do and teach, then this account (the book of Acts) must be about what Jesus continued to do and teach, only now from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit. His kingdom was expanding on earth among men.
Over forty days, prior to His ascension, our Lord had appeared to His chosen apostles (among others – 1Corinthians 15:6) and presented Himself alive by many proofs speaking to them of the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:2 - 3). Here was His message; it had been so from the beginning (Matthew 4:17).
Indeed, Heaven’s messianic kingdom had been inaugurated on earth. It had not come with observation, with great earthly fanfare where people could see it visibly and say, “Oh, there it is.” For though veiled, it was already among them because the King was in their midst (Luke 17:20 - 21). The will of God was being done on earth in one man just like it was in heaven. This hidden kingdom was like a treasure buried in a field (Matthew 13:44) or like leaven that over time permeated its surroundings (Matthew 13:33). But unless one was born of the Spirit, he simply could not see it (John 3:3). And God had intended it that way. But He also wanted to make it known to whoever had ears to hear.
So starting with His apostles, our Lord gave clear instruction before ascending back to heaven.
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me.”
(Acts 1:4)
To be sure, Jesus had told them of the coming ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14 - 16). But they were to go to the right location to receive Him. They were not to go to Bethlehem where Jesus had been born. They were not to go to Nazareth where He had grown up. They were to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Why? Isaiah had prophesied that in the latter days, God would make His ways known to the nations starting from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2 - 3).
Notice Christ’s words to the apostles.
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
For the Scripture to be fulfilled, the gospel of God’s kingdom would begin to sound forth from Jerusalem. And if His servants waited faithfully, He would clothe them with power from on high to enable them to proclaim His word (Luke 24:49). So they were continually in the temple praising God (Luke 24:53). I am sure that they expected the glorious outpouring of God’s power to occur there. But the Scriptures only say that on the day of Pentecost the disciples were together in one place and that from heaven there came a sound like a mighty wind filling the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1 - 2). Many believe it was simply a nondescript house in the city where they had been staying in an upper room (Acts 1:13).
If so, it seems that God was redefining something. The glorious temple in His mind was far greater than the physical temple in Jerusalem. And He intended to continue construction. But now His house would be made up of living stones and would be worldwide in its expression.
But what about Israel? His disciples had heard Him speak of God offering His kingdom to another nation that would bear the fruit He was looking for (Matthew 21:43). Speaking to Israel’s religious leaders (Matthew 21:23), He had told a parable about a certain landowner who had the right to receive the fruit of his vineyard. Down through Israel’s history, many individuals had indeed been faithful to the Lord. But as a nation, Israel had not borne the fruit of God’s kingdom. And they had mistreated His servants the prophets. And the Man these present religious leaders were now rejecting would in fact become the very cornerstone of His building project (Matthew 21:33 - 46).
So the disciples had a question.
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 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.”
The disciples were not to focus on timelines, seasons, or chronological events. Such occurrences were simply not to be their emphasis (Sadly, it does not seem that we have heeded Christ’s words very well).
Rather, He was to be their primary focus. After all, He planned to be in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:18). And they needed power from on high to be witnesses to Him, to His presence, to His purpose, and to His work. Here was to be their message: Christ is alive, He is ruling, and He is at work among the nations.
In our day, when a bank is robbed, the police do not want to talk to people from the opposite side of town; they want to speak with those who were at the scene, who were witnesses to the bank robber, to his actions, to his appearance, and to his words.
Many believers read Christ’s promise to the disciples of Heaven’s power and then emphasize healing for the sick, deliverance for the oppressed, etc. And while these are certainly necessary elements of the gospel, in this passage Jesus was indicating that the Holy Spirit’s presence and power was for the purpose of recognizing Him. That was how He had lived.
Jesus had been a witness to the Father in Israel. He recognized Him at work in peoples’ lives and then acted accordingly. He did what He saw the Father doing, and He spoke what He heard the Father saying. And those who saw Him saw the Father. Today, God has called us to make Christ known in this world. It is not that we are called to produce anything, but to simply recognize Someone and then to cooperate with Him. And to succeed, we need His power to see through the enemy’s attempts to obscure Him.
For example, though Jesus is involved in the political realms of this world, Satan has used voices on the political right and on the political left to obscure Him and to get believers thinking and then speaking just like the unbelievers around them who hold similar political views. But we are called to recognize and to then make Christ known. If He has us involved in that arena, it is for the purpose of His agenda, His kingdom. How we need God’s power to discern our Lord at work in the political realm – especially when those on the other side of the political divide win elections.
And then there are Satan’s tactics in the Church itself. It is not only possible it is sadly quite prevalent for us to obscure Christ even while speaking of Him. When we because of our pride promote our ministry, our agenda for others, or our system of theology/ecclesiology/eschatology, we draw attention (even if only slightly) away from the One who is Heaven’s final word to the nations.
For example, if those who hold to Calvinism present their theological system from a prideful heart that cannot welcome into fellowship valid brethren who interpret scripture differently, how then are they not in that instance obscuring Christ? And if those who hold to Arminianism also present their perspective with a pride that cannot receive valid but differing brethren, how then are they not also in that instance obscuring Christ? And what about eschatology? Can Pre/Post/ and Amillenialists find the grace to receive one another, to listen to each other, and to worship together? Can we preach Christ with grace for our brethren while still holding faithfully to the doctrines we believe best represent scripture?
And what should our response be when others do not respond to what we are saying as we believe they ought? Should we elevate the volume, the intensity of our attitude, or the frequency of our messages on that particular subject? Should we draw clearer the lines differentiating ourselves from those who hold a different view? Or should we more clearly elevate Christ in our midst as the One to whom we gather? May God help us to see that He has poured out His power on us that we might make war together against whatever there is in us that obscures God’s Son.
In closing, even though we are not to be focused on timetables, God has graciously given New Testament apostolic insight on the disciples’ question above. When would He restore the kingdom to Israel? This much seems clear. He purposed to make Israel jealous of His work of salvation among the Gentiles (Romans 11:11). And the partial hardening of their heart would be removed when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Romans 11:25). As a result, Israel would be saved (Romans 11:26). Let us pray in harmony with these apostolic strategic insights.
And let us agree together to seek insight into Christ and His work among men. Let us pray for perception to see through Satan’s attempts to obscure Him in the nations. Let us preach the gospel of His kingdom. And let us go to war against everything in ourselves that draws attention away from Him.
Donald Rumble – July 2018
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