YOU WILL BE CLOTHED WITH POWER…BE HUMBLE 

“I am struggling a bit with my sermon on the Ascension – its got a bit complicated and tangled”

Overhearing this conversation between a lay preacher and their pastor, I gave an erudite reflection, unbidden by the enquirer.

“He blessed them and left!”

Maybe not so erudite, and possibly some might argue, reductionist. But on one level its true.

The passage is of course the end of Luke’s Gospel where in the first part of the good Doctor’s two part story, he has Jesus instructing the disciples for a last time before leaving them to be with his Father.

⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49)

Jesus’ final preparation for the disciples on the day of his ascension was to confirm fulfilment of his mission, open their minds to the revelation of him and his mission in the scriptures (ie the Hebrew writings), summarised the Gospel, the good news of salvation, and promised that they would receive power to be witnesses.

Jesus spoke of the promise to send the Holy Spirit when speaking to them in the upper room on Maundy Thursday.

⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: (John 16:7-8)

He had identified the Holy Spirit as the spirit of truth and now says that by leaving them (on the day of Ascension) that makes way for the Holy Spirit to come. And he is our advocate. That means one who speaks for us. He is an encourager. One who strengthens and provides wisdom. The one who powers and directs our ministry to be in line with the will of the Father.

This means that none of this kingdom building we might be called to (that’s the Holy Spirit too by the way!) is about us. Our ideas, our strength, our wisdom. None of it.
It’s all about Him.

There are two traditional approaches to pray about these things.

“Father please bless our ministry”
“Father show us what you are already blessing and help me join in”

Which do you think might be most real and closer to the Father’s heart?

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    the builders labour in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

This has been highlighted in the past couple of weeks in two ways.

Firstly, the street evangelism last weekend where 25+ church members from three churches went out in 2s or 3s to chat to the people that they met. I went out with someone from Grace Vineyard and we met a about 3 people that we spoke to. We prayed for one of them, twice, for healing. We didn’t speak to everyone we passed. We smiled and said hello but not everyone was accosted for a conversation. We prayed for almost all the people we passed and wished a blessing upon their day and their endeavours. We were only drawn to engage more deeply with some.

Because we asked the Lord which doors were open.

Rather than guessing and hoping (which has its place, don’t get me wrong, because words of knowledge and prophecy are imprecise , we can have lots of noise that gets in the way of us hearing properly! – see last week’s blog), there is practicality in directing energies into pushing the doors which are already ajar.

There was lots of talk of being nervous and unsure about speaking to people. Some of that might be relieved by knowing that we have been directed by the Lord to have this conversation!

Turn now to the pastoral training sessions. Approximately 25 people are on the courses (Wednesdays – one daytime, one evening). As many are exploring a call to pastoral care there was, not unnaturally, some concerns about “will I be able to do this? What do I do? “etc

Not least around the idea of praying for people.

And that is normal, natural and widespread in the church, especially the parish based Church of England (some of our more free church and especially charismatic/Pentecostal brothers and sisters maybe are more able and willing in this area).

But Jesus’ promise and command did not just filter down to some denominations.

As far as he is concerned there is only one church.

His.

So let’s look at where Dr Luke picks up the story in volume 2, the book we know as Acts of the Apostles.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:8-9)

The essence is the same. Except the language is now more directive.

“You are witnesses” becomes “you will be my witnesses”

“Wait until you have been clothed” becomes “you will receive power”

Jesus, rather than informing, is now instructing.

And they passed that on to us.

Receive power.

Be witnesses.

Share the Gospel.

Love as Jesus loved us.

And all will be well. Growth will come.

Because Jesus made on further astonishing promise in that upper room:
¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Amen.

Every blessing

Doug
 
LOSING MY RELIGION…