There were fifty days from the resurrection of Jesus until Pentecost, that great day which marked the beginning of a great move of the Spirit and the birth of the early church. Those fifty days were essentially preparation days for that event. It’s always good to look at the times of preparation that bring about revival. That’s a big subject, so forgive a short comment.
It could not have happened without the ascension of Jesus (all revival starts with the ascended Jesus), and it was forty days after the resurrection before Jesus took that exalted position and took the gift of the Spirit from the Father. One can scarcely say, however, that Jesus needed any preparation for his ascension. It was his disciples that needed the preparation, and it seems clear that those forty days of continued earthly physical appearances were for their sakes. What they really needed was some further teaching, alongside a deepening of their personal experience of a risen, living Lord.
The subject of that teaching is no secret to us, even if we cannot perhaps imagine the sheer power and conviction with which it was communicated by Jesus. In the resurrection stories we are told that even on Easter day he began to “teach them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself”. One might have thought that they had learned enough in seeing the resurrection, but, no, they had to learn thoroughly why he had died. They could have no valid ministry that was not accurately focussed on his death and clearly presented his total sacrifice for sin. Moreover, they had to learn that there were prophetic scriptures about a ministry that Jesus would continue to exert through the Holy Spirit from his ascended position. The disciples had been a part of his earthly ministry and now they had to understand what it would mean to be part of his ascended ministry. They had to learn afresh the crucial place of the Holy Spirit in that ministry.
So it was that after his resurrection Jesus appeared to them from time to time “speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”. His post resurrection teaching was utterly crucial, for he dealt with matters that his disciples simply could not have grasped with any sense of reality before the resurrection. Informed understanding is vital for revival.
In context, Jesus was preparing his “church” to be (amongst other things) a blessing to the Jews even though he knew there would be a severe judgement that they would inevitably bring on themselves. Then, as now, whatever the context, he works his grace.
Bob
To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue.
It could not have happened without the ascension of Jesus (all revival starts with the ascended Jesus), and it was forty days after the resurrection before Jesus took that exalted position and took the gift of the Spirit from the Father. One can scarcely say, however, that Jesus needed any preparation for his ascension. It was his disciples that needed the preparation, and it seems clear that those forty days of continued earthly physical appearances were for their sakes. What they really needed was some further teaching, alongside a deepening of their personal experience of a risen, living Lord.
The subject of that teaching is no secret to us, even if we cannot perhaps imagine the sheer power and conviction with which it was communicated by Jesus. In the resurrection stories we are told that even on Easter day he began to “teach them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself”. One might have thought that they had learned enough in seeing the resurrection, but, no, they had to learn thoroughly why he had died. They could have no valid ministry that was not accurately focussed on his death and clearly presented his total sacrifice for sin. Moreover, they had to learn that there were prophetic scriptures about a ministry that Jesus would continue to exert through the Holy Spirit from his ascended position. The disciples had been a part of his earthly ministry and now they had to understand what it would mean to be part of his ascended ministry. They had to learn afresh the crucial place of the Holy Spirit in that ministry.
So it was that after his resurrection Jesus appeared to them from time to time “speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”. His post resurrection teaching was utterly crucial, for he dealt with matters that his disciples simply could not have grasped with any sense of reality before the resurrection. Informed understanding is vital for revival.
In context, Jesus was preparing his “church” to be (amongst other things) a blessing to the Jews even though he knew there would be a severe judgement that they would inevitably bring on themselves. Then, as now, whatever the context, he works his grace.
Bob
To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue.
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