SERIES
Acts: Empowered to Extend
2017-09-24T08:00:00-05:00
27:1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.
18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”
33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
What would we do if we had all the power in the world? That question can tease out the best of our generosity and the worst of our ambition. It feels like an exercise in imagination for us, but it wasn’t for Jesus. After His resurrection, He tells the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). He could look at sin and death and say, “I conquered that.” He could look at the world and say, “I own that.” Jesus Christ possesses an authority we can scarcely comprehend. Acts 1:6-11 reveals what the disciples think Jesus should do with that power…and what Jesus decides to do instead. The disciples are hoping for the immediate and full restoration of the kingdom to Israel. No matter how they understand these pregnant promises from the Old Testament, they know that Jesus has the power to fulfill them. Most likely, the disciples are hoping that Jesus will do the work, and they can just enjoy the show. But the one who possesses all the power in the world refuses to hang around and wield those powers for an adoring audience. When the disciples ask Jesus, “Will you?” He responds, “[No.] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses.”
Have we pondered the glory and the humility of Christ in His ascension? The glory of ascending to His throne; the humility of leaving behind His ministry on earth. The glory of reigning in heaven; the humility of sending the Spirit to indwell us on earth. The glory of His mission to gather a people from around the world; the humility of His plan to entrust us to be His witnesses. The glory of making all things new; the humility of inviting us to work toward this restoration. Left to ourselves, we would be overwhelmed by the need for restoration in our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our city, and the world. But Acts 1 reminds us that Jesus is the risen, ascended King over every realm. He promises that the Holy Spirit will empower us to live as witnesses of His restorative reign. The social division, physical suffering, financial ruin, systemic evil, and other challenges that could paralyze us become opportunities to witness to the Gospel of the kingdom. As the church, we are called to move toward the world as Christ’s witnesses. Will we live close to Him so that we can hear His voice and share His story? Will we live close to people so that we can know their pain and bring them hope? How might our lives change if we believed that the one who had all the power in the world has empowered us to be His witnesses?