Yesterday (Ascension day) was the last day in the book for this time of prayer we have been going through as a church. However, pentecost isn’t until May 24, so we still have a little over a week of time together in praying together. The hope is, that this will develop a lifestyle of prayer. And that we will be like the early church who were devoted to prayer.
As we take a turn to some more specific things to be praying for at SixEight Church, we ask that you continue to pray our Now -> Next prayer. “God what is it that we need to be doing now to be ready for what you have for us next?”
As we start these last few days, we will start with the ascension. At the beginning of the book of Acts, we see the account of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:6-11);
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
It is tempting, after intense seasons of ministry to sit around and bask in the successes that have just been achieved. We’ve just seen God do some miraculous things, and we want to sit around and talk about it for a while.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with celebrating the victories God has given us and giving him the praise that he is due, it is bad to simply stop there. God had just completed the work of grace for all who would believe in him up until and through today. That was a pretty big deal. And here the actual messiah has just disappeared into the clouds.
What happens next? Everyone who was there, just stood around looking up into the sky. In fact, they looked long enough that there had to be an intervention. Tw men dressed in white came and told them to stop looking in the sky.
In other words, you know what to do. Now, go do it.
What had they been told? To wait for the Holy Spirit – that’s what happened on pentecost.
But, what about us? Are we standing around looking at what’s left of what God has already done, or are we looking for and working toward what God is doing next? Yes, God has done some great things at SixEight Church. But you know what, they aren’t as good as what He’s going to do.
So, let’s all join together, stop looking at the clouds and do what we know we are supposed to do until it is made clear to us what we are supposed to do next!