SCRIPTURE:
"So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”"
Acts of the Apostles 1:6-8 (NLT)
OBSERVATION:
Jesus is alive! Having won over death and sin on our behalf, He is now ready to ascend to heaven, to become the advocate for His believers, and to prepare for His eventual return, the prophesied return of the LORD to execute justice...
As He meets with His disciples one more time, the question arises; “Lord, has the time come for You to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
In other words, “You won over death! You are invincible! Now then, can You get with the program and free us from this oppression, and get rid of these Romans once and for all?”
Jesus’ response was simple and clear; Though He is God, it is the Father in heaven, the divine and invisible part of the triune God, that sets all of time and charts destiny. It is NOT Jesus, in His humanity.
But Jesus gives them an assurance; YOU will have power, and power at that! BUT, the enemies you will be vanquishing are not human kingdoms, but the kingdoms of darkness and evil.
The Holy Spirit will be the one to empower, but your weapons will not be sword and muscle; they will be My words—the Gospel—and they will topple strongholds of evil and oppression. It is with THAT, which will bring about the changes you want to see. Not on our timetable, but in God’s will.
APPLICATION:
Sometimes we expect Jesus to be a rule changer and liberator of the kingdoms of the world; to topple crooked regimes and destroy wicked people.
But we forget that God LOVES people more than anything, and wants ALL people to come to Him; for all people to be truly liberated from the oppressive kingdoms of evil.
The revolution starts in our hearts.
The wars are fought and won in our minds.
And the weapons of our warfare are our very selves, with the ammunition being our use of the word of God, the Good News of Jesus, and the testimony of our faith.
That will truly usher in the kingdom of God; one battle at a time, and one life at a time. 2000 years and still winning, until He takes us Home.
PRAYER:
Thine Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Come Lord Jesus.
But til then, may we continue the quiet revolution of humility; our waging war in order that souls will continue to be rescued and lives won. Amen!
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