After - Day 30

April 24th, 2023

Acts 1:6-11

6 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?”

7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 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.”

9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

The ascension comes quickly. But we should not forget to mention that they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The culmination of their submission to Jesus was a gift of the Holy Spirit, so that they could continue the work of Jesus throughout their lives.
Of course, after Jesus said these things, they were anxious to know when their struggle would end and the kingdom would be established. These are the same questions that we ask daily as we follow Christ. However, the answer that Jesus gives then is the same answer for us now; “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, they are not for you to know. . .”
If this is the case, then we are to stop asking those questions, and do as the disciples did, which is to get busy with the work that has been given to us, and to partner with the Holy Spirit who has also been given to us to do this work.
When the words come from above and the disciples are asked why they are standing there, simply staring into heaven, rather than getting about the work that they have been given, they are admonished that Jesus will come back in the same way. However, their job is now to get busy with the work that God had given them. We should not be astonished by miracles, as God does those without much thought. We should be busy as we wait for Jesus to come back.
I found myself in an airport yesterday, as I often am. I have learned that sometimes I wait for the flight, and other times I work as I wait for the flight. There is always more to do, so when I become industrious as I travel, time seems to fly by in a much greater way. When I am just trying to figure out which show to watch, time seems to go much slower.
Here, the disciples are admonished that standing in awe of what is happening is not beneficial to the kingdom of God. Rather, they are to get about the business of God so that his kingdom will be established and reign forever.