The Apostolic Church Knows How to Follow Patterns of Authority

Let us turn to the Word of the Lord in the Book of Acts. As you know, we are studying these passages from a book as beautiful and significant as the Book of Acts, and we want to imbue the mind of the congregation with that supernatural life and mindset of which the Book of Acts speaks to us so eloquently.

Let us go to the first chapter of the Book of Acts, and you will remember that last Sunday we read the first five verses of the passage. I am going to give a very brief recap, a summary of that part, and then we will move on to the next part. But here in verse 6 it says: ‘Then those who had come together asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the reasons which the Father has placed within His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.”

‘And having said these things, as they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him and hid Him from their sight. And while they were gazing intently into Heaven as He went, behold, two men in white robes stood beside them, who also said to them, “Men of Galilee, why are you looking into Heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come in the same way… to Heaven.”’ May the Lord bless His Holy Word.

Father, we now ask You to give us Your wisdom as we meditate, Lord, on Your Word, on Your teaching. Activate Your power in our midst, Lord; activate, Lord, Your Holy Spirit, about whom we specifically need to speak more and whom we need to integrate more fully into our lives. Grant us, Lord, the ability to do justice to Your beautiful Word on this beautiful morning and to leave here with teachings that will help us, O God, to be more effective servants, more powerful servants, Lord, in the ministry You have entrusted to us.

We bless this time, Father. Saturate it now with Your presence, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Brothers and sisters, last Sunday we were talking about what constitutes a supernatural mindset. And we said that, time and again in the Book of Acts, there is a kind of mental model, an attitude, a way of thinking that is continually manifested in all the events described in the Book of Acts.

The Book of Acts is an eminently historical book, and it is always showing different events that took place during those early years of the church known as the primitive church—not because they were cavemen, but because it was the first church, the first church God raised up. And those events spanned… commentators on Scripture say roughly thirty years. That is the period covered by the events described in the Book of Acts.

A way of thinking, a way of processing the events of life, an attitude that I believe was the secret of the power this church possessed. So many evangelistic achievements, so many missionary achievements that we see this church attain. So much power and so much effectiveness in the Christian life. It was not a perfect church, but it was definitely an anointed church. And we have seen that this supernatural mindset—the mindset we want to absorb and manifest—had certain key elements.

We mentioned, number one, the centrality of Jesus: the name of Jesus, the person of Jesus. And we saw this right at the beginning, when Luke, in his introduction, speaks of all the things Jesus began to do and to teach. We spoke about the centrality of Jesus. I believe that a supernatural mindset—a person filled with the Holy Spirit, with a mind that thinks in spiritual terms—always thinks in terms of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the center, the foundation, the basis. He is the source, the power.

So that is one thing. Another thing, as we pointed out, is the things Jesus “began to do and to teach.” That is in the very first verse, is it not? The idea that the Christian life is not only about what Christ taught. Jesus Christ was not merely a teacher; He was also a worker of miracles in the most powerful sense of the word. He was a man, God—a healer, a deliverer of oppressed people, the conqueror of Satan, the conqueror of death. He raised the dead, set paralytics free, and delivered people oppressed by the devil.

A large part of Jesus’ ministry was not only teaching, but works of power that identified Him as the Son of God. They pointed to different aspects of His ministry, and through those works they also told us: “Those works will continue. You will do them too. Through My Spirit dwelling in you, I will also continue doing these things.”

That is why I believe—and, incidentally, I did not have time to say this last Sunday—but notice that it says, “the things Jesus began to do and to teach.” Why “began”? Because He is still doing them. And besides that, there is a passage in Scripture—I do not know which book it is in—that says that if all the things Christ did at that time were to be recorded, all the books in the world would not be enough to record everything Christ did.

That is, in the Gospels we have only some of the things Christ did. But we also know that He continues to perform miracles. He continues to do works of power today. The supernatural mind is oriented toward these questions: What is God going to do in my life? What is God doing in my life? How can I do the works of Jesus? We must be men and women who have that expectation.

We must expect that God—the same God, the same Jesus who moved in the days of Galilee—also moves in our own time, doing those same works of power. Although teaching is good, it is equally important for the power of God to be manifested in our lives. We also spoke about the importance that Christ’s resurrection had for the first disciples, for the Apostles. And before the Lord was received up, after giving commandments to the Apostles, He presented Himself alive to the disciples with many indisputable proofs.

It was absolutely important for it to be known that Christ did not remain in the tomb but was raised from the dead. And that He provided proof that He had risen. And we said that if we do not believe that Christ rose bodily, physically, historically, then we are not truly genuine Christians. We must emphasize the fact that the resurrection is a historical event. It is a true and real event.

That was very important. What is more, notice something very interesting. Later in that first chapter—we were going to speak a little about this, although I did not read it—there comes a time when the first Apostles have to choose a twelfth Apostle to replace Judas, who, as you know, betrayed Jesus and, overcome with guilt, hanged himself. A replacement had to be found. And look at how they speak in terms of that Apostle whom they are going to choose to rise up.

It says: ‘Let one become a witness with us of His resurrection.’ They say, “We are going to choose a replacement so that he may be, together with us, a witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Notice how important the resurrection was to them: testifying about the resurrection of Jesus was included among the principal duties of an Apostle. Because they knew that this was the most powerful argument for the deity of Jesus Christ and His messianic character.

And for us as well, the resurrection is something absolutely important. And the fourth thing I pointed out last Sunday was what I would call the agency of the Holy Spirit, the action of the Holy Spirit. For the supernatural mind, for a person who thinks in supernatural terms, I would say that the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is absolutely important.

One of the things I want you to understand as members of this congregation is that we place great emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit and the person of the Holy Spirit. We know that, in addition to the Son and the Father, who are obviously so essential throughout the entire economy of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is the source of power for our lives. He is the One who bears witness to Jesus Christ in our hearts, the One who is there to strengthen and encourage us during life’s difficult moments.

That is why He is called the “Paraclete,” the encourager, the comforter, the One who strengthens us when we are going through trials. The One who enlightens us when we face situations of need; the One who gives us passion and boldness—to use a biblical word—when we testify about Jesus Christ. The One who performs miracles, signs, and wonders through us. The One who gives us power and effectiveness to testify about Jesus. The One who places conviction in our hearts, the One who places upon us that seal of His presence.

You know, I believe that a person filled with the Holy Spirit—as I said on Sunday—may not be perfect. But I have seen this: people who have had encounters with the Holy Spirit and have received that fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power have something about them. There is a spiritual flavor, a passion within them, an effectiveness, a kind of spiritual weight that they carry in their lives. There is a conviction that lets you know that no one can pull the wool over that person’s eyes.

That person is sure of what they believe, and it will be very difficult for them to stray from the ways of the Lord. Once that person is sealed with the Spirit, they may have their problems and difficulties, but they will remain anchored. Because the Holy Spirit is, as Scripture says, that seal which fastens us and roots us in the Kingdom of God. And we must seek that intimacy, that fullness of the Holy Spirit.

In a future message I will speak more about the fullness of the Holy Spirit, what characterizes it, why we must seek it, and everything else. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is very complex, but I encourage you always to seek that experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in your lives. Do not settle merely for a religious, intellectual, let us say institutional, experience of the Christian life.

Rather, have that enthusiasm, that passion which comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit. One of the things we see throughout all of Scripture, and particularly throughout the Book of Acts, is that references are constantly being made to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did this, the Holy Spirit did that, He spoke, He gave a vision. Here, for example, the passage itself says, “after giving commandments through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen.”

There is a point here that I did not address last Sunday, and it is this statement: “after giving commandments through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom He had chosen.” It says, ‘To whom He also presented Himself alive with many indisputable proofs.’ Why is this reference to the Apostles significant to me? The church of the Book of Acts is an Apostolic church; it is a church directed by the instructions, teachings, and authority of this group of men whom Jesus Christ chose when He was on Earth and made part of His central council, His inner council.

And He chose these men and commissioned them as, let us say, elders of what would later become His church. He specifically commissioned them and gave those men a degree of authority that the other disciples did not have. He established them as His central government. And we see that the primitive church, the church of the Book of Acts, allows itself to be directed and led by these men. And the Lord channels His instructions and teachings to the church through this central government that He has established.

Incidentally, later on, for example in the Book of Acts… the Apostle speaks of how God has appointed the Apostles and the Prophets, and how the church is founded upon the teaching and the word of the Apostles and the Prophets. And it is very important for us to understand this. There is a structure of authority that God establishes. God is a God who thinks in terms of authority. In the church He establishes pastoral authority; there are also elders who lead the church. In discipleship classes there are teachers.

And one of the things I believe about the supernatural mindset is that it is a mindset that knows how to be governed by patterns of authority. It respects its authorities, and that does not mean people should become individuals who do not think or who have no individual, personal judgment. But I believe that one of the distinctive traits of a person who truly has the seal of the Holy Spirit upon their life is that they feel comfortable submitting to authority.

We see clearly that the Apostolic church—definitely the church of the Book of Acts—is a church that thinks in terms of its authorities. God chooses men or women and endows them with His power and His anointing; and the rest of the people, knowing that those individuals are anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit and that they receive from God, look to them for instruction. And they joyfully submit to that authority. For example, you will remember—and we will discuss this later—that there is a case in which the Lord baptizes Cornelius and his family with the Holy Spirit. Something that had never been seen before.

They were the Jews, they alone, and everyone else was pagan, people who did not know God. And suddenly the Lord baptizes Cornelius, who is a Roman soldier. And He fills his entire family with the Holy Spirit. He sends Peter to come and preach the message to them. And suddenly more Gentiles begin to convert, and then a dispute arises among the Jewish Christians—those who had converted—over whether the new converts—the pagans, the Gentiles who had converted—also had to observe all the rules and all the commandments and all the ceremonial stipulations concerning food and clothing and all the things that Orthodox Jews observed.

And some said that they had to do it, while others said they did not. Well, who was going to resolve the problem? They sent word to the Apostles who were in Jerusalem and asked them, “What do we do? This is not in any manual; there is no rule about it because it is something new that God is doing. We do not know what to do.” Then the Council in Jerusalem—these Apostles who were in Jerusalem—met; I imagine they prayed and sought wisdom from God. Peter himself went there and gave them a report about what God had done, and so on.

And from all those conversations comes an edict, a command from the Council in Jerusalem, which says, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”—wow!—who would dare to say that: “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”? Does that not sound a little proud? But no, that is what they said. Why? Because they knew their authority. They knew that God had called them, that Christ had commissioned them for a specific work. They moved in that calling. There was no pride in that, but simply a statement of fact.

They knew that they were called, commissioned, anointed, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. And after discussing the matter, they said, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that the new believers should not be troubled with all the rules of Judaism.” Instead, they simply issued a couple of basic commands—which they believed were fundamental—and as for the rest, they could simply continue with their normal culture, receive Christ as Lord, of course, and have a solid spiritual life.

But once the Apostles gave their verdict, the entire church aligned itself with what the Apostles had declared. Why? Because it was a church that operated according to that principle of authority. I believe that one of the things that often happens in churches in our modern times is that everything seems to be done democratically. Everything is, well, let us vote and see what everyone decides, and there is a meeting and each person says this or that. A whole free-for-all breaks out there, and the loudest person is the one who takes the lead, and sometimes the matter is settled by a vote. And that is not necessarily what God wants.

So I believe there has to be a balance. I believe in the voice of the congregation, and you know that we have congregational meetings and other things. I believe in shared governance. Here in our church we have elders and deacons, people whom you yourselves confirm. They are chosen through a process of prayer and mutual reflection. But we also believe that it is important for us to respect our authorities.

Right now, I wish I were not the Pastor so I could tell you this. And the fact is that the Bible says we have to respect our pastors. We have to submit to them. Wherever you go, if one day the Lord leads you to another church, respect your Pastor; submit to your authorities. Be a person who honors authority. There is blessing in that; there is protection in that. There is protection when a person commits himself to a church. There are people out there riding their own bicycle all by themselves, all over the city, and they do not submit to any church.

You see them jumping from one church to another. When they are opposed in some matter, contradicted about something, or have a bad experience, they take off, go to another and another and another, and their life is simply one leap after another. I do not know—understand what I am saying, brothers and sisters. I know that there are circumstances, there are situations in which we make a change. That is fine. But when someone changes congregations, he should do so after much prayer, much reflection, and seeking the Lord. As far as possible, he should speak with his authorities and then take a step that is sure, carefully considered, and thoroughly thought through.

Do not do it simply for reasons such as, “Oh! I went there and I like it, and this man wears a fantastic tie every Sunday,” or “I like the way he speaks,” or whatever. Sometimes we make decisions for reasons like that, do we not? “They said this to me, I did not like it, and I left. They did not give me a position, so I am going to look for a place where they will give me one.” So many superficial reasons people use instead of submitting to their authorities, submitting to a church. I believe that wherever a person goes, to a city or wherever he moves, he should always seek a church that will provide him with covering.

A community to which one is accountable and in which one feels covered by pastoral, ministerial authority. A person should respect his authorities. When one is working, for example, in a ministry—whatever that ministry may be—do you know how difficult it is to lead a ministry? Whatever it may be. Whether it is a cell group, the worship ministry, or the ministry of ushers. It is hard to be the one at the head. It is not easy to pastor people from different countries, nationalities, and cultures. So we have to make life easier for our leaders, and we have to be people with a team mentality. We must work together and help our authorities.

We must be a resource to the people who are over us. We must not lash them, harass them, or make their lives impossible. Because many times we deform our leaders when we do not respect them and do not give them the recognition they require. I am not talking about lying there on the floor and worshiping them, no. I am talking about that respect and that recognition that what the leader is doing is something very difficult and that we have to help them in every way possible.

This week I have been watching a documentary about Richard Nixon. How many of you remember Richard Nixon? I know that most of you were not alive at that time, but Richard Nixon is a tragic man. He truly is a tragic figure. A great statesman, a man who had great achievements, tremendous accomplishments. The opening to China, the treaty with Egypt, treaties with the Middle East. Many important things. He launched a number of very important judicial and legal initiatives here in the United States.

He was very advanced for his age, for his time, but he was also a man with some inner demons there: resentment and feelings of being persecuted and unappreciated. And one of the things I saw while watching the documentary about the great failure he ultimately suffered—you know that he ordered an illegal break-in at a Democratic Party office. And that blew up in his face; he tried to hide it, and ultimately he left in disgrace. The only president who has been forced to resign. But one of the things that struck me about Nixon was this solitary, isolated leader who was like an ugly duckling.

Despite being a great man, Richard Nixon was actually a shy man. Some have said that he should have been a university professor instead of President. He did not deal well with people, had emotional conflicts, and felt rejected by people. And I believe, in part, that although he made the mistake he made, in part those mistakes were brought out by those very people—the press, for example, which detested him, and the many enemies he had when he became president—who distorted this man emotionally.

The wounds he already had as a man, as a human being, when he reached that position of power, along with all the people who pounced on him, all the criticism, and all those who did not want him to succeed, brought out the worst in him instead of the best. And I found myself thinking that if that man had found people who, instead of harassing him at those high levels of power, had loved him, affirmed him, and helped him, that man would have been one of the greatest presidents in the entire history of the United States instead of leaving in disgrace. And I found it interesting that, toward the end, Henry Kissinger frames it at one point and says exactly what I was thinking: that Richard Nixon was, as it were, driven into a corner in his leadership.

Because the people around him, and even large sectors of the American nation—the Vietnam War distorted all this—the student movement pounced on him and attacked him. And this man did not have the emotional and social skills to deal with that struggle, with that enormous war he was dealing with. And ultimately, it was as though all the demons he had came out: hatred, resentment, feeling persecuted, wanting to do things in secret. How important it is, therefore, brothers and sisters, for us to understand our leaders, submit to them, help them, pray for them, and affirm them.

And of course, if the time comes when you cannot remain under a person’s leadership, well, look, there are many things you can do. Speak directly with the person, counsel him directly, and if the time comes, then look, discreetly step away from the ministry and find a place where you can truly feel comfortable. That is not a problem at all. But what I mean is, let us practice that. There is another leader like that in the Bible whom they pushed to the point of bringing everything out of him and destroying him—not destroying him, but it did cost him dearly.

Do you remember Moses, how much the Jews criticized him? And by the way, I feel very happy with you, you know? I am happy; I am not up here venting anything. On the contrary, this is part of the teaching. Glory to God. I feel in love with my congregation, and I thank God that you have always been so generous with me and such a great blessing. But it is not so much about that as it is about so many other leaders in our congregation, other leaders with whom you will deal throughout your entire life. Help your leaders; be a resource to them. Learn to submit to authority.

I see here that from the very beginning, the Lord speaks to the Apostles He had chosen so that they would be responsible for transmitting the commandments, the teachings, to the rest of the Christian people. And that is a rule, I believe, in which I hope our church will be able to operate more and more each day: respect for authority. Respectful people. And that, brothers and sisters, I tell you, brings a great, great blessing to the life of a congregation. So there you have a few things.

Now there is another very interesting thing here, which is what we read in verse 6. It says that the disciples were gathered together and the Lord appeared to them. What is the Lord ready to do? To ascend. Here we have a doctrine explained very beautifully, which is the doctrine of the Ascension. Jesus being taken up after His resurrection. After the Lord rises again, about forty days go by, more or less, the Bible says, and He appears to the disciples in different settings. It says that on one occasion He appeared to five hundred of them.

Can you imagine a congregation more or less like this one, more or less this group of people here, seeing the risen Lord? What must that have been like? I was thinking about that this morning. What an amazing spectacle! We saw Him crucified, we saw that they killed Him, we know that they buried Him, and now He is there—He appears to five hundred of them at a gathering and begins to speak with them. I want to see that video when I get to Heaven. It must have been something incredible. The Lord appeared to five hundred people.

Then, after He has made all these appearances, the time comes for Him to ascend to Heaven. So at that moment, at that moment, He speaks to them and gives them some final instructions. And remember this, because this is an important doctrine, is it not? The Lord did not disappear and go to Heaven the way they do in Star Trek. He was literally lifted up, and it says that “a cloud received Him above and covered Him, and then He”—we even have background music here; how nice!

That is a teaching; it was a teaching of the Scriptures, was it not? The aspect of Jesus’ rising up, His ascension. I do not know; the only thing they tell me... there is a doctrine that says Mary also ascended, if I am not mistaken. That is a teaching, is it not? I do not see anywhere in the Bible where Mary is taken up. That is something found nowhere in the Bible. It is simply beautiful and spectacular, but it has no basis in truth according to Scripture. The only one who ascends to Heaven is Jesus.

And this doctrine is very interesting because it contains a couple of teachings. Now, Christ ascends, and then the Bible says that He sits at the right hand of God the Father. It says, “where He is seated until His second coming.” There are two very important things being taught here: the ascension of Jesus and the second coming. Remember this: the ascension of Jesus also involves and implies the idea that when He ascends, God receives Him, and the Bible says “that He sits at the right hand of the Father.” I do not believe that is merely a metaphor. Rather, it is something real.

If you look at Ephesians chapter 1, verse 20, it says here: “Which He worked in Christ,” that is, the power of God. “Which He worked in Christ, whom He raised from the dead and seated at His right hand in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:20. “Raising Him from the dead”—that was when the Lord also ascended to Heaven. And “God seats Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

Why does God ascend to Heaven? The Lord ascends to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Why at the right hand of the Father? He is using the image of a king, at whose right hand is the second most powerful person in his kingdom—the chosen person, the favored person, the prince. We could say: the Father, and seated at His right hand—pointing to the absolute authority of Jesus Christ; that is why it says above every principality, above every power, above every dominion. Now look at something very important. In the same book of Ephesians, in chapter 2, verse 6, it tells us here: “And together with Him He raised us up and likewise made us sit in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus.”

Do you know that you are also with that Christ who ascended and was seated at the right hand of the Father as a sign of His total authority over every principality, over every power? In terms of the rights you have, the power you have, you too are seated with Christ at the right hand. There is a little chair there with your name on it, and you are sitting there in that chair beside Jesus. There is the throne of the Father, there is the throne of the Son, and there is a little golden chair where you are sitting like a great potentate at the right hand of God the Father. Why does the biblical writer say this, and why is it important for us to understand it?

Because, brothers and sisters, we have great authority. The same power, it says, that raised Christ from the dead also moves within us. The same power that raised Jesus and caused Him to ascend after rising from the dead—that same power is in your life. Therefore, I believe that part of the believer’s task is not so much for God to give us power, but for us to become aware of the power we have. And that we cultivate that sense, that sense that “I have authority because I am seated at the right hand of God the Father together with Christ Jesus.”

And that I have power over circumstances; I have power because I am above circumstances. My legal position places me above every situation. The same Christ who was raised from the dead, who was lifted up, and who was seated at the right hand of God the Father is the One who is within me and beside whom I too am seated. It is a sign of the believer’s authority. And this fact of Jesus’ ascension and His being at the right hand of the Father, and of my also being at the right hand of the Father, is pointed out again and again. Look at Revelation chapter 3, verse 21 as well. It says here: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Jesus is lifted up, taken to Heaven, received, and seated on the Throne, and we too have that same right. That same image is emphasized again and again. Look, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3. This is like a Bible study I am giving you here; later you can review this doctrine. It says: “Who, being the brightness of His glory and the exact image of His substance”—that is, the deity of Christ, who is equal to the Father, made of the same essence as the Father—“and who upholds all things by the word of His power, having by Himself accomplished the purification of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.”

When the Lord ascends, He ascends to sit at the right hand of the Father. That is why the Apostles’ Creed says “that He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.” How does it go? The Catholics or former Catholics—someone help me. It is the Apostles’ Creed, right? And that He comes again to judge the living and the dead. But one of the basic doctrines of the Christian Church is that Christ is seated, ascended into Heaven, sat down at the right hand of God the Father, and from there He comes to judge the living and the dead.

Now notice that whenever this idea appears—that Christ is taken up, ascends, and sits at the right hand of God the Father—it is meant to exalt His power, His lordship, His deity. And one final verse is in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 12. It tells us here: “But Christ, having offered one sacrifice for sins once and for all”—notice how interesting this is: the Lord’s ascending to Heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father is always connected to His sacrifice on the Cross.

All of that—the crucifixion of Christ, His death and resurrection, His ascension, His sitting at the right hand of God the Father, His second coming—all these doctrines are essential for a believer and form part of the very essence. We can never allow those doctrines to be taken away from us. Those teachings are foundational. If you hear someone out there who calls himself a Christian denying any one of these things literally, flee from them, because they are not Christians; at the very least, they are not following the basic doctrines that the Church has upheld for two thousand years.

Nowadays there is a great deal of questioning of that doctrine. But it is very clear. So it says here in 10:12 that “having offered His sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.” He sat down at the right hand of God. The lordship of Christ. It also occurs to me: Why is it so important for us to understand all these stages in the life of Jesus Christ? Because, as you can see, one of the things the Bible wants to point out again and again is the superiority of Jesus.

There are schools of Christian thought, for example, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses—I say this respectfully—that try, as it were, to diminish the uniqueness of Christ, that superior nature of Christ. The fact that Christ is God Himself, that He is of the same substance as the Father, that He is of the same essence as the Father; that He has supreme authority, that He is on the same level as the Father. All these kinds of things are implied in the Scriptures, and we must always hold fast to that. And then it says: “He sat down at the right hand of God. From that time onward waiting until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.” For what purpose? Waiting for that to happen—for what purpose? To return again: the second coming of Christ.

That is, He is there. We do not know what He is doing during that time, because He does many things; He is not merely sitting there vegetating for two thousand years. The Lord does many things through His Spirit. But His legal position, His position of authority, is at the right hand of the Father. And Heaven is waiting for something, for the moment to arrive when the Son is given the word to descend again and come in His second coming. It mentions that here: He “is waiting until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.”

I believe God is waiting; there is another passage that says He “is waiting for the consummation of the ages.” God is waiting for a certain moment, and I believe that moment is drawing closer and closer every day. I believe that God wants the Church here on Earth to do something absolutely powerful. As I have told you, something has to happen in humanity before Christ comes. I do not believe Christ is going to come for the Church as it currently is. I believe a moment will come when the Church will have to exercise dominion to a certain extent. A moment of unprecedented glory will have to come, in which it rules nations and has authority at a level it has never had before.

Then—I believe; I do not know how long that moment will last, because I know it will also be accompanied by other struggles and other things. But then, at that moment, Christ will be given the “Yes” to come and gather His Church and take it away with Him, and the consummation of the ages will come. Meanwhile, the Lord is there at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the moment when God gives Him the green light.

Now let us return, then—and with this we will finish—to Acts chapter 1, verse 6. Then “those who had gathered together asked Him, ‘Lord, will You restore the kingdom of Israel at this time?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has placed under His sole authority.’” Those are some final words, one last conversation that He is having with them. Let us go to verse 9. It says: “And having said these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him and hid Him from their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven as He went up”… imagine that spectacle.

The Lord is being lifted up little by little, and they are watching Him like a ship sailing away and growing smaller and smaller, and they are looking on, fascinated by the image they are seeing. And it says: “Behold, two men in white garments stood beside them.” That is one of the most beautiful images in all of Scripture. To me, it is unforgettable. Their eyes are fixed on this spectacle they are witnessing, and when they suddenly look around, they find two men there in radiant garments who clearly were—what? They were angels.

They were angels, and they say to them: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking toward Heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into Heaven.” That is one of the most beautiful promises in Scripture: that the same Jesus who was lifted up will likewise come a second time. And just as they saw Him bodily, just as these men saw Him bodily ascend, so we too will see Him appear in Heaven.

It says that “every eye will see Him.” Nowadays, with the Internet and communications, I think we do not know how it will happen, except that it will be a worldwide vision in which everyone will be able to see the Lord. Physically, I do not think that is possible; it will have to be some kind of spiritual experience, or I do not know exactly. But certainly, “every eye will see Him when He comes.” He comes visibly; He comes in glory; He comes in the same physical way in which He left, and so He will come again. And meanwhile, while He is coming, what are we doing here on Earth? Working, evangelizing, preaching the Word, bringing people to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, strengthening His Church, giving to the Lord, serving, sacrificing ourselves, striving to bring the greatest possible number of souls to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

That is why, when they ask Him, “Lord, are You going to restore Israel?” they are thinking about eschatology and theoretical, theological, and mysterious questions. They want an answer to satisfy their curiosity, and the Lord says to them: “You know what? Do not get involved in that. That is none of your business. It is for the Father to determine. He knows the time.” Meanwhile, He says: “You will receive power and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and throughout the whole Earth.” In other words, what is He saying? “Do not go engaging in speculations and obscure curiosities about apocalyptic and eschatological matters, no. What matters is that you are going to receive power and that you are going to be My witnesses.”

The believer is a witness of Jesus Christ. That is what you have been called to be. That is why you need to arm yourself with the power of God, and you need to equip yourself with this basic knowledge of Scripture—practical things so that you can be that effective witness of the risen Christ Jesus. Let us stand. Let us give glory to the Lord. Let us ask the Lord to fill us with that strength, with that energy, so that we may be His witnesses in Boston, in Massachusetts, in the United States, and on every continent of the Earth.

May multitudes go out from here, from Lion of Judah, to preach the Gospel. May each one of us be made a witness of that risen Christ—that Christ who was raised by the Father, that Christ who is seated at the right hand of God, that Christ who has told us: “Come and sit beside Me as well, and reign. Exercise power over every situation and every circumstance.”

Lord, we bless You; we worship You. Fill our minds this morning with that image of the risen Christ, the Christ of power, the Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father. Give us that mindset, Lord, which is not afraid to accept the truth of these teachings. May we be able to believe those mysterious accounts, Lord, that Your Word reveals. May it not seem strange, odd, or difficult for us to think of a Christ who rises and is taken up after rising from the dead and suffering for our sins. He is lifted up by the Father, received into Heaven, and seated in glory at the right hand of God, waiting for the day when the Father gives the word for Him to come again and change history for all eternity.

We desire to be there at that moment, Father. We desire to be part of that redeemed Church. While we are here on Earth, we want You to fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit, for You to baptize us with Your power, Lord. For You to give us new tongues, Father, for You to pour out gifts of prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, revelation, and healings.

Lord, all the charisms and gifts that You have placed, Lord, in the hands of your church. We bless You this morning, Father. Send us out from here now with your blessing, with your joy, Lord, to live as what we are: people who have been placed in authority, people who have power over every circumstance. People who have the risen Christ on their side, people who have the Holy Spirit within them, and therefore we are more than conquerors. We worship You and bless You. Thank You for this time, Father. We surrender this time to You in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen and amen.