9 And when he had said these things [Refer to yesterday's post], as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11
The number of things happening in this passage is a lot to pay attention to. Remember that yesterday, Jesus was telling the disciples that they would be His witnesses throughout the land and to the ends of the earth. The spectacle of Jesus ascending into heaven must have been quite a sight but it was not the first time that some of them had witnessed the divinity of Jesus manifested in this way…and it won’t be the last that He will pass through the clouds. Just as Jesus rose into a cloud, taking Him out of sight, He will return through the clouds when He returns.
What the two angels, in the form of men, said is important. I can just imagine the disciples’ mouths gaping open as they watched Jesus rise out of view and these angels with all of the patience of school hall monitor at the end of recess, telling the disciples to get to work.
The message is simple – “Using what Jesus did in His ministry but not merely looking upward waiting for Him to return; we are to live faithfully carrying out His mission until He comes again.”
Don’t just stare upward. Don’t remain frozen in amazement. Put into action the mission Jesus gave us. Our task is not to speculate about heaven but to proclaim the gospel to all who need to hear it.
APPLICATION:
I must always be on mission; seeking to listen to what God is calling me to at every moment and opportunity. The important piece is to ‘Act’ when I hear the Lord calling me to the purposes He has set me on this earth for.