Author: Damon Au, Rev., Cornerstone Trinity Baptist Church, San Francisco
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.” (Acts 1:9-11, NIV)
There are times in our lives when things happen and we don’t understand why. Sometimes when an accident or a death occurs to a love one or when a leader and those he leads part company. A catastrophe happens, like the tsunami where thousands of lives were lost. Do we just stand around and feel helpless? What is our plan of actions?
The men of Galilee had the privilege of witnessing Christ’s ascension and the angels appearing to them. What a miraculous event that occurred. We will not have the same privilege as the first century Christians but we need to understand a biblical truth found in Act 1:9-11. Christ has risen and He will return. The words of the angels were an essential part of preparing the apostles mentally and emotionally. This message contained both a challenge and an incentive that there is HOPE. The Second coming of Christ will not be disappointing and it should be anticipated.
We live in a world of lost souls who will one day unexpectedly stand before the judgment seat of God without knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ unless we fulfill our commission and tell them the message; there will not be a heaven for them.
Statistics’ have shown, “75% - 90% were converted through the influence of friends and relatives. Millions of souls will depend on how we did our jobs as believers. We have an amazing and incredible story to tell and share with everyone we know. My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus has died and risen on the third day; isn’t that message worth sharing over and over again? Our Lord has chosen you as an extension of the Gospel; go now and ask God to bring those people into your path.
______________________________________________________________________________
The ISAAC 2009 Lenten Devotional, edited by Rev. Dr. Johnson Chiu. This devotional was written by Asian American English ministry leaders and pastors in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. To purchase, click here: Road of Suffering, Road to Glory: A Lenten Adventure with the Savior
