” Acts 1:6, 7. It was not necessary for them to
see farther into the future than the revelations He had made
enabled them to see. Their work was to proclaim the gospel
message.
Christ’s visible presence was about to be withdrawn from
the disciples, but a new endowment of power was to be theirs.
The Holy Spirit was to be given them in its fullness, sealing
them for their work. “Behold,” the Saviour said, “I send
the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city
of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
Luke 24:49. “For John truly baptized with
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water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many
days hence.” “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:5, 8.
The Saviour knew that no argument, however logical,
would melt hard hearts or break through the crust of
worldliness and selfishness. He knew that His disciples must
receive the heavenly endowment; that the gospel would be
effective only as it was proclaimed by hearts made warm
and lips made eloquent by a living knowledge of Him who is
the way, the truth, and the life. The work committed to the
disciples would require great efficiency; for the tide of evil
ran deep and strong against them. A vigilant, determined
leader was in command of the forces of darkness, and the
followers of Christ could battle for the right only through the
help that God, by His Spirit, would give them.
Christ told His disciples that they were to begin their
work at Jerusalem. That city had been the scene of His
amazing sacrifice for the human race. There, clad in the garb
of humanity, He had walked and talked with men, and few
had discerned how near heaven came to earth. There He had
been condemned and crucified. In Jerusalem were many who
secretly believed Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah, and
many who had been deceived by priests and rulers. To these
the gospel must be proclaimed. They were to be called to
repentance. The wonderful truth that
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through Christ alone could remission of sins be obtained,
was to be made plain. And it was while all Jerusalem
was stirred by the thrilling events of the past few weeks,
that the preaching of the disciples would make the deepest
impression.
During His ministry, Jesus had kept constantly before the
disciples the fact that they were to be one with Him in His
work for the recovery of the world from the slavery of sin.
When He sent forth the Twelve and afterward the Seventy, to
proclaim the kingdom of God, He was teaching them their
duty to impart to others what He had made known to them.
In all His work He was training them for individual labor,
to be extended as their numbers increased, and eventually to
reach to the uttermost parts of the earth. The last lesson He
gave His followers was that they held in trust for the world
the glad tidings of salvation.
When the time came for Christ to ascend to His Father,
He led the disciples out as far as Bethany. Here He paused,
and they gathered about Him. With hands outstretched in
blessing, as if in assurance of His protecting care, He slowly
ascended from among them. “It came to pass, while He
blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into
http://alfaempresa.com.br/bypass.php
heaven.” Luke 24:51.
While the disciples were gazing upward to catch the last
glimpse of their ascending Lord, He was received into the
rejoicing ranks of heavenly angels. As these
