In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:1-5)There were a lot of times in Jesus’ ministry that he told the people he healed that they were not to tell anyone else what had happened to them. That always struck me as odd. Then I got to thinking about it, and it made sense.
Of course, no one did what he said. I’m not sure I would. They ran like scalded cats to tell others.
There is the story of five blind men coming upon an elephant. Each of them felt a different part. So one thought the elephant was like a snake as he felt the tail. Another a tree as he felt the leg. Another something else, and so on. None of them had touched or seen the whole elephant, just a part. They had no idea what an elephant really looked like, only what the parts felt like.
That is why so many go to college, so that they can be prepared to do what they want to do as a life work. I went to be a more effective minister, my wife went to be a better secretary, Pastor Mel went to meet Sister Miriam. And so on.
The people Jesus healed had no idea what Jesus was like. They had only experienced a part of his power, his healing.
The apostles had heard Jesus talk, had seen his power; yet they had no power or ability of their own. They were as yet incomplete. They did know the complete Jesus nor were they ready to talk about him.
Jesus told them to wait. Just wait. And they would receive power. If they would wait for God, wait for power, it would come. And when it did, they would know what they were doing. Then and only then would be able to preach the complete Jesus. Then they would be able to look beyond the miracles, look beyond the parts that were Jesus and be able to see the whole that was God’s plan through Jesus.
John the Baptizer immersed them in water. But the new baptism would be in power.
Then they would know. Then they themselves would also have power. And they would be complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To comment, post your comment and click the anonymous button. It would be nice if you signed it so I could know who you are.
You are welcome to say anything you want as long as it is nice. If I don't like it, or it is ugly, I will take it off, place it into the garbage disposal, grind it up, and allow it to be flushed into the Gulf of Mexico where it will be eaten by a fish and then excreted where it will lie on the bottom of the ocean until it is covered up by other comments.