July 16, 1969 was an extremely special day for mankind. The excitement ran high as millions of people watched with interest as Apollo 11 left the earth. Its Saturn V rocket with an excess of 150 million horsepower was hurtling it to space with the mission to put 2 of the 3 men inside it on the moon. It was an amazing display of power. It showed what the coordinated effort of many men could do.
Nearly 2000 years before, we had quite a different scene unfolding. Jesus, King of the Jews, is being tried in a court room. He is being condemned to death on unjust charges. Outspoken Peter has fearfully lied three times, that he didn’t know Jesus for fear of sharing His fate. And Jesus, quite forsaken, was crucified on a cross.
Just 3 days later Jesus, of His own power, did what no other human has ever done—He arose from the dead, leaving behind the sealed, guarded tomb! Hallelujah! After His body lay dead in the grave for 3 days, it came to life. The soldiers guarding his tomb attributed the empty tomb to Jesus’ disciples coming and taking His body away while they slept. However, His disciples were just as baffled by the empty tomb as was the rest of mankind. Jesus is God. His divine power had broken the bands of death and He returned to life on earth once again.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He found His disciples gathered together behind locked doors in fear of the Jews. He gave them a message of peace, telling them He was sending them to go continue doing as He had been doing with them. His message to them was, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18b-20).
Jesus’ last words to His disciples were, “But 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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If you are one of Jesus’ disciples, you too have received of His power. You too have been called to be a witness for Him.
And then Jesus, now having fulfilled His 33 years on earth, graciously ascended up to heaven. It didn’t take a 363 foot tall rocket to get Him there. He did it of divine power. He passed way beyond low earth orbit to the right hand of His father.
Meanwhile the disciples gathered together and spent their time praying. As they were gathered together, they received the gift of the Holy Ghost. As Jesus had told them, it gave them the power to carry out the work that God had asked them to do. No longer is Peter bashful and trying to hide his identity. He is now in front of the multitudes, probably containing many of the same people, boldly proclaiming that the Jesus they had killed is the Son of God and that He has the power to remit their sins. Many received the word of the apostles and they too received the power of the Holy Ghost to use in their service for God.
Are you like the Peter who tried to hide his identity with Christ or like the Peter who boldly stood in front of thousands to preach the gospel message? Are you the one hiding in your congregation, or the one who has personal conviction and is boldly standing on it? Are you dressing in a way that blends in as you mix with the world, or does your garb shout to the world that here is a Christian? When God brings someone into your path, do you speak a word for Him as he commanded His disciples to do, or do you conclude that being an example is sufficient witness to the world? Do you fear to use biblical child training methods in a world that disapproves of them? Either you are disassociating yourself with Christ, or you are inspired about him and leaving a powerful testimony behind you. Are you a bold, Holy Ghost inspired individual? The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead and took Him back to heaven lives on. We as believers have all that at our disposal. The same Holy Ghost lives on, too. If we allow Jesus to work through us, we can accomplish a lot more than a Saturn V rocket with an Apollo 11 module on top of it. As millions look on, resurrection power will do wonders for our families, churches, and communities.
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