To the ends of the earth - acts 1:1-11 (esv) - Pastor Tim Kroeker

Acts 1:8:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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The crowd excitedly counts down—ten, nine, eight—then as the final number is swallowed up in a roar of cheers, the first firework shoots up into the midnight sky. With a sharp crack, it blossoms into a colorful display. The golden embers begin their descent when, suddenly, a flurry of rockets screams upward. The sky, moments ago quiet and black, is now alive, full of light and sound. After several minutes, the sky once again turns dark. The onlookers scan the sky expectantly, wondering if that was the end of the powerful display. Then, another round of fiery shells launches in rapid succession.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was a magnificent display of power in both word and deed, which culminated in his bodily resurrection from the dead. The disciples had been eyewitnesses to this magnificent salvation story, Jesus’ mission to seek and to save the lost. But they now wondered if that was the end. What would come next?

The apostles were about to enter into a new phase of God’s unfolding plan. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they were to take the salvation story to the ends of the earth.

Luke begins his sequel the way he ended the first, with Jesus’ ascension. Jesus ascended bodily into heaven with an assurance that he will one day return in the same way. So in the meantime, stop staring up into the sky waiting for the next big beautiful burst, and be busy accomplishing the task that he’s given us to do.

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