Are We There Yet?

“Yes” by Shekinah Glory (See notes below)*

 

Are We There Yet?

 

Acts 1:6-8 (KJV)
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 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.

 

The Bible is abundantly clear and detailed about how Jesus showed Himself to His disciples and others after His resurrection. When reading about these events, we are comforted by the fact that the Lord showed Himself plainly to many witnesses, and we long for the time when we will be able to see Him as well. In today’s scriptural passage, we see the disciples gathered with the Lord Jesus just before His ascension into Heaven. What strikes me here though, is the extent to which they still didn’t “get it.”
Jesus had stated numerous times that He was “not of this world” and that His Kingdom is “not of this world.” They were aware that He was talking about how His priorities and world view, and the adornments of His Kingship were not composed of those things which create, adorn and signify ultimate authority in this world. Yet just as children do when on an earthly journey, the disciples asked the Lord Jesus: “wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” They were referring to a literal or figurative realm. They knew that Jesus would bring the Kingdom of God into manifestation in this world, so possibly they wanted to know it that was going to happen right now. They wanted to know “are we there yet?” Maybe Jesus’ response was not what they expected:

 

“It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 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.”

 

In many ways, Jesus was telling them to “mind their own business.” Their business was to receive power from the Holy Spirit and to be His witnesses throughout the earth.
There are times when some Christians grow tired of waiting on the Lord, and they desire to peak into those things for which they have no business even trying to know. They implement their own solutions, consult mediums in an attempt to communicate with the dead, and read horoscopes: all of which are expressly forbidden in scriptures. It is written:

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 King James Version (KJV)
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

The Bible is not a crystal ball. What it tells us about the future, such as the description of the end times in Daniel and Revelation, can be hard to understand. Our mission today is the same as it was for the disciples. We are to be witnesses unto Jesus wherever we go in this world. We are to be examples of His character, His love, His kindness, His wisdom, His generosity, His aversion to evil-no matter where we are or who is around us. Whether we are rewarded or not. Whether we are seen or not. Whether we are appreciated or not. Whether we are alone or not. Can this be said of you today? If not, isn’t it time to make a course correction? It is written:

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 King James Version (KJV)
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

 

Reflection: Knowing that my mission is to be a witness unto the Savior wherever I am, what then is my prayer? My prayer is this: Heavenly Father, bless Your holy name for giving us a Savior who died for our sins so that we may spend an eternity with you. Thank you Father for your patience and long suffering in bearing with us when we try to press our way into knowing things the knowledge of which belong to You alone. Forgive us Father, for the many ways in which we have not tended well to our duties as witnesses in thought, word and deed. Hallellujah, Lord, Bless your name, and lift us up out of doubt and vague wonderings. Let us not resist the fresh awakening of Your Holy Spirit as He leads us into the truths that you would have us to know. Empower us Lord, to magnify your precious and holy name through out the world, as we reveal the living Christ to the ends of the world. Help us to redeem the time, because the days are evil. This we ask in Jesus’ mighty and precious name. Amen, and Amen!

 

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*Uploaded by ShekinahGloryMinVEVO on Oct 7, 2009