Jesus had many things he wanted to share with his disciples before his crucifixion. Some of those things they could not comprehend until later they compared Old Testament prophecies to what happened after he rose from the grave. During the ministry of Jesus, he maintained a prolonged concern for those who followed him that they understood the Scripture, knew about prophecy, and made the connection to him. Jesus remained on earth for 40 days after his resurrection. He taught and encouraged believers.
At a previous time when Peter made his great confession for the identity of Christ, Jesus made three statements. (Matthew 16:18) He said, ā upon this rock.ā Many people have mistaken this to say that Jesus was building his church on Peter. That is not true because if he was intending to say that he would not use the term this rock. Instead, he was saying the faith or the confession that Peter made was what would be the foundation on which he would build his church. All through the New Testament faith is declared to be what attaches a follower to an eternal heaven. He also said, āI will build my church.ā There are those who say that the birth of the church was on the day of Pentecost. This is not likely because in this Scripture Jesus plainly said that he was doing the building, it was his church, and that it existed earlier than the day of Pentecost. Finally, he said in this verse, āthe gates of hell shall not prevail against it,ā meaning his church. Some people mistake this that hell would be attacking the church. However, noticing the word prevail, Jesus said that the attack of the church against hell would not be resisted. That is to say that those who are bound for hell can and some will be snatched out of the potential fires of their future by the work of the church.
In our text, a final instruction to the disciples was that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit. That was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. On that day, the Holy Spirit came upon them enabling them to speak with an earthly language that they had not learned but one that was a witness to those who would come from other parts of the world to Jerusalem. The church that Jesus built was at that time empowered by the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, anyone who becomes a Christian comes into the church and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It is like a bricklayer who is constructing a building. The individual brick is not the building, but the individual brick becomes part of the building.
His final instruction is recorded in Matthew 28: 18-20. He instructed his followers after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and with the motivation of his resurrection to go into all the world preaching the gospel. It is our duty today to follow this same command that we do the same. We are to teach. To those who receive Christ as Savior are to be baptized in water by immersion in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for baptize is to immerse. Our mission from Christ puts us in a very responsible position. Jesus did not expect us to obey these instructions if it was convenient or if we were in the mood. He dictated to us, and to those disciples, the responsibility to share the gospel. This sharing must be done through all the world. The disciples were obedient with this. The question is whether or not we will be obedient. We live in a time in which Christianity is rejected and mocked. Our church attendance is dropping. Baptisms are becoming fewer. The way to grow a church is not through fancy seminars or uplifting gimmicks. The way to grow a church is by following what Jesus said in the Scripture. Even so, Jesus questioned whether faith would be on the earth when he returns. (Luke 18:8)
As the disciples looked on to Jesus taking in every word that he said, he began to defy gravity. In their site, they saw him rise up through the clouds toward heaven. Two angels nearby asked the disciples why they were looking up? I canāt help but wonder if the question they asked was a bit sarcastic or humorous because they could not stand the rest of their lives looking in the sky. They were given a promise that predates what Paul wrote for he said there will come a time in which Jesus will return and believers, dead and alive, will be raptured to meet him in the sky.
Christian Writer 