‘In Earth as…in Heaven’

“Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” –Matthew 6:10 (KJV).

Known to us as “The Lord’s Prayer,”, the prayer is indeed a lesson from Jesus Himself on how believers (disciples) should pray.  The petitions in the prayer follow a logical order.  The introduction addresses God as Father and makes Him close and concerned about us.  Then follows the prayer that we hallow His name, recognizing His sovereign rule over all of our lives and in creation. Known to us as “The Lord’s Prayer,” the prayer was, indeed, a pattern of how believers should pray.  Next comes the petition “Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 

“Thy kingdom come.”  Can we begin to approximate the depth of meaning of this statement?  What are we asking for when we pray this prayer?  We should look at this petition from the perspective of Jesus’ twelve disciples who heard him speak the words, and then put the petition in the context of our own spiritual journey.  When “Messiah” was mentioned to the Jews of the first century AD, they immediately thought of the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel to a state similar to the glorious days of the united kingdom of Israel under King David.  “”Lord, at this time will you restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b, ESV)  This question was posed by the disciples again after Jesus’ resurrection and just before He ascended into heaven.  Jesus could have said again that He was not going to restore the kingdom of Israel.  But instead, he patiently answered, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.  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” (Acts 1:7-8, ESV).  When the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and other believers on the Day of Pentecost, they became equipped as kingdom servants.  With boldness they proclaimed the message of the Messiah and told of His spiritual kingdom that was intended for all people—not just for the Israelites.  It was a dynamic and revolutionary idea for the disciples to embrace, steeped in Judaism as they were; but the kingdom—in the hearts of believers—moved forward.  In the context of our day, the same message prevails, the same commission to spread the word of the kingdom. The responsibility lies with believers empowered with the Spirit of God.  When we pray “Thy kingdom come,” we are praying for an endowment of the Spirit so that our witness will make a difference in the realm of this world and its people.  And one by one as believers are added, the kingdom of God grows.  What a joy and a privilege to be a subject of His kingdom!

“Thy will be done.”  This phase of the prayer is pleading that our personal dominion will grow less and less and God’s dominion will increase.  We often have our own selfish desires, our agenda for when things should be done and what activities fill that agenda.  God’s will involves conduct that is pleasing to Him and follows the teachings of the Scriptures.  His will is already being followed in Heaven.  The prayer indicates our desire to fulfill God’s will, even as the glorified beings in heaven are doing.  The will of God will be expressed in its fullness when God’s kingdom comes in its final form and when Christ returns in power and great glory.  But in the meantime, we practice kingdom citizenship as we follow the teachings God has given us in His Word.  One of the church leaders of a past century said that an important task of the  church is “to make the invisible kingdom visible.”  How can we do this?  We can bear witness of the reality of Christ by how we conduct our jobs with integrity and honesty, by how we live out Christian love and principles in family life; by how we handle our money to honor God; by how we sincerely ask the question “What would Jesus do?” and seek to follow His way.  “Thy kingdom come” will then become more and more a reality in daily life.

The Holy Spirit Comes

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” –Acts 2:1-4 (ESV).

The prophecy in Joel 2:28 came to pass on the day of Pentecost: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions (ESV). John the Baptist also told of the coming of the Spirit: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11, ESV). Jesus promised the Spirit when He was still among the disciples, teaching them: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, ESV). As He was ascending into Heaven, Jesus again told His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon youk, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

And now that day had arrived! The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover, counting from the second day of the feast (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the NT, 1996, p. 465). The coming of the Holy Spirit was audible, visible, and powerful. The Spirit was audible in the sound of a mighty rushing wind; visible as divided tongues of fire; and powerful in that He filled each one of those who had been waiting and praying. They began to do amazing things, one of which was to speak in and understand languages not native to them and which they had not studied. The speaking at the time of the coming of the Spirit may also have been in ecstatic spiritual utterances as well. They had been waiting for and praying for the Holy Spirit. They didn’t have to wonder, when He came; He demonstrated His presence. The mighty wind showed the power and energy of the Spirit. Fire in the Old Testament indicated the presence of God; the disciples would have known this and the Spirit was demonstrating it. The fire represented God’s holiness and the burning away of impurities. Dr. Vance Havner, commenting on the coming of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.” (Quoted in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, 2007, p. 325). The Spirit had “combusted” the hearts of the followers on the day of Pentecost. This was the baptism by or the coming of the Holy Spirit to them as promised. Christ had pledged to the disciples that when the Spirit came upon them they would be able to accomplish great deeds. Indeed, that promise was fulfilled. Now the third person of the Trinity lived and moved among believers.

Daniel Iverson (1890-1977) penned the words of the chorus: “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me; Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” My husband and I spent a month in the Holy Land in 1978. While there, we visited the upper room believed to be where the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples. I was amazed when I had our pictures developed and two of those I took in that room had a reflection of light that looked like tongues of fire. It was sobering and humbling to have stood in the reputed place where the Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. As each individual is willing, the Spirit enters and fills the waiting heart. May our prayer be: “Breathe on me breath of God, Till I am wholly Thine, Till all this earthly part of me Glows with Thy fire divine.” (Edwin Hatch (1835-1889).

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas as a Disciple

“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers…So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to His resurrection. And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed…And they cast lots for them and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” –Acts 1:12-15, 21-24a, 26 (ESV. Read Acts 1:12-26).

Following Jesus’ ascension and after the two men (angels) had asked them why they stood gazing up into heaven, the disciples and others who had witnessed the resurrection returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. This was “a sabbath’s day’s journey,” the length set by Jewish tradition that one could walk on the Sabbath and it not be work, about 0.6 of one mile or 1 kilometer. They went to “the upper room where they were staying.” Many believe this was the same upper room where Jesus met with his disciples for the Passover Meal and the institution of the Lord’s Supper on the night of His arrest. Scholars also believe the room may have belonged to Mary, the mother of Mark (see Acts 12:12). Luke in writing Acts lists the names of the eleven; all are present on that important occasion. Peter who has been restored by Christ is now the convener, the spokesman (remember how the Lord singled Peter out at the post-resurrection appearance at the Sea of Galilee and told him, “Feed my sheep”?). He first reports on the death of Judas the betrayer. He does not spare details of Judas’s suicide and the subsequent desecration of his body, but reminds those gathered that Judas’s end was prophesied in Psalm 69:25. And then Peter quoted from Psalm 109:8 that another was to be selected to take the position vacated by Judas.

A requirement for selection of the new twelfth member of the apostles (those sent) was to be a man who had been with them, traveled about with them and heard Jesus teach, one who had been with them from the time John the Baptist baptized Jesus until the Lord was taken up, and therefore a witness to the resurrection. Two qualified and were nominated, Joseph and Matthias. After prayer, they “cast lots” (voted) for which of the two would be the new apostle (for the designation of this special group of twelve had now changed to apostles—those sent—from disciples—learners). Scholars tell us that “lots” were probably marked stones placed in a pot and shaken until one fell out. This was a common Jewish way of selecting persons for a task. The lot fell to Matthias. It is significant that the number should be twelve—representative of the twelve patriarchs of Israel and also of the number Jesus Himself had selected to be His inner circle. The church was to be “built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets” (Ephesians 2:20, Revelation 21:14). We do not read of Matthias after his selection. Luke does not give further accounts of his work as an apostle. We are not to read into this that he was not true to his election. Acts highlights some of the major events in the early church and does not account fully for all the twelve and their involvement in spreading the gospel and attending to the work of the early church. The name Matthias means “gift of Jehovah.” The fact that his name is not mentioned again in the New Testament should not lead us to believe he was a wrong selection. Many serve without honor and recognition. His selection set a precedent for the church. We still call out and choose persons for the work of proclamation, teaching and ministry. Praise be to God.

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’” –Acts 1:6-11 (NKJV).

Can you imagine being present with the believers on the occasion of Jesus’ ascension into heaven? With what awe must they have been filled. We hear no expressions of doubt from those
gathered on that glorious day. We are told in Acts 1:3 that He had showed Himself “alive to them after many proofs.” The ascension of Jesus occurred forty days after His resurrection. The place was the Mount of Olives outside Bethany. It was a reaffirmation to His disciples that the kingdom was not to be as they had expected, a restoration of Israel’s kingdom, but a new kind of kingdom, spiritual and under the authority of God himself who knows the time of fulfillment.

The ascension was visible, victorious and authoritative. The ascension expanded Christ’s ministry through His followers who were given the Great Commission to witness of Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and throughout the earth. The ascension showed Jesus’ restoration to His exalted position in Heaven at the right Hand of God where His executive power is ever acting on behalf of believers everywhere.

Jesus began to rise from their midst and visibly lift from their presence. A cloud received Him out of their sight. A cloud was often manifested as a visible sign of God’s presence. The cloud by day and the fire by night had protected the Israelites after their release from Egyptian bondage. Is it any wonder, that after seeing Jesus visibly go up and disappear into a cloud that the disciples were so rapt they could not move from the Mount of Olives? Two men clothed in white raiment (angels) came to speak to them, asking a pointed question: “Why do you thus stand gazing into heaven?” And then they repeated the promise Jesus had made to them: “As you have seen Him go into heaven, He will come again in like manner!” The awe, amazement and wonder of the disciples must be turned to practical work to bring about the spiritual kingdom Christ had commissioned them to tell about and be involved in bringing in. The incarnation of God (Emmanuel, God with us) had been successfully accomplished in Jesus Christ the Son. The two messengers gave the believers assurance that Jesus would indeed return as He had gone into Heaven. This is a great motivation for Christians to be involved in service to the living, reigning, ascended Lord. Those gathered on the Mount of Olives to see Jesus ascend into Heaven, marvelous as the experience was, had work awaiting them. We, too, have work to do while we await His return. May we be found faithful!

Wait for the Promise of the Father

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many
proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”-Acts 1:1-4 (ESV).

The book of the Acts of the Apostles has as its purpose to give a selective history of the early church and the spread of the gospel following Jesus resurrection. Its theme is the witness of those who received the Holy Spirit and were compelled to share the good news of Jesus Christ to all, beginning in Jerusalem. In the introduction, the “I” is belived by scholars to be Luke, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are addressed to Theophilus, a name which means “friend of God.” Speculation about the unknown Theophilus holds that he might have been one who was in high political standing and was a benefactor of the apostles and the early church; other scholars hold that Theophilus was a generic term meaning, as the name implies, any who are friends of God.

Luke himself is not mentioned either in his gospel or in Acts, but we learn about him in the three places Paul names him in his writings (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24). He was present with Paul on occasion and he was a physician. The name Luke is Greek, and he wrote both his gospel and Acts in excellent Greek. The date usually accepted for the writing of Acts is about 70 to 80 AD. Luke’s knowledge of the Old Testament as often reflected in his writings. This shows that he was well acquainted with the Hebrew writings of the law, the prophets and the wisdom literature, and that he may have been first, before becoming a Christian, a Gentile convert to Judaism who regularly worshiped in a synagogue. Or, through study, he could have gained this knowledge after he became a Christian. Dr. John B. Polhill who wrote the study helps for Acts in the English Standard Version Study Bible (Crossways, 2008, p. 2077) states: “The book of Acts is a small anthology of individual literary genres. The list includes hero story, adventure story, travel story, conversion story, and miracle story. Drama also figures prominently; there are 32 speeches in Acts.” He notes that a common pattern is repeated throughout the Acts account of early church beginnings: (1) Christian leaders preach the gospel; (2) listeners hear, are converted, and are added to the church; (3) opponents begin to persecute Christians; (4) God intervenes to rescue leaders or to protect the church (Polhill, p. 2077). Acts is an exciting account of God’s work. It is fitting that, after the introduction, Luke tells of how the apostles are to “wait in Jerusalem for the projmise of the Father.” Note name change from disciples (learners) to apostles (those who had been with Jesus and were sent on a mission).

The “promise of the Father” for which the apostles were to wait was the Holy Spirit. They were to be “baptized” with the Spirit soon. Jesus had promised the disciples on many occasions that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and be with them. One of the notable promises is found in John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” In his post-resurrection appearances, and especially at his ascension, Jesus promised His disciples again that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. I can imagine the anticipation, the eagerness, with which the disciples awaited the “baptism” by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had announced it (see Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33).

It is significant that they waited for the promise of the Father, the imbuement of power by the Holy Spirit. To be “baptized” by the Spirit can be interpreted as being completely immersed by the Spirit, to have one’s life directed by Him and propelled forward by Him in the work God intends. The disciples did not have long to wait. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit would descend in their midst as Jesus had promised. In the meantime, there was the period of preparation, of expectantly waiting, and of prayer.

Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus: Disciples without Thomas

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’”-John 20:19-23 (ESV).

In Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, He was in a recognizable body, but He was not limited by impediments such as space and locked doors. It was a solid body, for He asked his disciples to touch him and he even ate some fish with them (Luke 24:41-43). Jesus was not limited in His post-resurrection movements by what we term the laws of nature. Here in this appearance to His disciples is what has been termed by scholars the Johanine commission or the Great Commission as Luke would give it in Acts 1:8. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Despite the fact that Peter had denied Christ three times and the disciples had failed Him, He still was sending them forth to preach the gospel. And to enable this bold action from the disciples, He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. This was a foretaste of the infilling of the Holy Spirit a bit later as recorded by Luke in Acts 2:1-4.

A difficult and often misunderstood verse is John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of anyk they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” An eminent Greek scholar, Dr. Julius R. Mantey sees the literal translation of the verse from Greek to read: “Whosoever sins you remit (forgive) shall have already been forgiven them, and whosoever sins you retain (do not forgive) shall have already not been forgiven them.” (Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, New Testament, 2007, p. 314). An understanding of the past-perfect tense of verb forms makes these verses understandable. A free rendering might read: Since the sins of believers have already been forgiven, you are to forgive them, too; and if their sins have not been forgiven, then you do not have to recognize them as forgiven. The disciples did not forgive; they preached the necessity for forgiveness and persons made their own acknowledgement of sins, confessing them. Therefore, because of confession and repentance, sinners’ sins were forgiven.

The post-resurrection appearances of the Lord to His disciples was an impetus they sorely needed to propel them into their calling. Jesus had spoken to them so often about their work while He was still with them before his crucifixion and resurrection. But their confusion and temporary discouragement had scattered and disoriented them from their mission. He was appearing to them to remind them of their commission and to propel them forward into the work they were intended to do. Now they believe in the risen Lord. Now they are ready to go forward with His calling. Because they got redirected, the gospel came to us and others! Thanks be to God!

Jesus, the Way to the Father

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” -John 14:6. (KJV)

We live in a day when many seek to proclaim that there are more ways than Jesus Christ to restore relationship with God the Father. We must be constantly aware of insidious claims to untruths that would negate personal faith in and acceptance of Christ as the way back to the Father.

The context of this powerful verse declaring Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the only way to the Father gives us powerful insight into the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. He faced imminent and close death. He had held his last supper with His disciples, and Judas, the disciple who betrayed Him, had already departed from the upper room. Christ was in the midst of His great discourse in which He stated, “Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3, KJV).

This talk of going away, of a mansion awaiting, and of Christ coming to take the disciples to that prepared place was too much for Thomas to comprehend. He interrupted the Lord’s discourse to declare that he didn’t know where Jesus was going, and therefore how could he possibly know the way. And in His answer to Thomas, the Lord gave not only Thomas but believers through all generations since, that marvelous affirmation and way to the Father: “I am the Way! I am the Truth! I am the Life!” (John 14:6). And in that same context, Jesus promised the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—Who would dwell in believers, comfort them, teach them bring to remembrance what they need to remember. Thomas, at the time he asked this question, was limited in his concept of Christ, because he saw the Messiah as one who would establish an earthly kingdom and make the Jewish nation strong again. But to Thomas’s credit, later when he saw the wounds in Christ’s side and hands, he declared, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) The questions and doubts Thomas had help us to see ourselves, for we too often question and wonder about the great truths Jesus wanted us to understand. Then and now and into the future, Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever: He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only Way to the Father.

A companion verse to John 14:6 is Acts 4:12. It is part of Peter’s masterful testimony before Caiaphas and Ananias, high priests, as he boldly proclaimed: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

Jesus gave to His followers at the time of His ascension into heaven a very important commission. The same is part of each Christian’s assignment, even today and until His return: “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 Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, KJV). No people, no places, no times are excluded from the message of the only way to the Father.