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Q U E S T I O N 1 #BSFLascended

Whose words always catch your attention?

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THE BIBLE MEETS LIFEWant to know what’s important to a person? Find out what’s on his or her mind when he or she comes to the end of life.

] “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” Leonardo da Vinci (1519)1

] “I have tried so hard to do the right.” Grover Cleveland (1908)2

] “I believe that a life lived for music is an existence spent wonderfully, and this is what I have dedicated my life to.” Luciano Pavarotti (2007)3

What do you think will flood your thoughts in your closing days on earth? Family? Friends? An unfinished project? Your finances?

Jesus’ final earthly words held great significance. After His resurrection, and just before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples—and us—what mattered to Him. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses … ” (Acts 1:8). What was on Jesus’ mind? God’s kingdom and our need for His continued presence in our lives.

Jesus returned to heaven, but He knew we could not accomplish His mission on our own. We would need the presence and the power of His Spirit to carry out that great work.

THE POINT

Jesus ascended to heaven but did not leave us alone.

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B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 71

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Acts 1:3-11 (HCSB)

3 After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me;

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.

10 While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”

© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

Acts 1:3

I spent more than 12 years in biblical training. I had a passion for ministry and God’s Word. Despite the depth of my passion, though, an interesting thing happened over time. As I studied God’s Word more and more, it seemed that my hunger for it diminished. Reading and studying God’s Word became information rather than illumination.

That all changed when I left the classroom and starting using the Bible in ministry. God’s Word comes alive as we minister. Sitting face to face with person after person, counseling each one through difficult situations, forces me to know what the Lord taught about those circumstances. Preaching in front of thousands of people several times a week—many of whom live in trying circumstances—motivates me to dig deep into the Scriptures and discover all I can to help them. My focus has moved from verbs and tenses to meaning and application.

The disciples were with Jesus for three years of solid training. They saw Him perform miracles, witnessed Him calm the storms, and heard Him teach. Yet when we look at the disciples’ words and actions during Jesus’ trial, it would appear they hadn’t heard or seen much at all. They doubted. They wandered. They feared. And they ran.

But after their Friend and Savior rose from the dead, everything changed. For 40 days, Jesus spoke to them and gave them a crash course on the kingdom of God. I suspect the disciples absorbed more in those 40 days than in their previous three years with Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus had their undivided attention.

I don’t doubt the disciples now listened closely. Jesus’ words at this point became very dear to them. That’s how it should be for us, too. What Jesus taught His disciples before His ascension mattered to them. The life and words of Jesus had become the passion of their lives, and they should be our passion as well.

How does verse 3 set the context for the rest of the passage?

Q U E S T I O N 2

Jesus ascended to heaven but did not leave us alone.

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Acts 1:4-8

Jesus had already told His disciples that He would go away, but He would not leave them alone. During His last supper with them before His arrest, Jesus said, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). In Acts 1, Jesus promised again the presence of His Holy Spirit.

When Jesus was on earth, His actions were constrained by His humanity. Neither His Deity nor His essence was diminished, yet He worked in only one location at a time. When people needed Jesus, they had to meet Him face to face.

The Holy Spirit lives within each follower of Jesus Christ, and He goes with us wherever we go. He is always present in full power within each of us, all at the same time. Not subject to the limitations of human flesh to which Jesus voluntarily surrendered, the Holy Spirit is God, a part of the Trinity. It’s the Holy Spirit who indwells, transforms, and empowers each believer to live the victorious kingdom life as we align ourselves under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Imagine purchasing a new refrigerator. You excitedly fill the shelves with food and beverages, checking out the new drawers and ice-maker. But the next morning you reach for the milk, you discover it has soured—along with everything else in the refrigerator. Frustrated, you call the company to complain. The representative on the line asks you a few questions. Her first query: “Is it plugged in?” You check—and there lies the plug, inches away from the electrical outlet.

Jesus has secured for us everything we need to live the empowered life. And the Holy Spirit is the Power Source. His presence provides the power to turn fear into faith, worry into peace, and heartache into hope. He is our source and ever-present help in times of trouble.

In your own words, how would you describe the presence and work of the Holy Spirit?

Q U E S T I O N 3

B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 73© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

Acts 1:9-11

Notice the verbs Luke used in verses 9-11 to describe Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

] “He was taken up.”

] “A cloud took Him out of their sight.”

] “He was going.”

In other words, Jesus’ ascension was a visible and physical event. This was neither a mirage nor a figment of their imagination. In the same way Jesus was resurrected bodily, He ascended bodily.

It’s important to realize Jesus physically ascended—not just as a spirit—and He will also physically return. As the disciples watched Jesus ascend, two angels told them, “This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

No one else has ever ascended from this earth the way Jesus did, and no one is coming back the way He is coming back. He is like no other. He is the distinct and unique message of all creation.

A day is coming when we will experience a real transformation. This incredible change will occur when Jesus Christ returns for His followers, and we are with Him forever. Jesus once used the image of a wedding to teach about His return (Matthew 25:1-13). Upon the return of Christ, His followers will take part in a great marriage feast (Revelation 19:6-10). This wedding imagery is so fitting, for one day Jesus will return for us, His bride.

As a pastor, I’ve performed a number of weddings and one of the most treasured honors is getting to be the last person to see the bride before she walks down the aisle. Her face glows with delight as she’s ready to meet her groom. One day the trumpet will sound, announcing that Jesus, our Bridegroom, is on His way. And we, His bride, can anticipate that moment with delight.

Why is it important that Jesus’ disciples witnessed His ascension?

Q U E S T I O N 4

Jesus ascended to heaven but did not leave us alone.

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THE GREAT COUNSELOR

Which of the following best depicts the Holy Spirit’s role in your life right now? Explain.

What steps can you take to be more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life?

"Christ said it's better for us that

the Spirit came and I want to live

like that is true. I don't want to keep

crawling when I have the ability to fly."

— F R A N C I S C H A N , F O R G O T T E N G O D

How does the promise of Jesus’ return influence your daily decisions?

Q U E S T I O N 5

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THE POINT

So what does living in light of the ascension look like?

] Carve out time to spend in prayer and Bible study this week. The more time you invest in these spiritual disciplines, the easier it will be to recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

] Memorize Acts 1:8 as a reminder of our task as believers and God’s promise of His Holy Spirit.

] Learn more about the Holy Spirit. Check out Scripture passages, articles, and podcasts that dig deeper into the role and work of the Holy Spirit.

You don’t know what your last words in this life will be. No one does. However, you can know here and now that you’re never alone. God Himself—His Holy Spirit—lives in you.

One Student Can Start a Movement

Most of the students in the small province would choose to attend any other university in the country. Their local university, located on a Southeast Asian island, is neither prestigious nor acclaimed. However, it holds the potential to be the starting point of a Gospel movement to sweep across the entire province and, ultimately, the entire island.

To continue reading “One Student Can Start a Movement” from Threadsmedia.com, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

LIVE IT OUT

Jesus ascended to heaven but did not leave us alone.

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My group's prayer requests

My thoughts

1. Charles Nicholl, Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind, Penguin Books, (2005). 2. H.P. Jeffers, An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland, HarperCollins, (2002). 3. http://www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/luciano-pavarotti.html (Accessed 08/14/2014).

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