Monday, April 13, 2026

Opening Scripture

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and mercy, your protection and provision, your comfort and healing. Help me to trust you in all things and orient my life toward you today. May my mind’s attention and heart’s affection be on you. Guide my choices and direct my decisions for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 1:1-11

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Reflection  

This week, we’re beginning the season of “Eastertide.” This is Christendom’s annual commemoration of the interval between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. The original 40-day focus from Resurrection to Ascension was later expanded to a 50-day emphasis that included the Feast of Pentecost.

This season is significant because it reflects on the establishment of the Church – the New Covenant people of God – that includes Jesus’ ascension back to Heaven and the Spirit’s descension into the lives of Christians.

Doctor Luke, the Church historian, is following up his biography on the life of Jesus with a well-researched account of the “Acts of the Holy Spirit” and the establishment of the New Covenant people of God. As with his gospel, Luke addresses this book to Theophilus (one who loves God), his likely patron and publisher.

In addition to providing an “apologetic” to secular authorities about the law-abiding character of Christians, Acts describes the progression from Peter to Paul, Jews to Gentiles, and Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Luke’s narrative provides the framework for our understanding of the establishment of the early Church. F.F. Bruce observes, “It is Luke that we have to thank for the coherent record of Paul’s apostolic activity.”

What was it like as the risen Lord engaged His followers in “Phase Two” of their discipleship training? Over the course of forty days, He appeared to them “and spoke about the kingdom of God.” How much of Jesus’ teaching over the previous three-and-a-half years finally began to make sense?

Jesus “presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.” The word “proofs” here (tekmēriois) refers to tangible evidence (see and feel) as opposed to the verbal testimony of witnesses.

I imagine the encounter on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32) when the resurrected Jesus appeared to a couple of sad disciples heading home from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday afternoon. Jesus casually came up beside them and, as they walked, they talked about the events of the weekend.

The two men explained that, “Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

That’s when the “Phase Two” discipleship training started for them. “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” When they arrived at their village – still not realizing it was Jesus they were talking to – the men invited Jesus to stay the evening with them, and he accepted their invitation.

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’”

As Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God and announced the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Essentially, the answer is “Yes, but not in the way you imagine.”

Associating the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the restoration of Israel was mentioned several times in the Old Testament, perhaps most notably in Joel 2:28-32. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.”

Jesus didn’t correct the disciples’ question, just their assumptions about the specifics. Jesus was in fact going to begin establishing His kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven, but He was going to do it through them as they received the Spirit’s power and served as His witnesses.

With that, Jesus ascended into Heaven and left the disciples to get after it!

Flourishing Habit

Meaning and Purpose

Our theme for 2026 is “Flourishing Together: Transformed on The Jesus Way.” During this Eastertide season, we are focusing on what it means to be “Shaped by The Spirit.” As disciples of Jesus, we are being transformed in order to be conformed (shaped) into His likeness.

A disciple is a person being formed by Jesus as they follow Him in accomplishing His mission. The Church is a purposeful community of gathered believers following The Jesus Way together in the fulfillment of His mission. That mission is summarized for us in today’s passage: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

There is a foundation and a progression of “intentional discipleship” here that needs to be noted. Matthew describes it in his gospel in these three aspects.

1. Start with The Great Priority. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Pledging allegiance to King Jesus (“Jesus is Lord!”) – declaring your loyalty and devotion to Him – is the base upon which everything else is built. We must be saved.
2. Next focus on The Great Commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Cultivating a personal relationship with God – continually receiving His love and offering it back to Him – enables you to love those around you. You live in community with other believers because you need to be shaped and shepherded.
3. Finally, you can embrace The Great Commission. “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, ever to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). You have been sent!

While our church trains and sends Cross-Cultural Workers to serve in other countries, we believe that every follower of Jesus is “commissioned” to share the Good News. Each of us is responsible to be a “witness” in our sphere of influence.

We have used the phrase “Live Sent” to describe our partnership in establishing God’s kingdom on Earth. It’s a natural outgrowth of living a dynamic life in the Spirit as directed by Jesus in Acts 1:8.

The Psalm 1 Tree offers another way to think about this. It starts with deep roots in answer to the question: Who am I?  It continues with a strong trunk in answer to the question: What is God doing in me? It expresses itself with fruitful branches in answer to the question: What is God doing through me?

What is God doing through you? How are you living out your mission?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!