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Jesus Ascension into Glory.
Players, Not Fans.
You remember the Acts of the Apostles. The book begins with the Ascension of Jesus. After that, the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit, and they begin to “act” just as Jesus did before His Resurrection. They preached like Jesus, they cured people like Jesus, and they got the authorities upset just as Jesus had. Jesus. It is almost as if we didn’t need Jesus anymore because the disciples were so good at imitating their Lord. That is why Jesus ascended–so that we could continue to do His work.
My friend went to one of the Stanly Cup games. He said it was a thrilling experience. He brought back a “fan towel” from the game. When the Bruins scored a goal, the fans waved the “fan towel” in the air to celebrate. I thought how much better it would have been if it were a hockey puck instead. Think of what scoring a goal during the Stanley Cup would be like. What a thrill that would be. Instead of being in the stands watching the game, you would be on the ice playing the game.
That is exactly what happened when Jesus ascended to the Father. We are no longer fans of watching Jesus do all the great works and speeches. We are now players, not a fans. True, players do get beat up on the ice by the opponent, but when they score and win, they are in a different place of glory. So remember, God wants us to be players in his plan, not spectators.
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