Our pastor reminded us today of the responsibility we have as followers of Christ. After his resurrection, and just before his ascension into heaven, Jesus charged his disciples with what has come to be known as the Great Commission. He 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 NIV)

Jesus had spent some three years preaching about the kingdom of God, ministering to the poor, the sick and the outcasts, and teaching his disciples in the process, grooming them to participate in his ministry. Having alienated the religious authorities, he was arrested on trumped-up charges, ridiculed, scourged and then put to death on the cross. However, three days later he rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples on several occasions, on the last of which he gave them this charge. He also instructed them,

“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… 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.” (Acts 1:5,6,8 NIV)

The he was taken up to heaven and a cloud hid him from their sight. They waited as he had instructed, and then forty days later

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4 NIV)

Hearing the noise, a large crowd gathered. Peter, who not many days before had denied knowing Jesus, stood before them and preached a powerful sermon declaring that Jesus, whom they had seen crucified, had been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God, where he had received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and had poured out what they now saw and heard. He urged them,

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:38-39, 41 NIV)

The Holy Spirit had passed the baton of ministry from Jesus to the Body of Christ, the Church. What began some two thousand years ago is still happening today. As followers of Christ, we are tasked with carrying on his ministry. As our pastor said today, we are writing the next chapters of the Book of Acts. And as Watchman Nee says in his book “The Release of the Spirit”:

“The people of God should know the ultimate purpose of the church, and also the inter-relationship among the church, God’s power, and God’s work. There came a time when God committed Himself to human form – in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Before the Word became flesh, God’s fullness knew no bounds. However, once the incarnation became a reality, His work and His power were limited to the flesh. Will this man, Jesus Christ, restrict or manifest God? The Bible shows us that, far from limiting God, He has wonderfully manifested God’s fullness. The fullness of God is the fullness of this flesh.

In our day God commits Himself to the church. His power and His work are in the church. Just as in the Gospels we find all God’s work given to the Son, so today God has entrusted all His works to the church and will not act apart from it. From the day of Pentecost up to the present, God’s work has been carried out through the church. Think of the church’s tremendous responsibility. God’s committal to the church is like His committal previously to one Man, Christ -without reservation or restriction. But the church may restrict God’s work or limit his manifestation…”

It is our responsibility to see that this does not happen. We must yield ourselves to God to allow him to work through us unhindered. When we do, as Jesus said,

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12 NIV)