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Pastor's Blog July 16, 2020
"Growing Up Into Christ IV"
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Most Christians don't really think about the ascension of Jesus or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as having any significant impact on their lives. While they will admit that those events are fantastic confirmations of God's power working in history, that is where most reflection by believers ends. But Ellen points out that it is exactly these events - and the reality they convey about the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit - that is the means by which Jesus fixes our focus on himself and the Spirit establishes our union with God.
In describing the early Christians' practice of presenting their requests to the Father in Jesus' name, Ellen highlights the fact that they did this with love and faith: "in solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the assurance" of Jesus' words regarding supplication in his name, and "they extended the hand of faith higher and higher" to the resurrected Christ ("Steps to Christ," 51; 1977 edition). The reason they did this was because they had an ongoing relationship with Jesus, and they knew (not simply believed or hoped!) he had ascended to the Father's right hand to continually pray for them and minister as their living Savior - which means Jesus is constantly praying for his disciples before the Father, entrusting them to his loving care (51).
Similarly, the event of Pentecost enabled the early Christians to experience the gentle, loving "presence of the Comforter, of whom Christ had said, He 'shall be in you'"; the Holy Spirit conveyed the presence of Jesus to the disciples on earth, while Jesus ministered in the heavenly sanctuary (51). The early Christians continued to enjoy an intimate union with Jesus because of the Holy Spirit, who continued to transform them so that people recognized the disciples had spent time with Jesus - which means that the Holy Spirit is primarily concerned with comforting us with Jesus' presence and leading us to the Savior, who in turn leads us to the Father (51). It is the ascension and Pentecost that serve as the tangible means Jesus and the Holy Spirit use to perpetually, continually, regularly, and abidingly bring us to the Father and share with us the love, power, and intimacy between them.
Friends, rejoice that the ascension and Pentecost result in your ongoing union with Jesus, in the Spirit, with the Father!
(*) Steps to Christ, Chapter 8— Growing Up Into Christ, 1977 edition
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
