top of page
October 25, 2024
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 showed himself to these men 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.” So when they met together, they 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.”- Acts 1:1-11
​
This Friday we want to examine a text that shows us how to ensure completion of your God-given mission after you are gone. Jesus’ mission was to spread the gospel all over the known world and he knew he could not do that by himself. He knew that to ensure completion of his commission after he was gone he had to create community.
You can’t complete a God-given mission by yourself. You’ve got to create a community of persons willing to implement your mission. You create that community by giving clear commands. That’s what Jesus did with the persons he selected to be his apostles.; he gave them clear commands. He knew there were interpersonal problems that they had to work out among themselves in order to create a community capable of completing his commission. Some wanted positions! Some wanted power! Some wanted to sit on his right when he came into his kingdom! All of them wanted to recreate the kingdom of Israel and none of them were committed to creating the kingdom of God.
So he told them don’t leave Jerusalem! Don’t leave this upper room! He told them to celebrate my victory over life’s impediments together! He told them to stay in the upper room together. He told them work out your differences together! He told them work out your disagreements together. He told them to work through your disappointments, together. He said; there will be forces arrayed against you but you must stay together! Will you stay together and become a community that carries out the great commission?
​
Yours In Community Transformation.
​​
Rev. Gillard S. Glover
​​
If you like to receive the weekly devotional by e-mail please submit below.
​
​
bottom of page