Often we are too quick to jump from Easter to Pentecost. In fact, in many Pentecostal theological traditions, we have lost much by ignoring the historic Christian calendar. For many pastors, there are only three major church Sundays: Christmas, Easter, and Homecoming.<\/p>\n
As Chris Maxwell\u2019s excellent series of Pause <\/em>books teaches, we need to pause after Easter and give attention to the importance of the forty days that Jesus ministered on earth, before His Ascension, as we renew the rightful place of emphasizing Pentecost.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we need to remember that Pentecost Sunday this year is June 4th, with the Ascension ten days prior on May 25. Jesus\u2019 ascension is described in Mark 16:19, 20; Luke 24:51\u201353; and Acts 1:4\u201311. The Apostle Paul alluded to the Ascension in Ephesians 4:8\u201316 in referring to Christ\u2019s gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.<\/p>\n The connection with Pentecost and the IPHC\u2019s focus on Christ\u2019s Kingdom becomes clearer when we recognize the emphasis that St. Luke gave to the period between the resurrection and Pentecost. We first see this in the Gospel of Luke, as Luke focused on what and why Jesus taught (Luke 24:25\u201332, 44\u201349). During these forty days, Jesus instructed His disciples: \u201cThese are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you\u2026\u201d (Luke 24:44 NKJV).<\/p>\n This means that Jesus repeated much of what He said during His three years of ministry. Jesus named the aspects of His miracles and teachings that needed to be emphasized. He told His followers \u201c\u2026 that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me\u201d (Luke 24:44 NKJV).<\/p>\n Jesus taught His Jewish disciples that His ministry was foretold in their Law, prophets, and writings. He showed how He fulfilled these witnesses of God\u2019s divine purpose in the world.<\/p>\n In Luke\u2019s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, he began with what Jesus did and taught during these forty days \u201c\u2026until the day in which He was taken up\u2026\u201d (Acts 1:1\u20132). Jesus \u201cpresented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs\u2026\u201d (Acts 1:3).<\/p>\n The reality of Jesus\u2019 physical presence with them during these forty days was clearly affirmed (see Luke 24:36\u201343). The physically present Jesus, present in the uniqueness of His resurrected body which transcended normal physical laws, taught the disciples on a specific topic: \u201cthe things pertaining to the kingdom of God.\u201d (Acts 1:3). Jesus\u2019 further teaching on the kingdom of God completed His teaching here on earth.<\/p>\n We know from Jesus\u2019 kingdom parables in Matthew 13 and the parallel in Mark 4 that His teaching about the kingdom of God was often expressed in parables. Some of the parables were explained by Jesus when He first gave them, such as the parable of the sower and the parable of the wheat and tares (see Matthew 13:18\u201323; 36\u201343). But other parables remained mysteries for the disciples to ponder and discuss.<\/p>\n While the Bible does not specifically say, it seems reasonable that during these forty days Jesus further explained these parables as He talked about the kingdom of God. As I\u2019ve pondered these forty days before the Ascension, I\u2019ve found myself imagining Jesus speaking to Matthew, Mark (who though not one of the Twelve, was a disciple), and John, informing them of the emphasis they should take in telling His story for the future.<\/p>\n We know that the Apostle Peter was spiritually restored during these forty days (Luke 22:31, 32; John 21:15\u201318). No doubt the following days with Jesus were times of refreshing, insight, and affirmation so that Peter went forward without crippling guilt\u2014with the strength that comes from gratitude and humility. The same can be said for Thomas, whose doubt was directly challenged by Jesus (John 20:24\u201329). No doubt Thomas found a confident faith that enabled him to later move further eastward into India as a missionary of the risen Lord.<\/p>\n These forty days were essential\u2014days we shouldn\u2019t be quick to skip over. During this time, the disciples were in the presence of the risen Lord and the presence of the Holy Spirit. John 20:19\u201323 described how in the earliest days of His resurrection, Jesus met with the fearful disciples and brought His peace that transformed their fear. He commissioned them to be sent just as He had been sent. He \u201cbreathed on them, and said to them, \u2018Receive the Holy Spirit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The presence of the Holy Spirit during these forty days enabled them to learn and discern in an atmosphere charged with divine life. Jesus taught that His power\u2014to bring release from the power of sin\u2014was being transferred to them, His disciples.<\/p>\n The importance of Jesus breathing on them the Holy Spirit in John 20:22 gives further impetus to the meaning of Pentecost in Acts 2. In both instances, the Spirit is present, showing the way of forming the new creation which manifests what it means to be a new community in the world. It is a community in continuity with the promises of Abraham and the covenant community of Israel.<\/p>\n At the close of the forty days, Jesus gathered His disciples together for their closing class. They asked, \u201cWill You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?\u201d (Acts 1:6).<\/p>\n I am changing my mind about their question. I used to think that they asked this question because they still didn\u2019t get it. The more I reflect on the forty days, and the fact that Jesus didn\u2019t reject the question about Israel, only the question about time, I am convinced that Jesus had given instruction into the role of Israel and the promises to the fathers (described more fully later by Paul in Romans 9\u201311).<\/p>\n The answer to the question was an expansion and fulfillment of Israel\u2019s role to be a light to the nations. The Holy Spirit is the divine agent enabling them to be witnesses of Jesus \u201cin Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth\u201d (Acts 1:8).<\/p>\n During those days between Easter and Pentecost, the disciples took an intense post-graduate course in the reality of the risen Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n May we commit ourselves to take the course ourselves through His presence in Word and Spirit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By Doug Beacham<\/strong><\/p>\n This article was published in\u00a0the May 2017 issue of Encourage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[313,45,134,46,290,318],"class_list":{"0":"post-1305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bishops-blog","8":"category-general","9":"tag-313","10":"tag-bishop","11":"tag-bishops-blog","12":"tag-doug-beacham","13":"tag-iphc-general-superintendent","14":"tag-may","15":"entry"},"title_es":"S\u00f3lo el Evangelio es la cura para el pecado del mundo","content_es":"Este a\u00f1o, el Domingo de Pascua es el 16 de abril para los cristianos de todo el mundo. Esto significa que nuestras congregaciones de IPHC en Europa del Este, que a menudo siguen el calendario ortodoxo, celebrar\u00e1n la Pascua, en la misma fecha que en el mundo occidental. As\u00ed, como una familia global, nos unimos a un tercio de la poblaci\u00f3n humana al declarar que \"Cristo muri\u00f3 por nuestros pecados seg\u00fan las Escrituras, y que fue sepultado y resucit\u00f3 al tercer d\u00eda seg\u00fan las Escrituras\" ( 1 Corintios 15: 3, 4, NKJV). Durante esta estaci\u00f3n sagrada, me encuentro reflexionando sobre lo que significa para nosotros como seguidores de Jes\u00fas en un mundo con poca conciencia de la presencia de Dios: pasado, presente o futuro. Los bloggers y los podcasts nos advierten que estamos predicando a la gente que no nos escucha; Que estamos respondiendo a preguntas que nadie nos est\u00e1 haciendo. Eso puede ser cierto. Pero si es verdad hoy, entonces es la misma verdad que Dios revel\u00f3 a Isa\u00edas siguiendo su llamada prof\u00e9tica. La misma fecha que en el mundo occidental. As\u00ed, como una familia global, nos unimos a un tercio de la poblaci\u00f3n humana al declarar que \"Cristo muri\u00f3 por nuestros pecados seg\u00fan las Escrituras, y que fue sepultado y resucit\u00f3 al tercer d\u00eda seg\u00fan las Escrituras\" ( 1 Corintios 15: 3, 4, NKJV). Siempre he sentido parcialidad hacia Isa\u00edas 6: 1-8. Fue el texto predicado por el difunto Rev. Durant Driggers a principios de octubre de 1967 en King Memorial Lectures en el campus del Emmanuel College. Al final de su mensaje, respond\u00ed a la llamada a predicar el evangelio. Esta foto es de la Biblia que estaba usando esa noche. Me lo dieron como regalo de graduaci\u00f3n de escuela secundaria a principios de ese a\u00f1o por el Rev. John W. Swails y la congregaci\u00f3n de la Iglesia de Santidad Pentecostal de Franklin Springs. He marcado a principios de octubre de este a\u00f1o para recordar el 50 aniversario de la llamada de Dios. He sacado esa vieja Biblia de la estanter\u00eda y he empezado a leer notas escritas en esos d\u00edas. Esa Biblia est\u00e1 muy gastada y desmoron\u00e1ndose, pero su mensaje es eternamente verdadero. Lo que no llegu\u00e9 a saber hasta m\u00e1s tarde fue que la experiencia de Isa\u00edas, despu\u00e9s de su gloriosa llamada, fue bastante desafiante. El ministerio del profeta ser\u00eda b\u00e1sicamente lo que nos dicen hoy los expertos contempor\u00e1neos. Dios le dijo a Isa\u00edas: \"Ve y dile a este pueblo: Sigue oyendo, pero no entiendas; Sigue viendo, pero no percibes. Haz que el coraz\u00f3n de este pueblo sea opaco, Y sus o\u00eddos fuertes, Y cierren sus ojos; Para que no vean con sus ojos, y oigan con sus o\u00eddos, y entiendan con su coraz\u00f3n, y vuelvan y sean curados. \"Entonces yo dije,\" Se\u00f1or, \u00bfhasta cu\u00e1ndo? \"(Isa\u00edas 6: 9-11a). No estoy seguro de c\u00f3mo habr\u00eda respondido si el Rev. Driggers me hubiera dicho que yo, junto con usted, ministrar\u00eda en un tiempo como el de Isa\u00edas. Tal vez \u00e9l era sabio para meterme en el juego y me dej\u00f3 descubrir la dura realidad de una cultura de corazones endurecidos, l\u00edderes c\u00ednicos y personas sin conciencia de la necesidad de arrepentimiento. As\u00ed que tal vez este fin de semana de Pascua, nosotros e Isa\u00edas no estamos tan lejos. John Swails sol\u00eda predicar que el evangelio es la panacea, o la cura, para lo que aflige a la humanidad. Pero si el predicador no diagnostica correctamente, \u00bfc\u00f3mo se puede administrar la cura adecuada? Si el paciente se niega a aceptar la realidad de la condici\u00f3n y rechaza la \u00fanica medicina que curar\u00e1, \u00bfqu\u00e9 puede hacer el m\u00e9dico? \u00bfQu\u00e9 pasa si las preguntas \"ellos\" se hacen son las preguntas equivocadas? \u00bfQu\u00e9 deber tengo para proclamar la verdad de la condici\u00f3n y su cura? \u00bfEst\u00e1 Ezequiel hablando conmigo y t\u00fa cuando Dios le habl\u00f3 de \"vigilantes\" (Ezequiel 3:17; 33: 1-7)? John Wesley predic\u00f3 a miles de personas en el siglo XVIII. Mientras el diminuto predicador proclamaba la verdad en campos de toda Inglaterra, los opositores lo rechazaban, le arrojaban piedras y tomates e hicieron todo lo posible para evitar que se predicase y se escuchara el mensaje. Pero Wesley sab\u00eda la verdad de la condici\u00f3n de la multitud, y sab\u00eda la verdad de la \u00fanica cura. Desde el p\u00falpito de la Iglesia de Santa Mar\u00eda en Oxford, Inglaterra, el 18 de junio de 1738, Wesley predic\u00f3 su famoso serm\u00f3n de \"Salvaci\u00f3n por la Fe\" de Efesios 2: 8: \"Por gracia sois salvos por la fe\". La verdad de nuestra condici\u00f3n pecaminosa y la verdad del ant\u00eddoto misericordioso de Dios. El mensaje de Wesley, como se registra en los Cuarenta y cuatro Sermones de John Wesley<\/em> (Epworth Press), inclu\u00eda estas palabras: La fe cristiana \"reconoce Su muerte (Jes\u00fas) como el \u00fanico medio suficiente para redimir al hombre de la muerte eterna y Su resurrecci\u00f3n como la restauraci\u00f3n de Todos nosotros a la vida ya la inmortalidad; En tanto que El 'fue entregado por nuestros pecados, y resucit\u00f3 para nuestra justificaci\u00f3n'.<\/em> La fe cristiana es entonces, no s\u00f3lo un asentimiento a todo el evangelio de Cristo, sino tambi\u00e9n una plena dependencia de la sangre de Cristo; Una confianza en los m\u00e9ritos de Su vida, muerte y resurrecci\u00f3n; Una inclinaci\u00f3n hacia \u00c9l como nuestra expiaci\u00f3n y nuestra vida, como dada para nosotros, y viviendo en nosotros; Y, en consecuencia de esto, un cierre con \u00c9l, y uni\u00e9ndose a \u00c9l, como nuestra \"sabidur\u00eda, justicia, santificaci\u00f3n y redenci\u00f3n\", o, en una palabra, nuestra salvaci\u00f3n. \"<\/em> Si las preguntas del mundo a la iglesia son as\u00ed: \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo tener \u00e9xito? \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo ser feliz? \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo ser satisfecho? \u00bfCu\u00e1nto puedo desobedecer y seguir siendo aceptable a Dios? Entonces nuestras respuestas no pueden dejar de confrontar la locura de tales preguntas con la verdad. Pero si las preguntas son: \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo ser salvo? \u00bfHay alguna esperanza para mi? \u00bfC\u00f3mo puedo heredar la vida eterna? Entonces nuestras respuestas deben hacerse eco de John Wesley mientras predicamos, y personalmente testificamos de la gracia de Dios hacia nosotros en Jesucristo. Por lo tanto, en esta Pascua, me encuentro volviendo a la \"vieja y vieja historia\". El Viernes Santo y la ma\u00f1ana de Pascua no necesitan mi reinterpretaci\u00f3n psicol\u00f3gica o sociol\u00f3gica, ni mi desmistificaci\u00f3n, ni mis penosos esfuerzos de relevancia. Ellos necesitan mi oraci\u00f3n y fiel re-decir con confianza que el Esp\u00edritu Santo, el mismo Esp\u00edritu que resucit\u00f3 a Jes\u00fas de entre los muertos, tocar\u00e1 los o\u00eddos, los ojos y el coraz\u00f3n apagado de todos nosotros. Este art\u00edculo fue publicado en la edici\u00f3n de abril de 2017 de Encourage<\/a> .<\/em>","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/PHOTO-Beacham-e1494364427766.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-l3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}