December 28, 2013

“Opened Minds, Endued With Power”

Blessings Folk!


Today’s reading:

Luke 24:44-53

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We are drawing to the end our our year-long synoptic trip through the gospels.
The next couple of days we will examine the closing Words.

Today Luke.

We have foundational truths verified by the Lord.

• the things written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms were fulfilled
• we often do not think of the truths in the Psalms as related to Jesus. They are many.
• He spoke these Words to the disciples while He was with them.

Then Jesus does an amazing thing.
He opens their minds to understand the Scriptures.
How?
I suspect by what He said next…
“It is written…”

• Christ would suffer
• Christ would rise again from the dead the third day
• Repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning with Jerusalem

These are “keys” to understanding the Scriptures.

Jesus then instructed...

• They were witnesses
• He was sending them forth
• But first, they were to stay in the city until they were clothes with power from on high

They believed.
They had received the Holy Spirit internally…Jesus had breathed upon them earlier.
They were now to await the external “clothing” of power from on high.

These are the things that the Body of Christ needs today:

• Word of the Lord from Jesus, Law of Moses, Prophets, Psalms
• Minds opened by the Lord to understand the Word
• Power from on high

Jesus lifted His hands to bless them.
While doing so, He parted from them and was carried into heaven.

They worshipped Him.
They returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
They were continually in the temple praising God.

We should do likewise.
If we are endued with Power from on high…
If our minds have been opened to the Truth of the Word by the Lord…
Then we will rejoice in the “temple” without ceasing.