Once again we pulled the panel together to take on
some hard questions.
On my panel today, cohost Amy Shafer,
co-pastor at Grace Life Church in Monroeville
Pennsylvania, Dr. William Glaze who is the pastor of
Bethany Baptist Church in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania,
Dr. Mark Mallows, pastor of Grace Covenant Church
in Charlottesville and then our Cornerstone
chaplain and our head of our prayer coordination is
Chuck Amby.
Welcome to the panel.
Ladies and gentlemen as they say in the NASCAR
world, start your engines.
Let's go to our only question,
we are only going to need one.
Why didn't Jesus after he arose from the grave,
why didn't he ascend immediately into heaven?
Because you remember the story,
he came out on what we celebrate as Easter and
then he stayed with us on the scene for 40 days.
Why?
Why wasn't he immediately taken?
The price had been paid pastor.
Right.
Well I believe it was a time of preparation for
the disciples.
Was going to use these guys as to basically carry
the gospel throughout the whole world.
As we had had a discussion before,
he kind of appeared in and out and I think it was to
prepare them for the tasks that they had been called
to.
It's interesting before I finish I had in doing a
study on Fox's book of martyrs and to see how
every disciple died of martyrs death except the
apostle John.
It was just horrific the way that these guys died.
So I believe it was a time of preparation not only to
prepare the Gospel but to prepare them for that
tragic end that they would all meet.
Chuck.
I think the shift in their reality was so immense,
they couldn't possibly have taken it in a five
minute meeting.
I mean God could have done a complete phlebotomy on
them but then what are they going to do?
Do that to all of their disciples.
Because he was for three years showing them how to
disciples and 40 days preparing them to be
empowered to be their own people who would make
disciples.
He had to explain to them the dynamics of the
kingdom because it had shifted dramatically.
That's interesting.
Amy.
I would say he had a whole lot of explaining to do.
You just what?
You just rose from the grave.
You can't just leave already and just leave us
here.
So I believe he explained his kingdom,
the kingdom to come, what their job is and really
some of those things that he told them our words
also that we feed on today that will keep us going to
carry that same gospel message.
I would say the same.
It says in Acts that for 40 days he talked about
the kingdom of God.
I think that was a real shift.
Because I think before now they thought maybe he was
the Messiah of Israel, but now they are realizing he
is talking about going and discipling all of the
nations.
Now he is the resurrected king over all nations.
His mission was so much bigger than I think they
ever imagined before.
So this took some preparation.
What is the kingdom of God?
How does it express itself in the nations,
not just in the context of Israel?
Right that's a good point.
Before, he was the son of David and that had a
connotation that they were familiar with.
But you mentioned he taught them the kingdom
and the kingdom was so much greater than anything
they could have possibly dreamed of.
It took and I believe at that time he was back in
his God form.
He was able to explain things and open life.
You know the two on a road to Emmaus,
didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked
with us by the way.
The disciples were not at large and very educated
group of people.
They were regular folks.
They were just like us.
Well some of you guys are really,
they were just like me.
And me.
They were just like me and Amy.
We are on that level.
But they needed to have more time with Jesus in
this next reality that he had just brought into
their life.
Because as you say, they were thinking about
getting out from underneath Roman rule.
Exactly.
That was a big motivation.
Now all of the sudden, he's talking about going
out to the whole world.
Take it to the whole world and teach them these
things that I have said unto you and taught you
and baptizing them.
So now the mission just becomes really expansive
and these are for people who in most cases haven't
been more than 70 miles away from their home.
And then as you talk about pastor,
what these men did after Pentecost.
Now it took 10 more days.
Jesus he ascended and then 10 more days on the feast
of weeks, Pentecost happened.
When Pentecost happened, that training all got
powered by God and then they started out.
Then what is the first thing that happened?
Peter preaches to 3000 that day.
Then the next day, 5000 gets saved.
All of a sudden, this little group of people are
not a little group of people anymore and then it
all starts and it goes all around the world.
But if it hadn't been for those 40 days,
what would have happened?
I can't even imagine that it can be accomplished in
40 days.
That transition.
Talk about training a pastor.
Wow.
Oh my goodness.
Well how do we translate that into our own lives
because there is a type here?
We experience salvation, then there's a season.
Right.
You know it even says that the apostle Paul,
after he met Christ on the road to Damascus,
that he kind of disappeared for like three
years.
He later writes that I was taught by myself by the
Lord.
That's right.
So it seems like Jesus Christ and Paul had a
little seminary going on somewhere.
In Tarsus.
Right.
And Paul was able to be schooled.
So I think definitely there is a time of
preparation where we prepare ourselves,
not only for whatever ministry that God has for
us, but to grow in him and draw closer to Christ.
Amen.
And just to be alive.
I think it took that time to transition them from
earthly thinking to heavenly thinking.
Moving into that era of, so they are going to kill
me, he promised that we would rise again.
Amen.
So what can they do to me?
Nothing.
They already killed Jesus and look what happened.
That's right.
Now he's back with us.
I think about how Jesus taught them how to pray.
What did he say?
Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy
name.
Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven.
And they are praying this and they are taught this
but now the plan of heaven had come in the kingdom
had come and he had defeated death,
hell and the grave and he rose again.
So now it's like I am going to take you to the
next step.
That's right.
And taught them and told them in those 40 days.
This is what the kingdom is going to look like.
This is what is going to happen when I rule and
reign.
This is what's going to happen when I come back.
And laid it out.
Amen.
I wish I was there kind of.
You know I was going to say I think it was a time
of encouragement too.
Because again, there was a great deal of persecution
going on.
So Jesus had to say, okay guys,
we need to hang in here now.
So I think that he was encouraging them as far as
the Christian faith was concerned also.
As you've come to know the Lord,
maybe you've recently prayed and asked Jesus
into your heart to be your savior.
Now in this process you can expect this.
So that's the beginning step and now just as the
disciples with Jesus got to that place,
then there's that moment of salvation,
that moment of resurrection.
Then there is a time of training,
a time of seasoning where you have to get into the
word, you have to get involved.
Then, after that there is a time of use and of
application where God will take you into what he has
designed you to do.
When he designed you to do that,
you don't want to miss that.
There's a model here.
The Holy Spirit will power you to do all that he has
called you to do but you've got to get
involved.
If the disciples hadn't gone to Jerusalem and
waited, guess what would have happened.
What?
I don't know what would've happened.
You don't want to know.
Not much.
But they did go wait and 10 days later Pentecost
happened and that's what our promise is to you,
God will fulfill your call.
We will be right back right after this and see
what's on tomorrow's Real Life.