Emphasis Preaching Journal

Theophilus means "lover of God." We hope all Christians will be lovers of God. Luke is writing to someone who wants to know about the details of Jesus' life. Luke got them all secondhand -- just as we do -- but Luke had met some who had firsthand knowledge of Jesus, and he is reporting their experiences right up to the day Jesus was taken back up to heaven. They gave convincing proof that Jesus suffered and then rose from the dead and then he appeared to the disciples (students) who had now become apostles (missionaries) because they now had a message to proclaim. He gave them a postgraduate course for forty days after his resurrection. God's Holy Spirit is the one who changed them and changes us from disciples to apostles. He can do this to those in the pews as well as those in the pulpit. Keep your ears open for his assignment. It can be locally or in missions throughout the world. That is up to God.

We should wait for the gift from God, which sounds like it came from our second baptism. Don't we teach Lutherans that there is only one baptism -- with water? Now it talks about a second baptism. The first one makes us children of God and heirs to everlasting life with him. The second one is from the Holy Spirit and gives us power to serve him now in this life. Some say that the gift of tongues is proof of this second baptism. I have it, but a complete reading of the Bible does not make it a necessity. I know many missionaries who have not had it. That is up to God. It can be in Jerusalem (meaning locally at your hometown) or to the ends of the earth (as he sent my wife and I to Nepal -- halfway around the world). We are no better than those whose God-given assignment is at home.

It sounded like the disciples who are now apostles had missed the point. They were still looking for the nation of Israel to be restored from Roman occupation. That had been the dream of all the Jewish people. When it looked like God had other plans, it turned Judas, for one, against Jesus.

We can understand why the disciples kept looking into space waiting for Jesus to come back to them. Don't we all miss loved ones who have gone to other areas of God's country?

Jesus seems to be telling them through those angels to quit looking up and go to work. When I check out books in Bible bookstores I always see several volumes telling us that Jesus is coming back soon and we need to drop everything and get ready. He seems to be telling us in this text to quit staring at the sky and get back to work serving him. He will let you know when to expect him. Let that be our message.