Title: Grace for Restoration
Contents
Grace for Restoration (Acts 1:6-8)
When Jesus told us not to leave Jerusalem and wait for what Heavenly Father had promised, the disciples thought it was the beginning of a new movement to restore Israel's sovereignty. So the disciples asked Jesus when it would be time to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus said that you are not part of the job because it is the authority of God the Father with regard to times and seasons. And he told his disciples that they would receive power only when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would become witnesses of Jesus from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Why did the disciples ask about the restoration of Israel? What is the difference between what the disciples hoped and expected and what God wants and does? When will the real recovery take place? What can I do to recover? How will the true recovery of mankind be achieved?
1. The country to be restored first
Why does Jesus say that the restoration of Israel is the authority of Heavenly Father in heaven? This is because there are things that need to be restored before the restoration of physical Israel. First, the first thing that needs to be restored is the restoration of our relationship with God. That is, we must restore the image of God's creation. In doing so, a true restoration of humanity will take place. Second, we must restore the blessings of the Garden of Eden, which God gave to man as the prototype of creation. You must reclaim Paradise Lost. We must first seek his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Third, it is the restoration of the kingdom of God. We need to restore this right because the devil has been deprived of the blessing of allowing them to rule over all things that He created and given to mankind, and the blessing of living happily with God forever. It is to restore the kingdom of God, which will be completed through the second coming of Jesus. The life of faith is a life that desires God's will to be done first. When the spirit prospers, all things can be restored (3 John 1:2).
2. The promise of recovery
God sends the Holy Spirit to restore mankind by preaching the gospel of the kingdom. First, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power. True restoration requires receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. Power (Dynamis) means ‘strength, ability, powerful power, explosive power’. When the Holy Spirit comes, the Holy Spirit works and enables us to preach the gospel of the kingdom with power. Second, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the ends of the earth. After receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples restored the hearts of people by preaching the gospel of the kingdom in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Third, we become witnesses of Jesus Christ. To become spiritually qualified to preach the gospel of the kingdom Jesus trained his disciples for three years. Just as if you pass the graduation and qualification exam, you will be given a license to work, so you will receive the Holy Spirit and raise them up as ministers of the gospel. Witnesses are like martyrs. A person who bears the risk of death and testifies to the truth, and as a witness, speaks the truth at the risk of life.
3. How to restore
The way God restores is to preach the gospel of the kingdom. The kingdom of God has already been proclaimed through Jesus and is being made on this earth. Jesus prayed, “Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). As it is, it is already done in the world. This work is the kingdom of God through believers as the gospel of the kingdom is preached. If we pray for the kingdom of God to be established on earth and spread this gospel of the kingdom, God will save His chosen people. If you preach the gospel as Gentiles, God saves and completely restores those who are determined to enter the kingdom of God and receive eternal life (Acts 13:48). It is God's time to spread the gospel of the kingdom. All restoration must be in God's time (kairos). The will of God will be fulfilled. This is the grace of restoration.
To meditate on the Word and share
1. What did the disciples ask for recovery?
2. What is Jesus' answer?
3. What do you want to be restored?