Acts 1:1-11 (New International Version)

Acts 1

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

¹In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ²until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

⁶So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

⁷He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

---------------------------------------------

For the couple of times I was privileged to share the gospel, I acknowledge God and was moved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what is giving me words to say.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bemky/sets/72157608107266736/

Sharing

Words fail me to describe that with God by my side, I led someone into His kingdom.

All Glory to Him and endless praise to Him.

Out of the Picture

When I was little, my siblings and I would always try to exaggerate how big something was. For example, one of us would say how big their cookie was by comparing it to a house. Then the other would compare their cookie to the size of the city; then one compare's their cookie to the whole state, then the country, then the world, and so on until that one person ends all by saying theirs is "out of the picture". I mean, what could be bigger than something "out of the picture"? It was something we understood as something so vast and enormous, there is nothing greater to compare it to.

One of the things that really amazes me are the stars I get to see at night. Its not very often I get to see them, seeing that I live in a heavily populated city with so much light pollution. However, about a week ago over the weekend, my church held an event known as primitive camping at a place called, Fisheating Creek. Let me tell you, that first night we arrived, the sky was so clear, you could see hundreds of stars with out a telescope! It was really awesome. While lying down on the blanket looking up in the sky, I was in awe of the greatness of space but even more amazed with the breathtaking magnificence of God himself. When I have that in perspective, it really changes the way I have previously viewed things. Problems I have thought of as impossible have now become possible because compared to God's greatness, it almost seems...insignificant. A quote from R.C. Sproul really says it best:

"Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

The more I think about it, the more I stand in fascination of His wonderful creations. Just imagine, this Great God created this enormous thing called space...and at the same time, He is the same Creator of the small complexities of life on earth. Its mind-boggling! This is why I call my God...Astronomically Extraordinary!

Now, it may seem a little hard to comprehend what I'm trying to express here, but a friend shared with me a video on youtube that really got me in total admiration of God. The speaker is Louie Giglio and the title of his message is Indescribable. And let me tell you...it truly is Indescribable. I can't really tell you more of what it is because you have to see it for yourself. By the way, there are 5 parts to the awesome message.

God Bless! <><

New Beginnings

It is only the second week to an exciting, fresh New Year—2010! Wow, when I look back over 2009, I cannot believe of all the things I've been through...most of which were totally unexpected and full of change. And if I recall, most of my New Year’s Resolutions were not fulfilled. However, the one that I was able to accomplish was "to read the entire Bible in a year". Thank God I finished, especially with my accountability partner making sure I pull through, haha!

Well, now that we have greeted 2010 back on January 1st...I think it’s time to consider the resolutions for the next 365 days. The goal is to start small, realistic, and then follow through until completed. One resolution is to read the Bible for the whole year again. There's just something about reading God's Word that just doesn't seem enough for one year. It seems that every time I read the same stories again and again, there are new lessons to be learned and promises to meditate on. And having to read some passages each day for the whole year would definitely teach you how to be consistent, persistent, and possibly motivated to really want to grow in your spiritual maturity. But this all cannot happen unless you have Jesus Christ in your heart. I mean, how can you be passionate about something (or in this case, someone) unless you know what/who it is you’re being passionate about…I don’t know if I’m saying it right, but does that make sense?

Another area in which I would like to resolve is “stepping out of my comfort zone”. I think this is one area I would really like to change in myself. I’ve always been so used to doing this that made me feel comfortable--avoiding things that may seem “out-of-the-norm” for me. At the same time, I ask myself, “How is this effective in living out as a Christian…since this is the name I bear.” The thing is…it’s not effective. If I am so settled in my comfort zone, how will I be able to share the love of Jesus to others? Instead of growing in my faith, I’d regress until Christ’s name is no longer reflective in my life. But isn’t it true? I have done this too many times not to be able to recognize this. Whenever I miss out on some good quite times with my Creator, or fail to read His book, or miss out on an opportunity to express my faith…I only grow into a deeper sense of separation from Him. But the amazing thing it that, because I am a child of God, He will never leave me or desert me…but rather, He will love me unconditionally. On the other hand, since He is my Heavenly Daddy, He has to discipline me in a way a father would discipline his child, especially if I do something that isn’t right.
I’m sure that along the road of 2010, I may discover other things that I may like to resolve, but until then…

Take care and God Bless!<><