Jesus in Action as Commander (Acts 1)

Luke reports that Jesus gave his apostles commands through the Holy Spirit - because he is the Commander of all God’s purposes in the world.

To follow Jesus means that you have laid down your plans, your ideas, your resources, yourself at his feet. You have surrendered to him. Previously you thought of yourself as the king or queen of your life and you tried to set yourself up for success. Having had your eyes opened to the sin that not only ruins your own efforts, but is pure rebellion against God and is only accelerating towards death – you surrendered yourself to Jesus Christ. Jesus is now your Lord and Commander. You are no longer pursuing your petty personal goals, you are now swept up, elevated onto a far, far higher level, so you can work with him for the accomplishment of his goals. His goals cannot be sabotaged and are guaranteed success because he is the ultimate authority. Even if someone fails to do his/her part, the goals cannot fail, but those who fall away will prove that he/she never loved him.

Joy, fulfilment and satisfaction can only happen if you live under Christ’s commands. It is failing to hear his instructions or failing to obey them that ruins our joy in living. It is not being let down by others, a lack of money, losing your job, bad health or other daily troubles that rob joy – it is being blind and deaf to Jesus’ commands that does it! Listen to Paul describe his Christian experience. There is not too much leisure time, health and wealth mentioned – but where’s the complaining!

2 Corinthians 6:1 Working together with Jesus, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

Jesus must give us his commands through the Holy Spirit, because we cannot receive them any other way. We do not have the natural capacity to receive and act on his instructions. No amount of study, meditation or attending lectures will give us understanding of Jesus’ commands to us, unless he addresses us through the Holy Spirit. This is the reason for new birth. New birth creates in us spiritual life, a spirit within which the Holy Spirit can influence our will, our thinking and our capacity to act.