Ascension Day and Pentecost are coming up. So what are these events and why do we celebrate them?
The Christian holiday of Ascension Day celebrates when Jesus ascended to heaven. Since Easter always falls on a Sunday, Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday—forty days from the day He rose from the grave. Here is how Luke described the actual event:
Therefore, when they [the disciples and the risen Christ] had come together, they asked Him saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
"Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight..."
(Acts 1:4-9, New King James Version).
Just as Jesus went up in the clouds, He will return the same way. Again Luke described the scene:
"And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'"
Jesus himself had told his disciples that it was good for him to go away, because only then would he send them another Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-16). And that’s exactly what happened on the Day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus’ ascension. The Spirit descended on the church with power, inaugurating a new age in the history of salvation.
Our Ascension Day Service will be held on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 8:00 pm (Location: Houston-Spring Congregation)
Our Pentecost Service with be Sunday, May 28, 2023; a webcast by the Chief Apostle in South Africa (Location: Houston-Spring Congregation)
Comments