Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?

 

The Book of Acts begins with what appears to be the last meeting Jesus had with the five hundred people (including the twelve Disciples) after His Resurrection and before His Ascension.

 

At this meeting, Jesus explained to them about their soon coming Baptism in the Holy Spirit. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. (Acts 1:5) Of course, they had no idea what He was talking about but they knew He would be leaving to go to the Father. Therefore they asked Him this question: Lord, will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)

 

The only thing they had known for centuries was the Law, so of course, they thought when Jesus left everything would go back to the way it was prior to Jesus coming. Even the Disciples were thinking this. There is nothing in the Old Testament concerning the Church so they couldn’t fathom continuing on without Jesus with them. Although Jesus had said: And I say also unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) They had no idea what He was referring to.

 

God had a Plan for His Church and He tried to tell the people about it. They thought life would go back to the way it was prior to Jesus coming, but God never goes backward. He always moves forward with His Plan. He may cause us to look back and consider what He has done in the past, but He never causes us to go back and re-live the past. God’s Plan will always move forward, step by step.

 

It is people who stop, get side-tracked, and go backward, not God. In these cases, God waits for us to learn our lesson and get back on track. Sometimes we have to walk a certain stretch of road many times before we learn that particular lesson. As Joyce Meyers likes to ask, “How many times do you have to go around that same mountain?” We have all done it. We make the same mistake over and over again only to find ourselves right back where we were before. This is not God’s Plan. His Plan will ALWAYS move us forward.

 

God had a Plan for His people and His Church. He still does. He has a Plan for each of our lives and we all somehow fit into His Master Plan. You may be stuck right now. You may have been in the same place for a long time. Today is the day to move forward. Seek the Counsel and Guidance of the Holy Spirit. He will direct your path and it will be forward. Your part in this is to trust the Holy Spirit and in faith, take a step forward.

 

When you do, He will….…….turn the tide……..in your life.

 

Moving forward!         Doreen

 

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