Transcript:
Stephen:
The book of Acts begins a new period of human history in God’s dealings with man. There are Christians now in the world, but Christ isn’t there with them on the earth. What purpose does he have for us staying here while he is away? What’s going on there? What can we learn from the Scriptures, Joel?
Joel:
Yeah, it’s very interesting. Our previous season was on the book of Luke, and Acts is by the same author. Luke writes to a man called Theophilus and says, “I wrote these things to you that you might know about the things that Jesus began to do and to teach.” So the implication is that in his second book, Acts, these are the things Jesus continued to do and to teach.
Now, after the first 11 verses or so, Jesus isn’t on earth physically. So who is doing and teaching? It’s his followers—his disciples, the people who have trusted in him. They are working on his behalf.
In our previous episode, we talked about the fact—and it’s an incredibly glorious truth—that for the person who trusts in Jesus, he is their representative in heaven. But it also works the other way: we are his representatives on earth. We know his presence and power in a real way, and there’s work for us to do on behalf of our risen and glorified Lord.
Stephen:
So as you read through Acts, you see the disciples constantly speaking and working in the name of Jesus Christ. Whenever they call people to repentance, they call them to be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. When they heal a man who is lame, they do it in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. When they’re confronted by religious leaders, they’re told to stop speaking in his name, but they continue and are willing to suffer for it.
So the name of Christ is what they bear as they go out into the world. What’s in that idea of doing and speaking things in his name?
Joel:
At a very basic level, we no longer live without purpose. It was always God’s intention to dwell with human beings, and with Christ as our representative, that is now possible. We are accepted in his presence.
But it was also his purpose that we would work on his behalf. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given responsibilities, and they failed. Now, because of Christ, that has been made possible again.
Without this, our lives were vain—futile, empty. But now we can do something that really matters. We can live for the glory of God. That is our purpose.
This is what the whole book of Acts is about: God’s glory seen on earth. Christ’s kingdom is coming. It will come fully when he returns in a visible, tangible way. But in another sense, it’s already here. The rule of the King is seen in the lives of those who submit to him. He doesn’t force people against their will, but through his people, he gives others the opportunity to come to him, to freely choose to love and submit to him.
Stephen:
When I think about speaking in the name of Christ, I picture someone coming to my door as a representative of a king, saying, “Your car is required in the name of the king.” That only carries weight if that king is actually reigning. If they came in the name of a long-dead king, it would mean nothing.
So when the disciples speak in the name of Christ and preach forgiveness of sins through him, the key is that they are speaking with the present authority of a reigning King in glory—one who has the power to back up what they say.
It’s a powerful picture: representatives of a living King offering his salvation and blessings while he is not physically present.
Joel:
Absolutely. One of the ways this connection between Christ and his followers is shown is in places like Ephesians and 1 Corinthians, where we are described as the body of Christ. He is the head. The head is in glory, but the world sees how the head thinks by how the body acts.
You can see this in everyday life. If you’re having a conversation with someone and they suddenly walk away, you realize they weren’t interested. You only understood their mind when their body acted.
We have to admit Christians fail in this often. But we are here with the responsibility to represent him on earth.
Stephen:
So we’ve established that Christ is the ascended man. He is in glory. He is living and active. We talk about the acts of the apostles, but in many ways, they are the acts of the Lord Jesus.
Next time, we’ll look at how we actually represent Christ on earth—how he gives us the power to serve him and live for him. And the key to it all is the day of Pentecost.
