70 Disciples Who Revive Themselves (Acts 1:6-8) 6/19/2022
24 Answers of the 1st 2nd 3rd RUTC:
70 Disciples that Revive Themselves (Acts 1:6-8) 6/19/2022
The world is getting increasingly difficult (war, climate, economy, pandemic). When will it end and be restored? Even Jesus’ disciples asked him the same question. Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” It will surely be revived, and that day will come. How and when of the restoration falls under God’s absolute sovereignty and time schedule. Those days must come. However, the restoration that we imagine is different from the restoration that God has prepared. IT is eternal and complete restoration. For that day, Jesus is ascending to the heavenly throne (9). And he will return (!1).
We must ask ourselves – how shall I live in the meantime? That is the true solution that Jesus gave (8). “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” You must enjoy the filling of the Holy Spirit and receive the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Then we will be witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. God will make everything into evidence.
Then, what does Jerusalem represent? It is not just a region. It represents “us.” When we receive strength and evidence, our families, children, and region will be revived, and that will extend to the ends of the earth (70 regions, 70 people groups, 70 nations).
The start of it is enjoying the blessing of reviving ourselves first. The covenant that we will hold onto this week is “70 disciples that revives me.” When blessed individuals gather, that is the result (flow, cultures). Some name it the happy virus. In order to save fallen individuals, we must have strength or at least separated. Because we lack strength, we fall as well, even to the extent of addiction. The temporal lobe of our brain contains a compartment for motivation and happiness. An individual who can manage this well are bright and happy, and people gather around them.
- The moment we received salvation, we began to possess everything that gives us no choice but to be blessed and happy.
We were made this way when God created us in his own image in Genesis 1:26-28. We lived as humans that communicated with God, and were blessed to “be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth, and subdue it.”
1) We were deceived by Satan, fell into our own conceit, and thus, unbelief and disobedience. Our relationship with God had been severed, and we lost hold of everything.
Everything stems from the greed of mankind. That is why the world suffers. Behind them, the spirit of darkness is continuously working (John 8:44, Ephesians 6:12).
2) Christ came with three authorities to solve these three problems (solution to fundamental problems).
① By the authority of the Priest, he freed us from a crumbling life bound by the authority of greed and sin (Romans 8:1-2).
② By the authority of the King, he crushed the power of Satan, the spirit of darkness (1John 3:8).
③ By the authority of the Prophet, he became the way to meet God. He became the eternal way for our lives (John 14:6). We are not meant to be bound and oppressed by our past and failures. We now possess the authority to battle Satan and win. The Lord will be with us to guide us our todays and tomorrow. He will bless us eternally. This is salvation.
3) That is not all. He restored our identity of a child of God (John 1:12, Romans 8:15-17). We have the identity and authority to enjoy at least seven blessings. Indwelling of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 3:16), guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18), power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), mobilization of angels (Hebrews 1;14), victory over Satan (Luke 10:19
), citizenship of Heaven (Phil 3:20), world conquest (Matthew 28:18-20).
① Even when we face problems and crises, there is no reason to feel lonely and afraid. We are children of God with these blessings.
② There is no reason to compete and fight. We are children of God who have this background.
③ Even if we do not struggle to succeed, God must raise us as spiritual leaders and summits for world evangelization. In whatever we do, we maintain three postures (before God, for God’s glory, by God’s power).
- We must prepare the vessel of our lives by challenging three things. He can only fill if our vessel is prepared (2 Timothy 2:10-21).
1) Change the way you look at problems, events, and people (called metacognition in psychology). We must continue to train to change our standards, and levels (brain training).
① See with the eyes of the gospel. No problem is a problem. Christ has finished all problems (John 19:30) – Gospelization of self. God will make everything into good (Romans 8:29). Even problems are answers and blessings in hindsight. When we truly believe, we can have thanksgiving in our hearts. God will guard our heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).
② See with the eyes of faith. God can do everything. We cannot live like the people in the wilderness that were continuously discouraged, in continuous complaints, and resentments (1 Corinthians 10:11). When we show the faith that we believe in God and in the promise, he will work (Matthew 8:13, Matthew 9:29, Mark 16:17). We can enjoy the blessing of the power and the heavenly throne – establishment of the throne in us.
③ See with the eyes of the future. God has prepared his things (the best things) for us (that is CVDIP) – futurization of self. Our reality and environment right now aren’t everything. Our lives are moving towards a future that God has prepared (journey).
④ See with the eyes of evangelism. God’s heart is towards saving all people, all ethnicities, and all nations (John 3:16, 1Timothy 2:4). When we look at failed individuals, weak individuals, and even enemies with the heart of saving them, we can see that there is something we can do. This is what the 70 disciples must do – discipling of self.
2) Realistically receive spiritual strength. We want to in our minds, but when we do not have strength, we cannot control our emotions and bodies.
① That is why God promised the disciples and us the power of the Holy Spirit (5 strengths – Acts 1:8). Since we cannot control ourselves, we must ask for the Holy Spirit to govern over and help us. That is filling of the Holy Spirit. The blessing of the throne will follow.
② We must make time for a time by ourselves, as well as a 1:1 time with God. It is a blessing that we will enjoy. It will take consistent training. The farther we go in life, there will be a difference between an individual who was trained to pray, and an someone who was not. Why do problems come? Why do they persist? IT is a time for us to learn prayer and experience the power of prayer. If possible, spend the first few minutes of your day to ask for God’s grace and strength. That is why the early morning is important (Mark 1:35). It is the first hours of the day. You will not be disturbed, and the brain will be revived.
3) Find your specialty and cultivate it.
① God has given everyone different talents based on their portion and capacity. Small things are not small (Matthew 25:21). The 70 disciples are evangelists who will give glory to God and save people around them with the talents and occupations they hold. When given a task, do not complete is half-heartedly. Do not merely do it diligently. Do it in prayer. It will become your uniqueness.
② We are marching towards the blessing and future of evangelism that will save the 237 nations and 5000 people groups. Train yourself in globalization of all things (training of multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural). God sent the prepared individuals to the world.
Conclusion – Revive yourself. That is God’s time schedule, his method, and mission for saving your families, the world, and the globe.