Women’s Bible Study
Hello my favorite friends of “A Devoted Heart” I pray everyone is well and rising over your current circumstances! (Listen to this song on Youtube by Britt Nicole, “the sun is rising”)
This Sunday, May 24th, I am happy to announce we will be having our Bible Study.
For our study we will be reading from the scripture of Acts 1:9-12 , Jesus Ascends to Heaven.
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 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.”
The Eastern Orthodox church celebrated the Ascension on May 21st 2015. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Pascha following the count given in Acts 1:3.
When you think of Christ, how do you think of Him?
As the babe lying in the manger?
Do you think of Him in terms of His ministry on earth and His mighty words and works?
Or perhaps you think of Him as the one who died and rose again.
There are many ways we may and should think about Jesus Christ and how we do so is tremendously important to the issues of life.
I’d like to invite you this week to particularly think of Jesus Christ as One who ascended into heaven. It is imperative that, like Isaiah from the Old Testament, we see Jesus exalted or high and lifted up regardless of what is happening on earth. The Ascension completes the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christ’s death would be meaningless. And without the Ascension, the Resurrection would also be incomplete. We would have a resurrected person, but not one who was now at God’s right hand in the place of authority as we recite in our Nicene Creed.
What does the Ascension mean to us? What difference should it make in our belief and behavior?
Few things in life are more exhilarating and fulfilling than the crowning celebration of some great achievement. What makes it so, of course, is the struggle to get there; without the agony and the pain the triumph would not be as sweet. It is this glorious Ascension that is the culmination of the atoning work of Christ, the guarantee of His promises, the proof of His claims, and the beginning of His dominion.
See you Sunday.
In His Service for His Glory,
Helena and Christian
