2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 165

The page turns from the Gospels to Acts, but Luke makes it clear that Jesus’ work is not finished. His Gospel told the story of what Jesus began to do and teach. Acts will tell us how the risen and ascended Jesus continues his work through the Holy Spirit and the church.

Before Jesus ascends, the disciples ask a familiar kind of question: Is this finally the time when God will restore the kingdom to Israel? They want a schedule. Jesus gives them a mission.

“It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. Rather, you will receive power..." (v7-8).

There is an important distinction in Jesus’ answer. The Father holds authority over the times and seasons. The disciples will receive power to bear witness. They are not being given control over God’s plan. They're being equipped to participate in it.

We prefer control. We want God to explain when something will happen, how the next season will unfold, and when the kingdom will finally come in its fullness. Jesus does not satisfy every curiosity. Instead, he calls his followers to trust the Father’s authority and receive the Spirit’s power.

The kingdom of God is already here because Jesus has been crucified, raised, and enthroned as the world’s true King. Yet, the kingdom is also still coming. We continue to wait for the day when God’s just and healing rule will be fully visible throughout creation. The church lives between those two realities.

We don't announce that Jesus might become King someday. We bear witness that Jesus is already Lord. Like heralds sent throughout a kingdom, we carry the good news that a new King has taken the throne—but this King rules through sacrificial love, forgiveness, holiness, mercy, and peace.

Jesus gives the disciples a map for that witness: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. They will begin where they are. Then they will move outward. They will eventually cross boundaries they would rather avoid, including the difficult border into Samaria. The gospel will not remain among familiar people in comfortable places. The Holy Spirit will continually press the church beyond itself.

But first, they must wait. Waiting is not the same as doing nothing. The disciples return to Jerusalem and devote themselves to prayer. Before they preach, travel, organize, or lead, they pray together. They are waiting for the promised Spirit because the mission of Jesus cannot be carried forward through human determination alone.

The church doesn't need power to dominate the world. We need the Spirit’s power to bear faithful witness within it. That power changes fearful disciples into courageous witnesses. It enables ordinary, imperfect people to speak truth, cross boundaries, serve humbly, endure opposition, and live as evidence that Jesus is alive.

Acts begins with people looking toward heaven, but the angels redirect their attention. Jesus will return, but until then, there is work to do. The church cannot remain staring into the sky while the world waits to hear the good news.

We pray. We wait. We receive. Then we go.

We don't control the times and seasons. We don't possess God’s authority as though it were our own. But through the Holy Spirit, we are given everything we need to participate in Christ’s continuing mission.

The question is not whether we know when God will complete the kingdom. The question is whether we will be faithful witnesses to the King who already reigns.

Spend ten uninterrupted minutes in prayer today.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your witness should begin—your “Jerusalem.” Write down the name of one person or place where you can demonstrate and speak about the love of Jesus this week.