<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 1;9-11<div><br></div><div><b>9. &nbsp;And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.</b></div><div><b>10. &nbsp;And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white robes,</b></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;and said, “ Men of Galilee, why do you stand there looking into heaven? &nbsp;This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><i>“…And in Jesus Christ our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the vrgin Mary, suffered under Pontus Pilate, was crucified,&nbsp;died and was&nbsp;buried.&nbsp;&nbsp;He descended into hell.&nbsp;The third day He rose again&nbsp;from the dead. &nbsp;He&nbsp;ascended into heaven, and sits at&nbsp;the right hand&nbsp;of the Father Almighty. &nbsp;From thence He will&nbsp;come&nbsp;to judge the living and the dead.”</i>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Second Article, Apostles Creed)</div><div><br></div><div>These words saying, <i>“He ascended into heaven, and sits at&nbsp;the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”</i></div><div>often confuse many into thinking that Jesus is apart and away from us. &nbsp;That He is now located somewhere else up in heaven, while we remain&nbsp;here on earth. &nbsp;This is a complete misunderstanding of the meaning, <i>“right hand of God”. &nbsp;</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Being at ‘God’s right hand’ is to be endowed with <u>all the power and authority of God.</u>&nbsp; The ‘right hand of God’ is a condition of spiritual authority, not a physical location. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus ascends into heaven in order to be able to keep his promise, <i>“Lo, <u>I am with you always</u>, even to the end of the age.”</i>&nbsp;(Matthew 28;20) &nbsp;As long as Jesus remained on earth, he was locally present in one place only. &nbsp;Now Jesus is able to be personally with/in each of us no matter where we are in the universe. &nbsp;<i>“He who descended is he who ascended far above all the heaven, </i><u>that he might fill all things.”</u>&nbsp; (Ephesians 4;10)</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus prayer before his arrest was, “<i>I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou hast sent me and hast loved me even as Thou hast loved them.”</i>&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div>(John 17;23)</div><div><br></div><div>Christ’s ascension was not to leave us, but to even more intimately be with and in us. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He will again come physically to judge the living and the dead, and&nbsp;he is yet still with and in each of us right now spiritually, by our baptism into him and our reception of the Holy Spirit in and with our&nbsp;baptism. &nbsp;<span>This indwelling presence of Christ in each of us is not</span><span>&nbsp;Jesus alone</span><span>, but the entire Triune God living in his own cleansed&nbsp;</span><span>temple, the Church, you and me.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Bless us Father to by faith believe in Christ indwelling us and through Christ in us You and the Holy Spirit also are pleased to dwell. &nbsp;Teach us that we the Church,&nbsp;are your chosen instrument through whom the saving work of Christ continues in this world. &nbsp;We are indeed the physical&nbsp;living body of Jesus still on earth, glorifying You dear Father and being glorified in Christ. &nbsp;Increase our faith dear Father for all this is most certainly true. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 1;9-11
9.  And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10.  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white robes,11.  and said, “ Men of Galilee, why do you stand there looking into heaven?  This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
“…And in Jesus Christ our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the vrgin Mary, suffered under Pontus Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.”     (Second Article, Apostles Creed)
These words saying, “He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”often confuse many into thinking that Jesus is apart and away from us.  That He is now located somewhere else up in heaven, while we remain here on earth.  This is a complete misunderstanding of the meaning, “right hand of God”.  
Being at ‘God’s right hand’ is to be endowed with all the power and authority of God.  The ‘right hand of God’ is a condition of spiritual authority, not a physical location.  
Jesus ascends into heaven in order to be able to keep his promise, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28;20)  As long as Jesus remained on earth, he was locally present in one place only.  Now Jesus is able to be personally with/in each of us no matter where we are in the universe.  “He who descended is he who ascended far above all the heaven, that he might fill all things.”  (Ephesians 4;10)
Jesus prayer before his arrest was, “I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou hast sent me and hast loved me even as Thou hast loved them.”   (John 17;23)
Christ’s ascension was not to leave us, but to even more intimately be with and in us.  
He will again come physically to judge the living and the dead, and he is yet still with and in each of us right now spiritually, by our baptism into him and our reception of the Holy Spirit in and with our baptism.  This indwelling presence of Christ in each of us is not Jesus alone, but the entire Triune God living in his own cleansed temple, the Church, you and me.
Prayer:  Bless us Father to by faith believe in Christ indwelling us and through Christ in us You and the Holy Spirit also are pleased to dwell.  Teach us that we the Church, are your chosen instrument through whom the saving work of Christ continues in this world.  We are indeed the physical living body of Jesus still on earth, glorifying You dear Father and being glorified in Christ.  Increase our faith dear Father for all this is most certainly true.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”




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