He lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And as he blessed them, a cloud covered him, and they did not see him any more.
Jesus had gone home to his Father.
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They stared up into the sky, where he seemed to have gone. As they looked, they heard voices saying:
"You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into the sky? The Lord Jesus will come again!"
Then they remembered that they had work to do before they again would see Jesus. They had to go and preach, as Jesus had told them. They had to tell about him to all people everywhere.
They walked back into Jerusalem. They had to wait; but now they were not waiting for Christ the Saviour to come. They were waiting only for the sign that would tell them it was time to go out and preach that Christ had already come.
The Pa.s.sover was finished for another year, and the farmers of Palestine had work to do. The warm spring weather spread over the land, and the wheat was growing in the fields and on the hillsides.
Farmers reaped their crops, and gathered in the grain, and got ready for another feast at Jerusalem. For when the wheat was gathered, it was time to go and give thanks to G.o.d for the harvest, at the Feast of Pentecost.
The disciples waited while the weeks of spring went by. Every day they went to the Temple and praised G.o.d for his goodness, because they knew that Christ had come.
Seven weeks pa.s.sed by. The hot sun ripened the crops, and the farmers cut their grain. The Day of Pentecost came around, and the streets of Jerusalem were thronged again. There were men there from near and far, from every country of which anyone had ever heard. The harvest was over, and the feast was on!
That morning the disciples were all together when they heard the sound. It was a sound like the rushing wind, bringing messages from G.o.d. They saw a vision too, and what they saw seemed like tongues of fire, coming down to each one of them so that all could speak what G.o.d wanted them to say.
The disciples went out and began to speak. Everyone who heard them understood what they were saying.
Excitement went through the city.
"This is strange!" the people said. "We have come from near and far.
We speak many different languages. Yet when these men tell us about the wonderful things that G.o.d has done, we understand what they are telling us. What is it that has happened?"
Peter stood up beside the other disciples, and boldly raised his voice:
"Listen to me, everyone who is here at Jerusalem! You have read in the Scriptures how G.o.d said that he would send his Holy Spirit to his people. That is what has happened! The time has come to preach to you!
Therefore, listen to my words.
"G.o.d sent Jesus of Nazareth to you, and he did many wonderful things among you, which you saw for yourselves. G.o.d let you take him and put him to death with your own wicked hands. But it was not possible for him to be held forever by death. G.o.d has raised him up from the dead, and we have seen it! He is King; and he has given us the power to tell you about him, and you can hear what we are telling you. Let everybody know this for a fact: this very Jesus whom you crucified is Lord and Christ!"
And when the people heard these words, they were greatly troubled.
"What shall we do?" they cried.
Peter answered:
"Repent! Give up your sins, and begin a new life! Believe in Jesus Christ, and let us baptize you in his name. Then your sins will be forgiven, and he will send his Holy Spirit to change you!"
Many were glad when they heard this, and they were baptized in Jesus"
name. That very day about three thousand people became believers and followers of Christ. They joined with those who had been disciples before, praying together, and sharing with each other everything they had. Jesus had a Church, which believed that he was Christ the Saviour.
Every day many more were added to the Church. Every day the Church of Jesus Christ grew stronger.
It grew like the grainfields in the spring.
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