Then, it is obvious the disciples did not see this as a personal commandment to themselves alone because they allowed 109 other believers to join them in obedience. Jesus had just informed them of His now exalted status and illustrated that status by ascending into heaven. Moreover, the angel’s appearance, saying this same Jesus will return just as you have seen Him leave, placed an exclamation point on the understanding that Jesus had now been exalted above every other power and authority. His ascension illustrated His power over gravity and the cloud that received Him illustrated His power over heaven. This experience would have cemented in the minds and hearts of the disciples the level of respect due to Jesus and they would have never allowed others to join in their obedience without explicit understanding it was the right thing to do. Moreover, these other believers would have never joined themselves to the disciples having heard of the dramatic fashion in which Jesus took His leave, if there was any question of impropriety.
Our knowledge of the work of the Holy Spirit, shared with us by Jesus in John 16:13-14, further cements in our mind the universality of the commandment in that He baptized, or saturated, all 120 present in the upper room, making no distinction between the disciples and these other souls present; who remain nameless. All 120 spoke with tongues and preached the wonderful works of God in the native languages of those different people groups present.
We cannot overstate the obvious in this regard. Even though it is true that Jesus had handpicked these eleven men to be His closest companions; to teach and disciple these eleven alone to be the foundational members of His Church, to carry forward the organization that would be His Church, the Holy Spirit made no distinction between the eleven men and any of the other 109 in the upper room on that fateful day. While it is obvious Jesus had honored these men and set them apart during His earthly ministry; it should be just as obvious no such distinction was afforded them on the day of Pentecost by the Holy Spirit, who was only doing what He had heard from Jesus to do. All who obeyed received the exact same experience.
This illustrates to us the importance of the Church over any individuals. Again, I said it before but will say it again, “Jesus did not suffer and die for eleven men; He suffered and died for His Church.” “He is no respecter of persons,” a conclusion Peter came to after the experience at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:38). If Peter had any inkling of being special in the eyes of God, the experience at Cornelius’ house quashed it. Jesus’ focus is on His Church, illustrated by the behavior of the Holy Spirit in His first coming; therefore the commandment was to His Church, not eleven men. The disciples were afforded a great honor in that Jesus chose them to disciple but once the Church age began, the disciples were treated no different than any other believer and it was their daily obedience that gave them the blessings of the new covenant.
All of this is further confirmed again by the preaching of Peter to Cornelius’ household. Peter had just got to the place in his sermon where belief in Jesus as the Christ could be exercised and the Holy Spirit baptized (saturated) every soul present, just as He had done with the original 120. However, if the commandment to be baptized with the Spirit is universal to the Church; the founding commandment of the Church, and if the passion expressed by the Holy Spirit at Cornelius’ house is the passion of Jesus for the commandment He left in Acts 1:4-5, why do we not see the same passion expressed similarly today? If the commandment of Acts 1:4-5 is the foundational commandment of the Church, how did we come to the place where obedience is no longer practiced?
The obvious answer is that the Church age was separated into at least two eras; the first, beginning with the coming of the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost, and the second beginning sometime in the first century of the Church age. The reason for this phenomenon could never be assigned to the behavior of the Church itself. Everybody knows that once lost souls receive the death of Jesus as their substitutionary payment for sin, they are then perfect and follow the Lord perfectly.
However, it was not so among the Jews. In Mark 7:6, Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Well has Elisha prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do.”
Jesus came to earth 2,000 years after the Law of Moses was given to the Children of Israel and we are now 2,000 years beyond the time of Jesus. In that 2,000 year period, the leaders of the Jews had gone from teaching obedience to the commandments of God, to teaching obedience to traditions. They laid aside the commandment of God, to hold the tradition of man. Tradition, and holding to tradition, became more important than the Word of God. The average Jew was oblivious; they only knew what was taught them.
In the beginning of the Church age, Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the head of the Church, commanded the Church to wait for the baptism of the Spirit, but slowly, over time, it became traditional to view that commandment as personal to eleven men and obedience was discouraged. Today, the Church keeps the tradition the Church has held for the last 1700 years, and there is no thought of obedience.
Jesus went on, “Full well you reject the commandment of God that you might keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor your father and mother; and whoso curses father or mother, let him die the death: but you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, it is corban, that is to say a gift, by whatsoever you might be profited by me; he shall be free, And you suffer him no more to do ought for his father or mother.” The commandment not to curse father or mother had been changed around to where cursing father or mother was appropriate. The word “Corban,” means sacrifice, so the Jews had decided a sacrifice of one’s life to God preempted obedience. The tradition was viewed as greater than the commandment.
In Ephesians 6:2-3, we are informed by Paul, the commandment to honor father and mother is the first commandment of the old covenant law that had a promise attached to it. Jesus said the greatest commandment of the law was the first but it had no promise attached. The Jews passed over the first four commandments to interpret the first commandment with promise, leaving the Jews without the well being and long life promised in the law. Actions have consequences.
The only evidence we have that the commandment of Acts 1:4-5 should not be obeyed is the tradition of the Church and the fact that Jesus no longer seems to arbitrarily baptize believers. However is that sufficient evidence to base our disobedience on? Obedience produces life but disobedience produces death. Where I live, every godly soul, every person who strives to live for God as best they can, seems to suffer and die with horrible diseases that seem to come right out of the pit of hell. There is no way to die with dignity with any of these diseases and the diseases ravage every aspect of life and rob every Christian of every single blessing from God before the end.
This evidence seems to indicate that most all Christians are living their lives in direct opposition to fundamental commandments of the new covenant age. Where are the healing and health Jesus purchased with His own body on the tree? Where are the miracles of the new covenant? While the Church long ago decided obedience of Acts 1:4-5 is no longer required, the Church is also suffering under a curse. While this is anecdotal evidence and proves nothing definitively, it is certainly food for thought. The truth is, however, there is also no evidence found in the scripture the Church should be disobeying Acts 1:4-5.
Just consider Paul’s behavior with the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19. Upon learning they had not heard of the Holy Spirit, Paul took them and re-baptized them in water, then laid hands on them for the baptism with the Spirit and once again, all were baptized (saturated) with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues and once again the scriptures illustrate a universal commandment to all the Church. There is no indication Paul asked these men if they wanted to be baptized with the Spirit; from Paul’s perspective, there was a commandment to be obeyed and he saw himself as a facilitator of that obedience.
While it can be proven beyond shadow of doubt the commandment was never perceived to be personal, to the disciples alone, by the early Church, it is just as evident the later Church did perceive it to be a personal commandment to eleven men and does this disobedience in any way explain why Jesus no longer arbitrarily baptizes believers?
In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus informs the disciples He will give to them the power to bind up heaven and the power to loose heaven. In all actuality, this power is not unique to the disciples or the Church or anyone else for that matter. It is obedience that loosens heaven and disobedience that binds heaven up. All throughout the Old Testament we see that principal played out. Every time God’s chosen people repented and obeyed the windows of heaven were flung open and blessings poured out no man could contain. However, each time they sinned against God by breaking and not respecting His commandments, heaven was shut up tight against them.
One problem is the modern Church does not recognize Jesus as the All Powerful God; it fails to realize the transformation that occurred at the resurrection. When the New Testament speaks of keeping God’s commandments; the Church thinks of Old Testament commandments even though the Father God stripped Himself of His Godhood in the new covenant age to convey onto Jesus all power in heaven and in earth. Only Jesus’ commandments are pertinent in the new covenant age. Nowhere in history has Jesus issued a law relaxing or negating the need to obey the commandment He issued in Acts 1, with all power, therefore, the only true conclusion is that obedience is just as pertinent today as it was in the beginning and the Church wide disobedience is why the windows of heaven are shut up against the Church.
This explains why Jesus no longer arbitrarily baptizes believers today as He did at Cornelius’ house. If Jesus gave the power to bind and loose heaven to the Church and the Church arbitrarily decided to disobey a fundamental commandment, the foundational commandment of the new covenant, heaven would necessarily be shut up against the Church. Coincidentally, this is the first commandment with promise in the new covenant. All who obeyed this commandment received power to witness of the resurrection of Jesus; power to perform signs and wonders to convince others of the love and compassion of Jesus. Disobedience is so wide spread today; however, so fundamental to the Church, obedience produces few benefits. Again, it seems the power to bind up heaven was given to the Church and it seems the Church has exercised that power.
Now, we might ask the question, “Is there any evidence such a thing has happened before?” Well, as it happens, a similar thread of truth is readably visible in Church history. The Church was founded in Jerusalem but quickly moved to Rome, the seat of governmental power in those days. In the third century the Church was incorporated as the Roman Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church was the seat of all Christendom for the next 1200 years. During that time, Church leaders decided to proclaim a gospel whereby heaven could be gained by giving money to the Church, in contradiction of all the scriptures teach. So, it is not unheard of that the Church could be doctrinally wrong.
Moreover, in that Ephesians 2:8-10 clearly states we are saved by grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast, but the Church of those years taught we were saved through gifts given to the Church, the error of the Church was fundamental, not peripheral. The error was foundational. Thus, the belief that the Church and believers in particular, should ignore the commandment issued by the Lord of the Church to His Church could be error and there is precedence to suggest it. Literally all, every last piece of evidence in the scripture screams the Church should obey this commandment. There is only tradition to suggest it should be disobeyed and this tradition began under the direction of the Roman Catholic Church, the same Church that taught the error mentioned before.
Furthermore, every single believer who seeks the baptism with the Spirit today with the speaking with tongues receives that baptism if they persevere. Obedience today produces the same result as it did on the day of Pentecost for the 120, in spite of the daily disobedience of almost every Christian on the planet. This illustrates the command to be just as valid today, just as pertinent, as it was 2,000 years ago and if the commandment is valid for one, it is valid for all. Jesus is no respecter of persons. There is no invitation in the scripture to receive the baptism with the Spirit; it is commanded of every soul who accepts the provisions of the cross. Let me say that again; there is no invitation in the scripture to receive the baptism with the Spirit; it is commanded.
Look how upside down the Church has become. Jesus, the Lord and Saviour of the Church, issued a commandment to His Church to be baptized with the Spirit. Here we are 2,000 years later and all Churches view the commandment as non essential though some issue invitations. However, if every believer who was ever baptized by the Spirit with the Spirit and spoke with tongues were to begin a daily obedience of saturating themselves with the Spirit of Jesus, that obedience could stand a chance of overthrowing the disobedience of the Church and throw open the windows of heaven again.
If the first commandment Jesus issued with all power and authority in heaven and in earth should be disobeyed, wouldn’t you expect that information to be prominently displayed with authority somewhere in the scripture? How else would self respecting Christians; Christians intent on serving the Lord, know that disobedience was the expected behavior? Since the Lord of Lords and King of Kings issued the original command, any caveat proclaiming permission to disobey should be as prominently proclaimed by the same King and illustrated as the original commandment, which was illustrated by ascension. By what authority do you disobey? The Churches’ authority? Who do you follow: the Church or the Lord? Can it be said of you, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
If the second commandment; to go out into all the world preaching the gospel is valid for the Church today, why is the first commandment not valid? If the second commandment was issued to all the Church, is it not reasonable the first was also? The second commandment of the Law of Moses was not the most important commandment to keep: the first was!
Many Christians are crying out to God but the God who loved us enough to send His Son to suffer and die for us is silent. Heaven is like brass. Our prayers bounce off and fall back at our feet. Something is drastically wrong; fundamentally wrong. Where is the Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me?” Where is the Jesus who had compassion on the masses and healed them? Where is the Jesus who stretched out His hand again and again and again to comfort and heal and love? Moreover, where are the promised blessings of the new covenant? There is a fundamental, foundational disconnect between the Jesus of the old covenant and the Jesus of the new covenant and the only plausible explanation is disobedience at a foundational level; disobedience so heinous, so terrible, it is an affront to the God who loves us.
We can continue to preach a gospel of love; even though there is no evidence we are loved by God, or, we can switch over and preach a gospel of obedience. After all, John said, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1Jn5:3). And who is the God of the new covenant? It is Jesus, the blessed only potentate (1Tim.6:15), the only wise God (Jude25). It is the commandments Jesus issued post resurrection we need to keep. The one we are ignoring is the most critical.
There is one thing that explains the condition of Christianity today. It is the disobedience of the first commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ by those who were washed clean of sin by His torture and death. It is an affront to everything right and true; a dishonoring of one who should be honored above all. The result is a Church that lacks proof of the reality of the God they serve and Christians who suffer with every sickness and disease and malady known to man.
While the Church heaps honor on the original 11, in the book of Acts it is obedience that is honored. Peter and John continued to saturate themselves after the day of Pentecost and their obedience was manifest in power to witness of the resurrection of Jesus but the narrative of the scriptures switches over to Phillip and Steven, who were not among the original eleven but were saturated with Jesus and on to Paul, who told the Corinthians, “I speak with tongues more than you all” (1Cor.14:18). It is not speaking with tongues that are important, however, but obedience to the commandment, nevertheless, obedience produces tongues.
This relationship between the gift of tongues and obedience seems to be the sticking point for the Church overall though some are clearly offended by the commandment itself. The tradition the Church has held for the last 1700 years is more important than the commandment of the Lord of the Church. Moreover, it seems this was God’s design. In Romans 9:30, Paul, quoting the Old Testament, said: “Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed.” Now Zion is the Church and the stumbling stone would appear to be Jesus but it is the Holy Spirit who represents Jesus on the earth in the age of the Church.
The truth the stumbling stone is laid in the Church (Zion) indicates the stumbling stone is not Jesus. The Church does not stumble over Jesus. The Church does stumble over the commandment Jesus left the Church and does stumble over obedience and the gift of tongues manifest by obedience.
1Peter 2:6-8 also addresses this same concept. In verse 6, the chief cornerstone is Jesus. He is the foundation of the Church. However, in Romans 9:30 and 1Peter 2:6, it is belief on Jesus, KJV, not belief in Jesus that will keep the believer from being ashamed. Let me remind you, the word in means to be clothed by while the word on means a place arrived. Therefore, according to King James translators, both verses are speaking of belief on the Lord not belief in the Saviour. It is the Lord who issued the commandment of Acts 1:4-5 and it is the commandment that is the stumbling stone.
Notice 1Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” Notice how Peter juxtaposes belief with disobedience. Those who believe: obey; those who do not obey do not believe. In other words, if you believe the commandment of Acts 1:4-5 is valid today; you will keep it. If you do not believe it is valid for Christians today, you will not keep it. The builders are the Church leaders who stumbled over the commandment originally and disallowed it as having anything to do with salvation. They removed the cornerstone of salvation from the gospel message. There is no commandment to believe in Jesus as Christ. Lost souls are not disobedient in refusing to believe in Jesus. The Church however, is disobedient in not keeping the commandment of the Lord and the commandment that was disallowed by the builders is the head of the corner. This commandment is the cornerstone of salvation; it is the Lord who grants eternal life.
Notice the sentence structure of 1Peter 2:7. “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” Peter does not say Jesus is not precious to those who are disobedient but issues a warning to the disobedient, saying; the commandment you disobey is the cornerstone of your salvation. The book of 1Peter was not written to lost souls; it was written to Christians, Christians who love Jesus. However, some of these Christians were obedient and some were disobedient. The disobedient must have a commandment to disobey.
Obedience throws open the windows of heaven; disobedience shuts the windows.