Heart to Heart
Forty is a significant number; especially if you’re in your late thirties. It marks “mid-life” and is a wake-up call to “count the number of our days,” so that we live them to the full. In the Scriptures, forty is often associated with significant events in the life of God’s people.
When the LORD determined to flood the earth in judgment for mankind’s sinfulness, He caused it to rain for forty days and nights. At day 40, Noah opened a window in the ark and sent out a raven, to determine if the water had begun to recede. At age 40, Isaac was married to Rebekah. When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive God’s Law, he was there for 40 days and nights, without food or water – sustained by the LORD.
When Moses sent spies to explore the Promised Land, they took 40 days to gather information. When the majority yielded to unbelief because of the giants they found in the land, the LORD determined they would wander in the wilderness 1 year for each of those 40 days. But He also provided for His people in the wilderness, supplying manna (bread from heaven) and supernaturally protecting their clothing so that it did not wear out during those 40 years. Fast forward to the New Testament. Immediately after being baptized by John in the River Jordan (and filled with the Spirit), Jesus’ spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Those days helped to form his initiation into full-time ministry.
Fast forward again, to the end of Jesus’ life and earthly ministry. Christ died on the Friday, just before the Sabbath began– after celebrating the Passover with His disciples the night before. He victoriously arose from the grave, first thing Sunday morning. The Risen Christ then appeared to His disciples throughout Resurrection Sunday – to Mary Magdelene in the garden, to Peter, and to the two disciples walking along the Emmaus road. He then appeared to the Eleven (minus Thomas), as they met secretly behind closed doors that Sunday night.
The Gospel’s careful recording of Jesus resurrection appearances, are vital to our faith. If Christ did not rise from the dead, Paul says, then we are still dead in our sins; our faith is useless and so is my preaching. More than that, we’re guilty of lying, if God did not raise Christ from the grave. And those who have died “in Christ” are eternally lost – if Jesus is still dead and buried (1 Corinthians 15:14-19).
But Christ has indeed been resurrected back to life. He lives! Starting on Resurrection Sunday and for the next 40 days, Jesus appeared to His apostles in various circumstances (Acts 1:3). His purpose was to give them irrefutable proof that He had triumphed over death. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul testifies that the Risen Christ appeared to the Twelve in the Upper Room (not once, but twice) and to five hundred people at one time. Later, Jesus personally confronted Paul on the road to Damascus. Forty days of compelling hands-on experiences in which they saw, heard and touched the Risen Savior –forging within them rock-solid faith & fortitude, to faithfully bear witness to a hostile world that Christ is risen.
Friends, it would be easy to step off the mountaintop we call Easter, and return to “life as normal.” But the Bible challenges us. The Risen Christ invites you and I to not only join Him in His death, burial and resurrection, but to boldly pray for the fullness of His Spirit, so that we might be fearless witnesses to our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.
Would you join me, in asking God to grant us Holy Spirit boldness in testifying to Jesus? Ask God for divine appointments in people’s lives where we can introduce them to Jesus. In these next 40 days, may we work and pray for a spiritual harvest... “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8).
Praying with you Pastor Adriaan & Diana <><