Ascension
Day Is Institutional Church Day
Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ….”
Today is the Institutional Church Day… or perhaps more
commonly known as Ascension Day. This is
the day the Christian Church has historically marked as the day Christ ascended
up into heaven. One can and should read
of this in Acts
1:1-11 (if not now when?).
From the lack of attention this “holy” day receives from the
Church (let alone the World), we might suppose that it’s not actually that
important. Even religious calendars often fail to include reference to it. However, if we
assume that what the World says and does is generally wrong and the opposite of
what Biblical Christianity should say and do, we should probably take
note.
In Ephesians 4:7-8 we’re told, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of
Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When
He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
It might be a little hard to see but the flow of thought is
clear. Christ suffered and died for the
sins of his people. He rose victorious
on Easter morning. Having prepared and taught
his apostles for 40 days, he returns to heaven and sends the promised Holy
Spirit to establish, build and inhabit the New Testament Church. This Holy Spirit was poured out upon the
church on Pentecost Sunday.
The question then becomes, ‘How has He chosen to do this?” Well, this is what Ephesians 4:11 is talking
about. “He Himself gave officers (apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) to establish the New Testament Church. The Apostle and Prophets laid the foundation
of biblical truth (see
Ephesians 2:19-20). Their role was
unique in that they were inspired by God write the New Testament
Scriptures. As the New Testament unfolds
we see God continues to call and use godly men to lead and care for his
flock. These leaders are identified by
various names: pastors, elders, bishops, elders, teachers, evangelists and
deacons.
All these have the responsibility of caring for church of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They are told to
shepherd, feed, watch, and oversee the congregations of our Lord. This they do primarily by teaching and preaching
the Holy Scriptures (see 2
Timothy 3:16-17 and 2
Timothy 4:1-4.
So, Ascension Day really is the Institutional Church
Day. Christ’s Kingdom is REAL. It is manifest (seen) wherever God calls
and gathers His People together by His Spirit and Word. Jesus Christ is the
Only Head of His Church. His Word is the
sole authority by which Spiritual Truth is known. Not every assembly or gathering that calls
itself Church or Christian is true. Christ’s Church will be built on the only true
foundation (remember Ephesians 2:19-20)… the Truth of the Word of God.
The Faith has been once for all delivered to the saints (Jude
3). It has been boldly proclaimed
and clearly taught throughout history.
The Ancient creeds and historic confessions of Christianity demonstrate
a continuity of true and living faith throughout history. The
Apostle Paul warns the Galatians and all churches that if anyone comes to you and
preaches any other Gospel or message than what he had taught (and wrote) to
them… even if it’s an Angel from heaven, you should not listen. They are accursed--damned (Galatians
1:8,9). The Scriptures are the only sure
foundation for spiritual truth.
