The vision and experience of christ in his resurrection and ascension
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:33, 36; 5:31; 10:36; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 12:2
I. In His ascension Christ was inaugurated, exalted, and enthroned to execute God's universal administration and to carry out God's New Testament economy—Acts 2:33, 36; 5:31; Phil. 2:9; Rev. 5:6:
A. Christ's ascension was His inauguration into His heavenly offices for His heavenly ministry; these offices include His being the Lord of all (Acts 10:36), the Christ (2:36), the Leader and Savior (5:31), the Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5), the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23), the Minister (Heb. 8:2), and the High Priest (4:14-15; 7:25-27):
1. The man from Nazareth was inaugurated in His ascension to be the Lord of all—Matt. 2:23; Acts 3:6; 10:36; 22:8; 26:9.
2. His inauguration required a lengthy process that began with creation and continued with incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection.
3. In His ascension Christ was inaugurated as God and man, as the Creator and a creature, and as the Redeemer, the Savior, and the life-giving Spirit to execute God's universal administration and to carry out God's New Testament economy.
B. Christ's ascension was God's exaltation of Him—2:33:
1. The Lord Jesus humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak—Phil. 2:7-9.
2. In ascension Christ is the God-exalted One, the One who has received a name that is above every name—vv. 9-11:
a. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus—the name of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and exalted One.
b. God made the Lord Jesus, as a man, the Lord in His ascension; thus, every tongue will confess that He is Lord—Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:10-11.
3. In His ascension Christ was crowned with glory and honor—Heb. 2:9.
4. In His ascension Christ was inaugurated into the headship of the universe; the Head of the whole universe is Jesus—Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23.
C. In His ascension Christ was enthroned to execute God's universal administration and to carry out God's New Testament economy—Rev. 5:6; Eph. 1:10:
1. For Christ to be seated at the right hand of the throne of God indicates that He has been enthroned—Heb. 12:2; Acts 2:33.
2. Christ is now on the throne to administrate the entire universe; He is the unique Administrator, the King of kings and Lord of lords—Rev. 19:16.
3. Christ's administration is related to the universe, but His carrying out of God's New Testament economy is to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, His Body—Matt. 16:19; 28:19; Acts 1:8.
II. Christ's work of propagation is in His ascension—Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8:
A. The subject of the book of Acts is the propagation of the resurrected Christ in His ascension, by the Spirit, through the disciples, for the producing of the churches—the kingdom of God—v. 3:
1. The propagation of the resurrected Christ in His ascension produces the churches—8:1; 13:1; 14:23.
2. The churches produced by the resurrected Christ in His ascension are the kingdom of God—19:8.
B. Propagation is carried out by the Lord on the throne in the heavens; this means that His work of propagation is in ascension—2:33, 36; Heb. 12:2; Rev. 5:6:
1. The ascension is the nature and the sphere of the Lord's work on earth.
2. The work of the Lord in His recovery today should be a work in ascension—a work that has a heavenly nature and is in a heavenly sphere.
III. The ascended Christ executes God's universal administration and carries out God's New Testament economy through His Body—Eph. 1:22-23:
A. We need to see that because the church is the Body of Christ, the position of the church is exactly the same as that of the ascended Christ—Col. 1:18; 2:19; 1 Cor. 12:27:
1. The Body is the Body of Christ, the One who has been enthroned and given the lordship and authority in heaven and on earth and even under the earth.
2. He has received all authority, and as the Body we are identified with Him; therefore, we are in the heavenlies, we have the authority, and we can exercise the authority—Eph. 1:19-23; 2:6:
a. The authority of the Body is the authority of the Head exercised by the Body; thus, the authority of the Body is the authority of the Head.
b. As the church, the Body of Christ, we need to exercise the authority of the resurrected and ascended Christ—Matt. 28:18-19a; Luke 10:19.
B. Christ executes God's administration and carries out God's economy through the prayer of the church—Matt. 6:9-13; Acts 12:5b:
1. The prayer of the church as the Body of Christ is the prayer that exercises the authority of Christ as the ascended Lord and Head of the Body for the fulfilling of God's economy—Eph. 1:10; Matt. 6:9-13.
2. The central goal of the church's prayer is the goal of the eternal economy of God—the goal of Christ having a glorious church as His counterpart for His satisfaction—Eph. 5:27.
3. The book of Acts reveals that the apostles' work was done in full dependence on God as indicated by their prayer; they prayed themselves into God, and they prayed God into them—1:14; 2:1-4; 4:24-31; 6:4; 10:9-16; 12:4-14; 13:1-4; 16:23-26; 22:17-21.
C. Christ executes God's administration and carries out God's economy through our correspondence to the move of the ascended Christ by doing a work of life—a move in life for the spread of the gospel—8:26-29; 9:10-11; 10:1-3, 9-22.