Work While We Wait

Jesus Is Returning

As Jesus was taken back into heaven in the clouds the people just stood there gazing into the sky. I don’t know what they were expecting to see, but two angels told them that Jesus was going to return the same way He was taken. Matt. 24:29-31

Matthew 24:29–31 NASB95

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Jesus told the disciples that His return would happen after the great tribulation. He tells them that people will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky. This is what the angels reminded them.

As Jesus was taken up into heaven, His bodily presence was no more. They could not just go to Jesus with their questions or pull Him aside to share there concerns. So what were they to do? How were they to carry on His mission if He wasn’t there in bodily form? The same way we are to follow Him.

First they needed to follow His last instruction that He gave them in Acts 1:4-5

Acts 1:4–5 (NASB95)

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

They were to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. This is what they did. They returned to Jerusalem and stayed in the upper room.

There were around 120 people in upper room. So what were they doing while they waited on the Holy Spirit?

Prayed With One Mind

We are told that they all had one mind and devoted themselves to prayer. It is important to note that they all had one mind. They were not fighting among one another or blaming one another for their actions leading up to the crucifixion of Christ.

They could have rebuked Peter for denying Jesus three times. The ladies could have rebuked the disciples for fleeing and leaving Jesus when He was arrested. Mary and the ladies could have chastised the other disciples for not believing them when they told them that Jesus had been resurrected. The list could go on for the things that they could have argued about.

We do not see them doing this. Instead we see them with one mind devoting themselves to prayer continually. Why? They were all in the same boat. The only way they had to communicate with Jesus was prayer. They all had the same mission. To wait on the Holy Spirit. They all had the same question. What is next for us? The absence of Jesus bodily presence put them all in the same boat. Consequently it drew them closer together.

This teaches us a foundational lesson on the church. We to should be of one mind and devote ourselves to prayer.

It is real easy to point out our faults and differences. Churches need to be a place where we see through our differences and focus on the mission Christ has given us. That mission is to Love God and make disciples. We must hold to scriptural truths and function by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Everything that we engage in must begin with prayer. Prayer is the catalyst for discerning the will of God. Matt. 6:10

Matthew 6:10 (NASB95)

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

If we focus on this prayer and its meaning we will be united in mind and mission. Too many times our prayer is “my will be done and God please do it in a hurry.” When was the last time you actually sought out the will of God? This is when you ask the Lord to show you His will and sat and listened for His answer. Or asked Him to reveal His will and you went into your day anticipating Him to reveal it. This is what Jesus did. John 5:19-20

John 5:19–20 (NASB95)

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

4 ways God reveals His will.

When we seek the Father’s will through prayer we will be of one mind as He reveals it. The Father loves us and desires for us to know His will. Henry Blackeby points out that God generally uses 4 ways of revealing His will: Prayer, His Word, Situations, and the Church.

God reveals His will through prayer. When we pray, God speaks to our hearts. He puts passions within our souls that should lead to action on our part. For example, have you ever had a burden to help someone in need? Where did that burden come from? God places people on my heart all the time. Sometimes people that I have not thought about in years. I will often times call them and let them know that the Lord put them on my heart. Almost always they are dumbfounded because they have something substantial going on in their lives.

God reveals His will through His word. The principles in God’s word are never changing. God’s Word is absolute truth. They are the foundations by which we can base the decisions of our lives on. These principles bring clarity to the grey areas of our life. They help us make decisions. For example, the Bible will not tell you who to marry, what career to pursue, or a specific decision that you are suppose to make, but it will give you enough guidelines to make the right decision.

God reveals His will through situations. God allows us to be in trying situations . He puts us to the test so we can learn that the biblical principles in His word are true. When we are put to the test we will either apply God’s principle or our opinion. We should always apply God’s principle. James 1:2-3

James 1:2–3 (NASB95)

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Finally, God reveals His purpose through the Church. God uses people in the church that have applied Godly wisdom in their lives and experienced God in their lives to reveal His plan to others. For example, you may be going through a situation that someone else has already been through. That person is a good resource to discern God’s will.

When we seek and discern the will of God and use His word as our guide we will be of one mind. We must eliminate our own preferences and biases and hold to the truth. Division occurs when we seek our own way rather than God’s way .

Follow God’s Lead

Though prayer and God’s Word Peter stood up and declared that Judas office as a disciple must be filled. Judas committed suicide after betraying Jesus. God revealed two passages of Scripture to Peter in order to make this decision. Psalm 69:25

Psalm 69:25 NASB95

May their camp be desolate; May none dwell in their tents.

and Psalms 109:8

Psalm 109:8 NASB95

Let his days be few; Let another take his office.

In Psalms 69 David is telling about the one who is responsible for the death of Christ. This is Judas. David goes so far as to say that Judas actions based on his unbelief led him to hell in Psalms 69:28

Psalm 69:28 NASB95

May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.

In Psalms 109 David is referring to His adversaries, but it is also applicable to Judas as well since He was an adversary to the throne of David through Jesus.

Peter knew that there had to be 12 apostles because there was a need for 12 rulers to sit on the thrones of Israel in the coming Kingdom of God. Matt. 19:28

Matthew 19:28 NASB95

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The church could not proceed until all the rulers were in place. Peter prompted by God set forth the criteria for Judas replacement. Acts 1:21-22

Acts 1:21–22 (NASB95)

“Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

The man that was to replace Judas had to be a follower of Jesus from the day of His baptism until the time He ascended into heaven. This is because this apostle must have been witness to the miracles, teachings, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They had to be an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus.

They put forth two men and cast lots. This is the last time we see casting of lots used in the church.

We too must follow the lead of God. When God reveals His will, it will always be substantiated by His Word. We must follow the lead of the Lord. We cannot advance in our faith until we follow the instruction the Lord has given us through His word in our situation.

Just as this hold true for us individually it also, holds true for us corporately as a church. I silicate your prayers for the discernment of God’s will for our church and that it is confirmed by the Lord revealing it to you as well. It is through prayer and Gods word that this will happen. When it does we will be a church united as we are now.