Acts 1:12-24

We are going to see the selection of an additional disciple… which would beg the question why the need?

If we went back and read the gospels….what we would find is that Right before the last supper….Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver…we find that in Matthew 26:15

Jesus confronts this 5 verses later….

Matthew 26:20–25 “When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.””

John 17:12 “While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of perdition [destruction], that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Jesus had selected 12 Apostles

These 12 men of the New Covenant that would rule over the 12 tribes of the Old Covenant for all eternity in a place called the New Jerusalem

Before the world was ever shaken by Pentecost, before Peter preached and thousands were saved, before the Gospel spread across nations—there was a prayer meeting in an upper room.

We live in a world that hates waiting. We microwave meals, track Amazon packages by the minute, and get frustrated when Wi-Fi takes more than a second to load… [Do you remember dial up internet?] But the kingdom of God often begins in waiting.

Big Idea: When the church is united in prayer, patient in waiting, and obedient in preparation, God is able to move through them in power.

1. They Obeyed What Jesus Told Them to Do (vv. 12–14)

Acts 1:12–14 “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

The disciples didn’t head home to Galilee, or scatter in fear. They went back to Jerusalem—right where Jesus told them to wait.

Obedience may not seem glamorous, but it’s the soil where God’s power grows.

Illustration: A GPS will only reroute if you follow its directions. If you ignore it, you’ll never get where you need to go. God’s direction works the same way—He doesn’t reveal the next step until we obey the last one.

Quote: “Small obedience leads to big opportunities.” — Craig Groeschel

Application: Some of us want God to open big doors while we’re ignoring the small doors of daily obedience. But Pentecost didn’t fall on rebels—it fell on disciples who walked in obedience.

2. They Were United in Prayer (v. 14)

Luke says they “joined together constantly in prayer.” The early church didn’t start with a strategic plan; they started on their knees.

Illustration: The Moravian church in the 1700s began a prayer meeting that lasted 100 years, day and night. Out of that movement came missionaries who carried the gospel around the globe. That’s what united prayer can do.

Quote: “When God’s people pray together, there is no limit to what He can do.” — Jim Cymbala (Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire)

Application: Our church can have great music, polished sermons, and sharp programs, but if prayer is missing, the power is missing. A praying church is a powerful church.

3. They Anchored Themselves in Scripture (vv. 15–20)

Peter stood up and interpreted what was happening by pointing to the Psalms.

When life was confusing, they didn’t guess—they turned to God’s Word.

Illustration: During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” It gave hope, but it couldn’t anchor eternity. Only Scripture can. When storms hit, culture gives slogans. The Word gives unshakable truth.

Quote: “The Bible is not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” — D.L. Moody

Application: When your world feels uncertain—health, family, finances—are you steadying yourself in social media feeds or in the Word of God? The disciples anchored themselves in Scripture, and so must we.

4. They Prepared for the Future by Trusting God’s Direction (vv. 21–24)

They needed to replace Judas, but they didn’t rush with their own wisdom. They prayed: “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us…”

They depended on God’s direction, not their own instincts.

Illustration: Think of a pilot flying through thick fog. The only way forward is to trust the instruments in the cockpit. If he trusts his feelings, he will crash. The church must fly by the instruments of God’s Word and prayer, not by gut feelings or trends.

Quote: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” — Hudson Taylor

Application: Churches often make plans and then ask God to bless them. But the early church sought God first, then acted. What if we prayed before making decisions instead of after?

Acts 1:12–24 shows us how the church waits on God:

Obedience — They went where Jesus told them.

Unity in prayer — They sought Him together.

Scripture — They grounded themselves in the Word.

Dependence on God’s direction — They trusted His leading.

And then — Acts 2 happened. Pentecost. Power. Revival. But notice: the Spirit didn’t fall on a careless church, but on a prepared one.

God will be faithful to do His big Thing…When we are faithful to do our small thing…

What about us?

Are we obeying in the small things?

Are we united in prayer, or divided by preferences?

Are we grounded in the Word, or drifting with culture?

Are we depending on God’s leading, or our own wisdom?

Illustration: A.W. Tozer once said, “If the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop—and everybody would know the difference.”

The church that waits on God is the church that will see the fire of Pentecost again.