The Upper Room

So we left on on Acts chapter 1 where Luke starts with the Ascension of Christ and the angles ask them “Why do you stand looking into the heavens ?” then they speak of Christ return.

We talked about WHO the Holy Spirit is, The third person of the trinity. The Holy Spirit is the power or presence of God that operates within us and communities , inspiring or empowering them with qualities they would not otherwise possess. We know that the Holy Spirit is the promised helper that Jesus speaks about before the crucifixion.

The Holy Spirit is the helper and the advocate and HE is an essential and vital part of being a disciple of Jesus. Arguably with out the Holy Spirit we are incapable of serving Jesus.

We talked about developing a long term relationship with Jesus and the way to do that is to spend time with Jesus.

Verse 12, “A Sabbath days journey away” which was the longest distance one could walk without breaking the Sabbath it was about 3/4 of a mile.

Verese 14, I love this part where they gather in the Upper Room and it says they were constantly united in prayer. AND the ladies were included! This was a primary characteristic that marked their life together in this time period was PRAYER. They spent this time waiting for the promised Holy Spirit for the power to witness. There is no effective witness without the Spirit, and the way to spiritual empowerment is to wait in prayer.

Remember when the angels tell the disciples to go and WAIT, it was because the Holy Spirit was necessary for them to carry out the great commission and to be effective witnesses for Christ. And not to mention the Holy Spirit was vital to these men who would encounter many obstacles, prison, beatings, etc.

Verse 15-26 is devoted to the replacement of Judas Iscariot. Peter begins this conversation of replacing the apostle which is someone who Jesus commissioned to be one of His representative.

Verse 16, Peter referred to the Scripture that the Holy Spirit Inspired through David and said the scripture had to be fulfilled. Its so fun to make the connections and see the Old testament prophecies come to fulfillment in the New Testament and they MUST.

The Holy Spirit is ABSOLUTELY neccasry, Needed, vital part of our discipleship to Jesus. WE CANT DO IT WITH OUT HIM.

How can I be so bold in a statement like that because at the Ascension of Christ angles appear to these men who have walked with Jesus for years and they told them to go to Jerusalem and WAIT for the Holy Spirit to then begin your witness.

You aren’t sent out unequipped in 2 Peter he writes in verse 3 “By His divine power we have been given everything we need for living a Godly life.”