Acting when Waiting
Notes
Transcript
The disciples after watching Jesus ascend into heaven, return to Jerusalem. I’m curious about the conversations that must have occured during this travel. They had just seen their Rabbi and friend leave. The ascension must have been a miraculous amazing sight and they had been given their assignment. They were told to be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Perhaps they talked about strategies. What would that look like? Maybe they began to divide up portions of the Roman empire and assign them to each other? Perhaps the immense weight of the task weighted upon them? Not only were they given a seemingly impossible task, but they were also told to wait and that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit. Maybe they discussed what this power or presence would be? How would they know when they Spirit came upon them? What exactly did that mean? Surely they were excited, while at the same time a little worried about what was to come.
It is important for us to realize that as the disciples returned to Jerusalem, they were obedient to the instructions of Christ and they were waiting for the gift of the Spirit. Perhaps you have been in a situation similar to that of the disciples. For me, I think of changes during my school career. First was high school. I knew very early on in my senior year that graduation was almost a guarantee. I only needed a few classes to receive the credits required for graduation and one of those was physical education. Sure I enjoyed the last year of school, but there was this anticipation of things to come. The only thing was to wait and go about the work I needed to do. The other memory that comes to mind was prior to my last semester in college. As a music education student, my last semester was spent student teaching. I was able to put into action the many previous semesters I had spent learning to be a teacher. It was a time of great learning and excitement, but yet there was a lot of uncertainity as well. What was going to happen after that semester? Where was I going to work? What if I don’t get a job? How will I know which job I will be successful at? Lot’s of excitement, but also a lot of uncertainity. I imagine the disciples were feeling a lot of the same emotions probably even more so. So in Acts 1:12-14, we see a rather small group gathered together in a upper room obediently waiting for the Spirit of God, but we don’t see them sitting on their hands doing nothing. No they are acting, while they are waiting. There are things to be done and they are preparing for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. So if you have your Bible please follow along as I read 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.
I believe these verses in Acts show us the most important actions performed by this group of church leaders. They are obedient, they are waiting, but are not trusting in their own understanding. The early church is not gathered together with each person throwing their own ideas around. This isn’t a committee of church members meeting together to hash out a plan or discuss finances or ministry models. No, they are completed unified and devoted to prayer. These aspects are absolutely important to the modern church. We must for unified.
Unity
So what exactly does in one accord mean? What does it mean to be unified as a church? Perhaps some people think that being unified means no disagreement. Personally I don’t think this is what is meant. For there to be no disagreement, there would need to be one person completely in charge. A single person who would always have the correct answer, perfectly directing a church and the congregation in everything that occured. If this were true, there would not be a single person on earth who was qualified to lead a church. None of us can be perfect. There are times when we will mess up. Even the best and greatest pastors in the world will make mistakes. There are going to be disagreements. People will have different ideas and we can come together to discuss these items. But no matter what happens, there must be a spirit of unity and respect. The first step in this type of unity is to be unified in our dependence on prayer and the word.
a. Unified in dependence on prayer and the word
None of us are perfect. We are going to mess up, but praise God that both He and His church are bigger than our mistakes. The only chance we have at following God’s direction both as individual Christians and as a church is to constantly spend time in prayer and in the Bible. Without the Bible or prayer, we can only rely on our own abilities and understanding. Yet our own nature will only lead us in selfish and corrupt directions. Through prayer, God will change our hearts. He will transform our lives, change our desires to match his, and reveal his will for our lives. We have no hope to follow Christ or be unified without the Bible or prayer. As we pray, God will bring individuals together. The bond and fellowship of the church will grow. The church cannot be unified apart from these two aspects.
Through prayer and the scriptures, God will unify the church around a common purpose and mission.
b. Unified in a common purpose and mission
There have been a lot of disagreements through the years of how church’s should accomplish the mission of the Gospel. Methods will change. In fact, methods need to change. Each church should adapt methods that are appropriate for their community context. But no matter what the method is, the mission remains the same. We are to spread the Gospel around the world. Churches will say this mission in many different ways, but the mission should be the same. At Calvary Baptist Church, we say our mission is Loving God, Loving people by being disciples that make disciples. Believers are called to love God with their entire being. That relationship with God will then lead us to love the people around us. The love of Christ should abound and overflow from our lives in everything we do. The greatest way we can love our neighbors is to share the Gospel with them. This is where being a disciples comes in. Disciples share the Gospel, teach others, and help people grow in their faith. As a church, we are not striving to make believers, converts, or attenders. We want to be people who are growing in their faith and who are helping others do the same. Our lives are to be lived as disciples on mission.
The group in the upper room in Acts was in complete unity, and they were preparing to be Christ’s witnesses by devoting themselves to prayer and waiting patiently for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The modern church and believers must strive to have this same dedication and passion for prayer.
So as the disciples prayed, they were learning how to be faithful to serve God even as they waited, follow along in Acts 1:21-26 as I read.
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Serving God Where You Are
It is important for us to see that the disciples along with the women, Mary, and Jesus’ brothers were all devoted to prayer and this prayer inspired them to
a. Wait Where Instructed
The disciples knew the Spirit was going to come. They knew He would, but yet they did not know when. There are times when we are tempted to act through our own beliefs or direction. It is easy for us to just try things to see what will work or what things might bring about change. We can look down the road or around the country and see what is working at other churches. Perhaps if we could just duplicate what that church is doing, we will grow. We read books about different strategies or new programs and even perhaps begin to implement these ideas without much prayer. No matter how good a program or strategy is, it will not work without the Spirit of God moving. We must fight these temptations. Yes, educate yourself, discover new programs or options, new methods of teaching, etc. But we must spend time in prayer and wait for God to reveal what the correct method for our church is. We should look to discover where God is moving and working, then we should adjust to what He is doing, not the other way around. The church cannot make plans and then ask God to bless those plans, we must make our plans according to His direction. So we spend time in prayer, seeking where he is leading. However, even in times of waiting we can still act in wisdom.
b. Act in Wisdom
Yes, there are going to be areas where we are going to need to wait. However, there are some things in our Christian walk that are always appropriate. Yes, the disciples were waiting, but they knew a person had to replace Judas according to the Scripture. So part of their waiting process, was to select this replacement. They were acting while they were waiting for the Holy Spirit.
Even today, there are some things in our Christian walk that we do not need specific direction from God. Prayer is one of these items. We should be in prayer, seeking what God desires of us. Confessing our sinfulness and bringing our life back in line with the will of Christ. Prayer is a large part of acting in wisdom, But we cannot be in a place of inaction just waiting for God to reveal next steps. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength; loving our neighbor as ourselves, fulfilling the great commission, discipleship: all of these are to be accomplished at all times and any place. We can go about these instructions, while we diligently pray for God to show us what is specifically next. All of these will be revealed through our prayer and even while we wait for God to reveal next steps, we need to be faithful to obediently follow God’s commands as we wait.
This type of obedience is an important work of the Spirit. In Acts 1:15-20, we see the Spirit of God working through the Scriptures and prophecy
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“ ‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“ ‘Let another take his office.’
Work of the Spirit
Scriptures and Prophecy
Peter declares that the Holy Spirit had given the Scriptures and that the Scriptures not only gave prophecies but also that the prophecies must be fulfilled. As we pray, the word of God will confirm what God tells us. If we ever here something through prayer that contradicts the Scriptures, then we have not heard from God correctly. Sometimes it is difficult for us to separate our own feelings and desires from where God is leading us. Whether that may be a new job prospect, home purchase, what college to attend, etc. These decision need to be carefully considered through prayer and God will never contradict himself. So we need to allow the Spirit of God to work through the Scriptures. Ask the Spirit to guide us as we read and study, to discover God’s truth and His application, not our own. The of Psalms prophesied about Judas hanging himself and that another would replace him. God’s word is absolutely true. We must look to it for confirmation, for guidance, for comfort, for growth, and for instructions. Both the Scriptures and Prophecy are provided through the work of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who directs us also knows our hearts.
b. Knows our Hearts
God knows our hearts better than we even do. The disciples know this as evidenced by their prayer in Acts 1:24. “You lord, who know the hearts of all.” God knows our hearts. God knew Barsabbas and Matthias. In fact, I would say the selection of Barsabbas and Matthias was not by chance. These are men who have been with Jesus from the beginning. It sounds like these men had a reputation of being mature in their faith. They were selected because of their character.
We should strive to be people with this type of character. People who are known for being with Christ and following Him. People who are known for showing the Love of Christ. I wonder, How would the people around us describe our character and our faith? Would we be seen as people like Barsabbas and Matthias. We should be people of integrity and Godly character. But we don’t act with that character for the approval of man, no we work strictly for Christ.
God knows the hearts of everyone. He knows why we do things, what we think, what we feel. There is no reason to try and hide from Him. This type of intimacy should not scare us, but should comfort us that our God knows us with this type of knowledge. I find comfort in the fact that God knows everything about me and He loves me with a love that surpasses all understanding. God knows what I need before I even ask. He wants to lead me and use me. The only question is are we allowing Him to do that. So as we end today, I want to ask about your relationship with Christ. Maybe you have never responded to Christ’s invitation. God wants to have a personal relationship with you. Confess you have sinned and ask God to come into your life and help guide and direct you.
Perhaps you have been in a stage of either waiting or disobedience. Are there areas of your life God is waiting for you to respond? Maybe today you need to rededicate yourself to the practices of prayer and Bible reading. There are so many ways God could guide and direct you to respond. So as I pray, I challenge you to take a moment and respond as God is leading you.