Hey team,
I don't want to miss out on a chance to "meet together" in between our sessions so I will send you out some notes whenever I can. These posts are meant to keep us grounded in God's Word and united in our hearts.
Take a moment and read Acts 1:1-11 in your Bible. The NIV is below.
Acts 1:1-11
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Some notes on the text
-Jesus' instruction to the 12 (imagine being one of them) was done "through the Holy Spirit" (vs. 2). All those stories. All those teachings. The powerful, deliberate, life-giving words, all given BY Jesus THROUGH the Holy Spirit.
-The disciples had gone through a lot together but Jesus told them that "they hadn't seen nothin' yet" as they were about to be immersed in the Holy Spirit. (vs. 5) This Holy Spirit, the same One THROUGH WHOM Jesus had power.
-Re-read verse 8. Seriously? The work of the Holy Spirit is POWER to be witnesses to areas near and far.
-Jesus freaked them out one more time, being "taken up right before their eyes."
Reflections for Us:
1. The same power given to the 12 and through whom Jesus taught is living inside each of us. Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” You and I have the wisdom, the creativity, the depth and the power of God within us. QUESTION: What keeps you from believing God's best in you?
2. Our journey with Jesus is supposed to keep blowing our mind and taking us out of our comfort experiences. We are never meant to coast, but to thrive. QUESTION: How can we spend significant time with Jesus to allow him to keep changing us?
3. The fruit of the Spirit's work in us should resemble power to reach new people. The disciples were sent to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. QUESTION: Will you commit to praying each day for people that don't know Jesus? Pray specifically for people that you know. Pray that God would put you in the path of them?
