Waiting, hoping, anticipating. I doubt that there is a day that goes by where those actions are absent from our thoughts. Waiting is often hard and can be overwhelming at times. Waiting to get pregnant, waiting for that next paycheck, waiting for that loved one to make a turnaround in their life. We wait with hope. We eagerly wait with excitement anticipating the good of that “something” happening.
The disciples experienced the frustration of uncertainty as they were waiting for Jesus to re-establish Israel as God’s land and overthrow the oppressive Roman government. In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus gives some final instructions to the disciples before Jesus ascends to heaven.
“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. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Wait. “Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Do you envision the nervous excitement growing as the disciples hear about this gift? Maybe this is where the term, “the anticipation is killing me” originated.
Acts 1:6-7 “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
Can you imagine? The disciples are probably thinking, “yes, this is it”, “this is what we’ve been waiting for”, woot woot!!, “but when, but how, what time? How is this going to go down? We need the deets!”
The disciples listen eagerly to the next words, Acts 1:8-11 “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.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “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.”
A final statement from Jesus, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . .”. Did you notice the “where”? It wasn’t in some warm and fuzzy paradise where everyone was pleasant and inviting. Quite the contrary; Jesus lists places that rejected his ministry, places filled with Gentiles, half-breeds, the religiously impure, and even in the same place where Jesus was executed.
The waiting and anticipating of “the gift of the Father promised” has been revealed. The Holy Spirit! And, if the disciples were ever unclear of their purpose, this should prove to be a powerful statement, “you will be my witnesses . . .” And it is the same with the purpose of the church and the purpose of our lives; the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses of King Jesus to the whole world until he returns.
How are you waiting? What are you anticipating? Are you going to worship and witness with the totality of your life?
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Acts 1:8-11; Titus 2:11-14
The disciples experienced the frustration of uncertainty as they were waiting for Jesus to re-establish Israel as God’s land and overthrow the oppressive Roman government. In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus gives some final instructions to the disciples before Jesus ascends to heaven.
“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. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Wait. “Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Do you envision the nervous excitement growing as the disciples hear about this gift? Maybe this is where the term, “the anticipation is killing me” originated.
Acts 1:6-7 “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
Can you imagine? The disciples are probably thinking, “yes, this is it”, “this is what we’ve been waiting for”, woot woot!!, “but when, but how, what time? How is this going to go down? We need the deets!”
The disciples listen eagerly to the next words, Acts 1:8-11 “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.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “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.”
A final statement from Jesus, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . .”. Did you notice the “where”? It wasn’t in some warm and fuzzy paradise where everyone was pleasant and inviting. Quite the contrary; Jesus lists places that rejected his ministry, places filled with Gentiles, half-breeds, the religiously impure, and even in the same place where Jesus was executed.
The waiting and anticipating of “the gift of the Father promised” has been revealed. The Holy Spirit! And, if the disciples were ever unclear of their purpose, this should prove to be a powerful statement, “you will be my witnesses . . .” And it is the same with the purpose of the church and the purpose of our lives; the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses of King Jesus to the whole world until he returns.
How are you waiting? What are you anticipating? Are you going to worship and witness with the totality of your life?
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Acts 1:8-11; Titus 2:11-14