It had been an exhausting and invigorating month and a half for Jesus’ disciples. Their time was filled with days of rejoicing and peace along with days of darkness and fear. I imagine there was much confusion those last days that Jesus walked the earth, but there was also much revelation as Jesus opened the disciple’s eyes and taught them from the scripture and showed them how everything in the law and the prophets pointed directly toward a Messiah.
If we were watching this drama unfold from the disciple’s eyes, Acts chapter one would be such a beautiful twist in the plot. The disciples had just spent forty days with the resurrected Jesus listening to him speak of the kingdom of God, not to mention years previously following Christ and listening to his teachings. They had already mourned his death once, and now he prepared to ascend into heaven and again they would be left. But Jesus leaves them with a promise: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I wonder if the disciples left Mount Olivet rejoicing and praising the Lord or in solemn silence? Were they filled with fear and suffering from loosing the tangible Jesus or were they hopeful in anticipation of this great gift that was about to come? We do not have much detail as to the mood of the disciples, but we do know that the disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the promised Spirit in an attitude of prayer.
These men and women gather together in an up stairs room from where they were staying and devoted themselves to prayer. Howard Marshal writes, “If the Holy Spirit is the divine gift which empowers and guides the church, the corresponding human attitude toward God is prayer. It is as the church prays that it receives the Spirit.”
As I have been studying and meditating on these passages in Acts, I am struck and convicted again and again by how closely prayer is connected to the Spirit moving and how much the children of God should long for the Holy Spirit to move in their life.
John 16:7-11, Jesus says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.”
What a powerful thought! Believers today are at greater advantage to understand and live the gospel then the disciples that were in the physical presence of Jesus because we have the Holy Spirit. Yet so often, we live our Christian life not empowered by the Spirit because we do not take the time to seek God and pray.
Tim Keller poses a question in a study he wrote on Acts, “If the Holy Spirit left your life today, would it look any different?”
Are you convicted of sin? Are the fruits of the spirit evident in your life (Galatians 5)? Do your conversations with friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers exhibit a life filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you long to spend time in the word of God? Does God’s word pierce your heart like a sword? Do you make decisions about how you will spend your time, money, and life based on obedience to the Lord? Are you moved with compassion for all the lost around you? Is your boldness to proclaim the gospel growing?
The answers to these questions point to whether your life is a Spirit-led life or not. And we cannot force ourselves to have the "right" answers...this is not a check list of do's and don'ts, when we examine a spirit led life we should be humbled and broken to know that we cannot do this just by willing it ourselves, it is only through the power of God and the holy spirit...so let us continue to pray for that in our lives. May we as Christian brothers and sisters be devoted to prayer. May our church and our lives be directed and guided by the Holy Spirit and nothing less.
If we were watching this drama unfold from the disciple’s eyes, Acts chapter one would be such a beautiful twist in the plot. The disciples had just spent forty days with the resurrected Jesus listening to him speak of the kingdom of God, not to mention years previously following Christ and listening to his teachings. They had already mourned his death once, and now he prepared to ascend into heaven and again they would be left. But Jesus leaves them with a promise: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I wonder if the disciples left Mount Olivet rejoicing and praising the Lord or in solemn silence? Were they filled with fear and suffering from loosing the tangible Jesus or were they hopeful in anticipation of this great gift that was about to come? We do not have much detail as to the mood of the disciples, but we do know that the disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the promised Spirit in an attitude of prayer.
These men and women gather together in an up stairs room from where they were staying and devoted themselves to prayer. Howard Marshal writes, “If the Holy Spirit is the divine gift which empowers and guides the church, the corresponding human attitude toward God is prayer. It is as the church prays that it receives the Spirit.”
As I have been studying and meditating on these passages in Acts, I am struck and convicted again and again by how closely prayer is connected to the Spirit moving and how much the children of God should long for the Holy Spirit to move in their life.
John 16:7-11, Jesus says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.”
What a powerful thought! Believers today are at greater advantage to understand and live the gospel then the disciples that were in the physical presence of Jesus because we have the Holy Spirit. Yet so often, we live our Christian life not empowered by the Spirit because we do not take the time to seek God and pray.
Tim Keller poses a question in a study he wrote on Acts, “If the Holy Spirit left your life today, would it look any different?”
Are you convicted of sin? Are the fruits of the spirit evident in your life (Galatians 5)? Do your conversations with friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers exhibit a life filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you long to spend time in the word of God? Does God’s word pierce your heart like a sword? Do you make decisions about how you will spend your time, money, and life based on obedience to the Lord? Are you moved with compassion for all the lost around you? Is your boldness to proclaim the gospel growing?
The answers to these questions point to whether your life is a Spirit-led life or not. And we cannot force ourselves to have the "right" answers...this is not a check list of do's and don'ts, when we examine a spirit led life we should be humbled and broken to know that we cannot do this just by willing it ourselves, it is only through the power of God and the holy spirit...so let us continue to pray for that in our lives. May we as Christian brothers and sisters be devoted to prayer. May our church and our lives be directed and guided by the Holy Spirit and nothing less.
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