When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying…They all were continually united in prayer. (Acts 1:13-14)
The waiting game doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t do anything. Maybe you’re in school trying to get your degree, but it feels so far away. And all you want to do is start your career, so you can be a blessing to others and reach your future colleagues with the gospel. Well, today’s passage shows us what we can do that will help us to be active in the present, as we wait for the next chapter to begin.
After Jesus resurrected from the dead, he spent forty days with the apostles and disciples, and he gave them clear instructions to wait. To wait and not begin their apostolic mission until the Holy Spirit empowers them to be his witnesses (1:3-8). Jesus then ascends to heaven and the apostles with their jaws-dropped, are left there at the Mount of Olives.
And so, what do we see them do next? First, we see them obey Jesus’ instructs “not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise” (1:4). That’s why we see them return to Jerusalem in Verse 12. They obeyed God. So how can you obey God right now as you wait? What is he asking you to do now?
Second, they depended on each other through fellowship. Verse 13 tells us that they didn’t go their separate ways after Jesus’ ascension, but they stayed together in an upstairs room in Jerusalem (1:13). Do you have a community of disciples you depend on? This is why we value community groups at Harbor Church so much. It’s life-giving and needed to continue God’s purposes for our lives.
Third, Luke tells us that the apostles and disciples were united through praying together (1:14). As they were waiting for the Holy Spirit, they didn’t do nothing, but “were continually united in prayer” (1:14). This was so important as they waited for the Holy Spirit to empower them for the most phenomenal missional life. So pray with your community group. Pray with your spouse. Pray with your children. Pray with other believers for God’s purposes to be fulfilled though you and his people.