Wait For The Promise
Acts 1:4-14; 2:1-4, 5-7, 13, 16-17, 40-41
For three years these men had followed Jesus. They watched and listened. They saw the power of his words - his preaching. They heard how he cut to the heart of things and shunned the religious show. They saw how he comforted the hurting, the grief-stricken, the lonely, the rejected. They saw how he healed the sick, raised the dead.
Now he is gone. But he left them promises:
Joh 14:12 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Mr 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now here is the final instruction:
Ac 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Don't think - don't guess - don't strain -
Ac 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Just wait for the promise. "Ye shall receive power…"
So they went to the upper room and they waited. They had no idea what to expect - no way of knowing what would take place - no hint of what signs to look for. They were totally dependent upon the grace and wisdom of God.
When you don't know what to look for you can't fake it. When God does a new thing it's a surprise.
They spoke in tongues. How silly! People made fun. They accused them of being drunk. (When I look at some of the things happening in the church today they seem silly. But maybe not.)
(There were veiled references to speaking in tongues though - Isa 28:11)
When the disciples went to the upper room there was no contingency plan. We must understand the culture and the timing to get the full impact of what was going on here.
The Jew's life centered around his religion - his God. Nothing was more important. Everything else conformed to his faith. He didn't take a job that conflicted with his faith. He didn't associate with people who were not of his faith. His life was totally ruled by his faith. So this was no casual issue here. It was life and death.
Further, these people had just taken a drastic diversion from the mainstream of their religion. Their whole focus had changed. They were no longer welcome in their religious circle. They were completely cut off and totally dependent on whatever happened next. Then they went into the upper room, their future and very lives were on the line.
So, what were they doing in that upper room? Waiting and praying. They were not planning. They "… all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication …" They did one bit of church business during that time, and it seems to have been wrong. They chose Matthias to take Judas' place, and we never here of Matthias again. God seems to have chosen Paul for that office.
The hardest thing to do is the most necessary - pray and wait on the Lord.
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Then, on the day of Pentecost, it happened. A wind from heaven, tongues of fire, and the place was shaken. They spoke with tongues, people took notice, God was glorified, 3000 were saved.
Why? Because of God's sovereign power. It wasn't Peter or any of the other apostles. It was the power of God.
So what does this say to us?
Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Ac 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
God's Spirit is available to us. "Ye shall receive power…", "these signs shall follow them that believe…"
If you have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, come forward and receive Him today.
If you have received, come forward for a new touch - a refilling.
If you're not sure about this, ask God to give you wisdom.