Changes

Acts 1:4-8

Before we get to the changes referenced in our text, I want to make a quick announcement. I will be changing to a Tuesday and Thursday devotion for a while. I am beginning a new endeavor which will require more study and time on my part. I appreciate those who read my devotions regularly and for the encouragement you give. Please keep me in your prayers as 2024 is bringing new opportunities to teach God's Word.

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And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;  for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:4-8

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There are a couple of transitions that are taking place within the disciples who Jesus called His church. First, they were moving from walking physically with Jesus to walking by faith and not by sight. Jesus taught them to walk by faith by letting them walk with Him as He modeled this kind of life. He showed them that prayer was vital to this kind of life by the examples of prayer that He set. He also showed them how to deal with adversity from nonbelievers and how to endure persecution patiently. Soon, they would be doing these things themselves and teaching others by their examples.

Another change that was coming was that they would be going into all of the world to preach the gospel. They had spent their time mostly in Jerusalem and Galilee. It would only be a matter of time before they were going far beyond the borders of Israel. At this time in Acts 1, they are to wait until the receive the Holy Spirit. Prior to this, they had done some preaching, but most of the preaching was done by Jesus. The little preaching they had done was partially to get them the experience they needed and to teach them the questions they didn't know they needed to ask. Once the Holy Spirit empowered the church, the ball was in their court.

Change can be scary. It can be overwhelming to go to places you have never been and to speak with people you do not know. This is especially true when you consider that not everyone is an extrovert. When Michelle and I travel, am I less excited about visiting new churches than she is. I do not try to skip church, but it is uncomfortable to me. I cannot help but wonder if some of Jesus's disciples were the same way. That being said, there was not a clause in the great commission that said, "You shall be witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth if you feel comfortable with it". The command was to GO!

I have said it many times over the years, I did not become a pastor because I enjoy public speaking. I don't particularly like to be the center of attention. That is good because when it comes to preaching I am trying to direct people to put their eyes on Jesus, not me. Could it be that some of the 12 were the same way? Being in front of people and going to different places made them very uncomfortable, but when they obeyed, when they started telling others about Jesus, did the feelings fade and an excitement take hold? Did they go from anxious to bold?

Father, You call us to change. That is what salvations is all about. I pray that we would be willing to change for the sake of the gospel. When we are timid, make us bold. When we are anxious, give us peace. Help us to embrace the change You want to see in us so that we look more like Jesus.