Dwell in the Word: Acts 1:12-26

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Acts 1:12-26:

1. How does the passage describe the state of the disciples during this transitional phase between Jesus' ascension and the promised arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? What qualities are they looking for in Judas' replacement?

2. What actions do the disciples take during this period of uncertainty and transition? Why is their unity and devotion to prayer highlighted as significant factors in their approach?

3. How does the example of the disciples in this passage serve as a lesson for individuals and the church as a whole? What emphasis is placed on patience, seeking God's will through prayer, and trusting in His timing, especially during times of uncertainty and transition?

Transcript:

 What we find as we come to this portion of Acts is a group of men who are in transition, right? We have heard that they saw the ascension. We know that Pentecost has been promised and it's coming. It hasn't been called Pentecost yet. Uh, but we know that the Holy Spirit is going to come upon them. We have that promised.

And so, we're somewhere between Jesus being absent from them and the Holy Spirit. Coming at Pentecost and so we see this transitionary phase and it's described to us in with a pretty good detail From Luke and what they're doing is they are going to replace Judas who betrayed Jesus with someone who has some specific qualities now they say that they're going to pick somebody who is with them from the time of that John baptized Jesus until the Ascension.

So, the idea here is that the one who is going to replace Judas needs to have an intimate knowledge of what Jesus taught, and they had to be a witness to what he did. They want to continue this idea that they are going to be witnesses to the ends of the earth that they were told they were going to be at the beginning of this chapter.

And so, what do they do? That's what I want us to dwell on today. What did these men do as they were in this transitionary phase? All these with one accord, this is verse 14, were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Notice that they are waiting.

And how are they doing it? They are doing it in prayer. They're devoting themselves to praying and they're doing it together. They're supporting one another. Imagine what this time must have been like for these people.  Jesus has risen from the dead. Wow, what an amazing thing. This is earth shattering news, right?

And then he ascends. What do we have now? They don't know. They don't know what's coming. And as we saw on Monday, they're asking whether or not Jesus is going to restore the kingdom of Israel right now. They are not prepared for what is about to happen. They're just not ready.  As I said, they're in transition.

And we're seeing here that they are patient. And look again at what they're doing. They're in one accord. They're staying together. There's unity among them. And they're praying. They're seeking the will of God.  And so as we think about what this passage means for us, you know, there's a lot of talk about Judas here, um, ending his own life.

There's talk about the casting lots. And so, what is the focus here for us? And I find it to be here in verse 14, which I just read. Being in one accord and devoting ourselves to prayer, being patient, being willing to work together and to pray together. This is an important thing. And this isn't not only as a church body that we should be doing this, but ourselves individually.

Are we patient? Are we pursuing God in prayer? Are we seeking his will through his word and praying and asking God to change our hearts and to do what is necessary to make us  Say, thy will be done. These people, who were, uh, who were waiting, the apostles and these women and Mary,  they were at a time of  transition, a time of upheaval.

They didn't know what was going to happen. They didn't fully understand it. But they trusted God, and they were in one accord, and they devoted themselves to praying. So may we do that. May we have a heart to pray, and to be patient, and to wait on the Lord.