You Will Receive Power

In one paragraph

This message opened a new series walking through the book of Acts, with the pastor connecting it to the 12-step series the church just finished. The big idea was that the church is not a museum of what Jesus once did but the continuing body through which he is still doing it. Acts chapter one shows what it looks like to be ready when the Holy Spirit moves. Luke wrote two volumes, not one. His...

Read together

1. 2 Corinthians 1:20 Opening verse read before worship song: all God's promises fulfilled in Christ with a resounding yes
2. Psalm 63:1 Read as a psalm of David in a desert place, thirsting for God in a dry and parched land
3. Isaiah 46 Referenced as a call to remember, God saying he is God and there is no other
4. Acts 1:1 Luke addresses Theophilus about everything Jesus began to do and teach
5. Luke 1:1-4 Luke describes his careful investigation and writing an account for Theophilus so he can be certain of the truth
6. Acts 1:2 Jesus taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit
7. Acts 1:3 During forty days after resurrection Jesus appeared and proved by many convincing proofs he was actually alive
8. Acts 1:4 Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until the Father sends the gift he promised
9. Acts 1:5 John baptized with water but in a few days they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit
10. Acts 1:6 Apostles kept asking if the time had come for Jesus to free Israel and restore her kingdom
11. Acts 1:7 Jesus replied the Father alone has authority to set those dates and times
12. Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth
13. Acts 1:9 Jesus taken up into a cloud while they were watching
14. Acts 1:10-11 Two white-robed men told the apostles Jesus would return from heaven the same way he went
15. Acts 1:12 Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile
16. Acts 1:13-14 Names of those present in the upper room, constantly united in prayer with Mary and others
17. Acts 1:15-16 Peter stood among 120 believers and said scripture had to be fulfilled concerning Judas Iscariot
18. Acts 1:17 Judas was one of them and shared in their ministry
19. Acts 1:18-19 Parenthetic historical note about Judas buying a field and his body splitting open, the field called Hakodama
20. Acts 1:20 Peter quotes Psalms saying let his home become desolate and let someone else take his position
21. Psalm 69:25 Let his home become desolate with no one living in it, applied to Judas
22. Psalm 69:1-4 David crying out about waters threatening his life, enemies hating him without cause
23. Psalm 109:8 May his days be few and may another take his office, applied to replacing Judas
24. Acts 1:21-22 Must choose a replacement from men who were with them from John's baptism until the ascension to be a witness of the resurrection
25. Acts 1:23-26 They nominated Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias, prayed, cast lots and Matthias was selected
26. Romans 15:13 Benediction: may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

Talk about it

1. The pastor pointed out that Luke wrote Acts as a second volume so that Theophilus could 'be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.' What doubts or challenges have you faced about things you were taught growing up in the faith, and how have you worked through them?
2. Even after the resurrection, the disciples were still asking Jesus whether he was about to restore Israel's political kingdom. Why do you think it is so hard to let go of our own picture of what God should be doing, and where do you see that tendency in your own life?
3. Jesus told the disciples they would receive power to be his witnesses, and the pastor drew a distinction between being a witness and being a judge or a lawyer. What does it look like practically to share your faith as a witness rather than a judge?
4. The pastor listed four things the believers did while waiting for the Holy Spirit: they obeyed, they stayed together, they prayed constantly, and they studied and applied God's word. Which of those four do you find hardest to sustain, and why?
5. The sermon closed with the quote that the great commission 'is not an optional ministry activity for individuals with cross cultural interests,' but the primary task left for the church. What would it mean for your own life if you took that seriously as a world Christian rather than leaving missions to a few specialists?