“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~ Acts 1:8
A message flashed across my phone: ”Your package is out for delivery.” This text put a pep in my step as I began my workday. A gift that I bought for myself was coming to my doorstep! Talk about adding some excitement to a rainy Tuesday. Unfortunately, I found it hard to focus. I left my desk to peek out my blinds every hour. Nothing. I settled back into work just to go to the door to check again and again and again. The anticipation was overwhelming. What was ahead of me distracted me from what was in front of me.
The first chapter of Acts is all about anticipation. Jesus left his friends with a big promise. He explained that “you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit.” The disciples inevitably had flashbacks to when Jesus taught His followers that they would do greater work than himself (John 14:12). Talk about a perplexing prediction. How can a group of smelly fishermen and social outcasts do greater work than God in the flesh? The secret to their success was simple — the Holy Spirit.
Watching the story of Jesus unfold up to this point was like watching an incredibly suspenseful movie. Jesus triggered riots, flipped religious ideas on their heads, infuriated cultural elites, was executed by Rome, and rose from the dead. Talk about a twist ending. (Well, He actually predicted it a few dozen times, but it was still shocking.) As Jesus left the earth in an invisible elevator to heaven, He gave the disciples the promise of power. Jesus was basically saying, “I may be gone, but we are just getting started. I have something unbelievable in store for all of you.” These men and women had just seen the greatest story ever told unfold before their eyes. Now, they were starring in the highly-anticipated sequel called The Church.
Jesus delivered a powerful challenge, then ascended into the clouds. A crowd of followers gazed into the sky like deer blinded by headlights. They were frozen, stunned, and had no idea how to process Christ’s promise. After an uncomfortable silence, they were startled by some unfamiliar voices. Two mystery men in white asked, “Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?” (Acts 1:11).
They were looking up at the sky like your dog gazing at a piece of chicken. At this moment, the disciples were inactive observers. But God called them to be active participants. God doesn’t want you to be a spectator; He wants you to be a participator. Don’t let anticipation keep you from action. The book of Acts tells the story of the Church. However, not a single church building had been built. This is because we are not called to go to church, we are called to be the Church. One is observation; the other is participation.
Are you waiting on God to move in your life? Are you waiting for your city to change? Are you sitting by and waiting for revival to break out around you? Stop waiting; start moving. Don’t be like the disciples looking up at the clouds. God has given you the power to initiate radical change. It starts in your heart though. If you want to see change around you, pray for God to start it within you.