In the Waiting Room: A Study of Acts 1

A Small Group Bible Study for Mobberly Baptist Church

January – February 2015

WEEK 1 – INTRODUCTION ACTS 1:1-8

Photo: theresurgence.com

Introduction: Most of us have been in a waiting room at some point in our life. Usually, this was when a friend or loved one was at the hospital, and we were asked to wait outside. Waiting rooms are never fun. They are full of people who are eagerly hoping for good news or anxious about a bad report from the doctor.

ASK: Do you remember the last time you were in a waiting room? Where was it, why were you there, who were you there for?

ASK: What thoughts do you think go through people’s minds when they are in a waiting room? How would they pass the time during the wait? How have you passed the time waiting for a doctor to come back with news on your loved one?

While the wait is never easy, sometimes it allows us to refocus our priorities and spend time in prayer. These experiences are never wanted, but each can be very rewarding if we take our focus off our circumstances and on to our almighty God. We never take our loved one off our mind but simply ask God to take control and give peace despite our emotions.

The apostles had a similar experience in Acts Chapter 1. Jesus was about to leave them and asked they spend time waiting for the Holy Spirit. He ordered them not to depart Jerusalem, and in a way the Upper room became one of the first “waiting rooms.”

ASK: How do you think the disciples would have felt having to wait on the Holy Spirit to come? What do you think they did to pass the time and prepare for his arrival?

WEEK 1 – BACKGROUND AND TEXT ACTS 1:1-8

Main Idea: Pray patiently to see the Lord’s promises fulfilled.

Background: The Acts of the Apostles opens with a few words about the resurrected Lord Jesus, reminding us of Luke’s Gospel and the true leader of the church. Before this, the apostles and all of the other disciples had endured a long night of the soul, terrified that Jesus had died and they would be abused for following him or would be kicked out of the synagogue. Before Easter came, they had worried that everything which seemed to come from God, everything which seemed to demonstrate Jesus’ claim to being the Messiah, was a lie. They had waited in fear while Jesus was in the tomb, but now he is with them.

READ Acts 1:1: In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…

Luke’s first book told us what Christ Jesus began to do, not all the work he did as if he had completed it. As the people of Christ’s church and members of Christ’s body, our purpose is to continue his work. What Jesus began, we practice and expand throughout the world.

ASK: When we pray, do we assume God wants to continue Christ’s work in our lives? When we pray to know God’s will, do we limit our options to our twenty-first century lives or do we open ourselves to following in the footsteps of the apostles?

READ Acts 1:2–3: until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Our prayers should reflect our confidence in the Lord’s work in our world. He has not left us to fend for ourselves. He hasn’t slipped away, hoping we will figure out how to carry on. He gave us many reasons to know he is alive, and more than that, he praised those who would believe without seeing.

ASK: How you ever felt it hard to believe with seeing? Does faith come very naturally to you or is it something you need to ask God to give you more of daily? Explain why.

If you are one who feels faith doesn’t come naturally then you are not alone. Thomas, walked and spoke with Jesus yet even he found it hard to believe. His mistake of voicing his doubt helps us today to see Jesus’ view of faith in his believers.

READ John 20:28–29: Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Our Lord knows our weaknesses, so he has given us many reasons to believe while praising those who will believe simply upon hearing his word. He praises those who trust the word of

God and will believe an impossible event like Jesus’ physical resurrection on that basis alone. But lest we believe such faith is a peculiar quality of some people, Jesus explained to Peter it is the work of God.

READ Matthew 16:16–17: Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

ASK: If God praises faith like this, what should we do with our worries and doubts? Has he called us to blindly believe whatever we think we see in Scripture? Why or why not?

Most Christians today say they struggle with prayer. Part of the struggle may be that we are talking to someone we can’t see or hear. No nod of the head. No sympathetic reaction to the news we share. It’s hard to talk to someone you aren’t sure is listening. The struggle may also be the same one we have with waiting for anything. We want results quickly. We want evidence of progress. If we can at least count the days until a promised delivery date, the waiting will feel more like movement, but when we have no date or order confirmation, we don’t know if we’ve even been heard.

ASK: Have you ever felt your prayers weren’t leaving the room or that God wasn’t listening to you? What made you feel like that? What causes a person to feel distant from God or that they can’t even approach their heavenly Father?

To the believer who has felt helpless, who has worried about anything, even God’s faithfulness, and cried out to him for an answer, praise the Lord! That helpless feeling is exactly what the disciples felt before the resurrection and after the Lord’s ascension. If God wanted them to tell their city about Jesus, they had no idea how to do it. What was this kingdom of God Jesus told them about if the Christ wasn’t on earth to lead it? They were scared of their circumstances and felt helpless to exercise their faith. This is where God wants us. He wants us to recognize we can’t live the Christian life without him.

Thomas Merton said, “Prayer is an expression of who we are . . . We are a living incompleteness. We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment.”

ASK: Do you agree with this quote? How does viewing ourselves as a vessel that needs to be filled increase our prayer life? How can our prayer life then increase our faith?

In his book A Praying Life, Paul Miller quotes Merton and explains the need for Christian helplessness. “We received Jesus because we were weak, and that’s how we follow him (Colossians 2:6). . . . We forget that helplessness is how the Christian life works.”

ASK: When you feel helpless, do you pray more than when you feel comfortable and safe? Are we in the habit of relying on ourselves first and crying out to God only when we have no other options?

Jesus’ friends had similar struggles once the Lord left. He had reminded them of the kingdom of God before he ascended, and they thought they knew what he meant, but in his absence they worried.

READ Acts 1:4–5: And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

At one time, Jesus told his followers, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). How many of them remembered or mentioned this in the upper room while hiding from the Pharisees after he ascended? Maybe none of them, but even if they all talked about it, they would have also remembered the promise in Acts 1:5. Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, the comforter, soon. “Wait for the promise of the Father.”

ASK: When have you prayed while waiting confidently for a promise from God? How was your prayer answered?

Jesus was clear in this passage. He said the Holy Spirit was coming in a few days. They had no opportunity to ask whether they understood what was promised, but many times we do. We often twist God’s promises to fit our personal agendas. For instance, Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is not a formula for getting the stuff we want. It doesn’t say we can impress God enough that he will give us the things our hearts really desire. It says that when we delight in God himself, he will give us more of himself, the object of our delight. This is a promise we need never doubt. God will not hide from us, even in the dark times. He loves us and will walk with us all the way through our lives.

Acts 1:6-8: So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The disciples didn’t understand the nature of the kingdom of God at this time, and Jesus didn’t take the time to explain it to them. He only reassured them that they would gain power from the Holy Spirit to carry on the work he began. They could trust their Lord with mysteries. They didn’t need everything explained in advance, but having confidence in his everlasting faithfulness, they could trust him with the future.

ASK: Do you do well waiting on God? What can you take away from this text so that prayer and faith are your focus? How can you trust the Lord more when called to wait on Him?

Again, we are in the same place they were in. We can trust the Lord with a future we feel powerless to control. We can remember his promises to guide us like a shepherd, even through the valley of the shadow of death.

WEEK 1 – APPLICATION ACTS 1:1-8

Children and Grandchildren: In James 5:17-18 we are told of Elijah and his powerful prayers. For 3 ½ years Elijah’s prayers kept it from raining, and then when he asked for rain, it came. This story is in 1 Kings 17-18 and within these chapters are great stories to read with children; even the great Mt. Carmel story is contained within these chapters. Read the stories and focus on the power of God that is demonstrated clearly throughout, but also remind the children that God worked mightily in response to the prayers of a man of God. The purpose of the stories is not to exalt Elijah over God, but rather to remind us how a mighty God will work through even the smallest of human prayers. “Elijah was a human just like us,” but God worked mightily through his prayers, and the same can happen for us today!

Students: Lessons on prayer are the perfect time to talk with your teenager about one of the most frustrating aspects for young believers: unanswered prayers. In John 14:13-14 there seems to be the promise that anything asked in Jesus’ name will be given, and in Matthew 7:7-11 there seems to be a similar promise. Read those verses and ask your youth what they think about the promises of God there? Listen to frustration and encourage if they feel they have asked God for something, and have received no answer. And then focus on the promises of the two texts: 1) God will do anything that brings Him glory, and 2) God is better than any earthly father and will only give good gifts to His children. Any “no” we ever receive in prayer must fall outside of those two categories, and therefore we trust the promise of Romans 8:28, that even the “no’s” are for our good.

Application for Everyone: Both of the texts mentioned above further the main idea from this lesson in Acts that we must pray patiently to see the Lord’s promises fulfilled. We all need patience in prayer, and patience comes when we trust the One who has made the promises, and all of the promises from Him are for our good, and never our harm.

WEEK 2 – INTRODUCTION ACTS 1:9-14

Photo: theresurgence.com

Introduction: When we’re forced to wait on something important, we often distract ourselves to help the time go by. In our waiting rooms, we usually have televisions with cartoons or the national news and a choice of magazines with countless articles to read. We may have even brought headphones and our smart phone to pass the time. All of these distractions, really just give us the illusion of being stable or strong, when we should be still and relying on God.

ASK: What is a diversion you go to when having to wait for an extended period of time?

Whether you distract yourself with TV, Facebook or news, we need to see the opportunity God has given us to redeem free time. Do you find yourself as someone who keeps yourself distracted until you hear from God, or do you find times to be still? What would your life look like if you learned to be more still than busy, strong and confident?

ASK: When you’ve had to wait for a long time, have you developed new patterns of living in reliance on God? Explain. Have your daily routines changed to allow for more prayer or more Scripture reading? How?

The old British preacher Thomas Brooks wrote, “The mercies of God are not styled the swift, but the sure mercies of David; and, therefore, a gracious soul patiently waits for them.” (See Acts 13:34 for the reference.)

ASK: Do you find yourself more swift or patient when waiting on God? Why?

WEEK 2 – BACKGROUND AND TEXT ACTS 1:9-14

MAIN IDEA: Remember to be still and wait on God.

READ Acts 1:9–11: And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus promised the disciples they would receive the Holy Spirit soon, and then he flew into the clouds. No doubt, they were stunned and would have stood there a long time, wondering what would happen. But God gave them a kind, tangible encouragement to go home and wait. He sent two angels to appear among them.

ASK: What tangible encouragements has your heavenly Father given you? What kind words or reminders have you heard from God that helped you forward with your life? What events have happened to you that were clear indications of God speaking to you?

God encourages us in many ways: a memory of his grace, an applicable verse from your daily reading, or an unsolicited offer of help from a friend. Lest we think the Lord is only spiritual and does not interact with us physically, he gives us many tangible encouragements to help us remember his everlasting faithfulness.

Though angels are spiritual beings, they appeared to Jesus’ disciples as two men—unusual men in white, yes, but not terrifyingly glorious beings as they appeared at other times in history. They came to encourage them, because apparently the group needed someone to say, “Don’t worry. Jesus is coming back.”

One way that Christians remind themselves of Jesus’ promise is to practice the Lord’s Supper. This is a set time to remember his words to us, repent and rely on his promises.

ASK: Do you see the Lord’s Supper as one of God’s tangible encouragements? Has it ever been just a church ritual for you? Is it a special blessing from the Father? Why or why not?

When we celebrate communion, we celebrate God’s presence among us and the Holy Spirit within us. Jesus asked us to eat the bread as if it were his body and to drink from our cups as if it were “the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). This cracker and juice are meant to be moments of tangible grace, in which our Lord says, “Remember me in the common, ordinary things of your life, because I’m with you now in spirit and I’m coming again in the flesh.”

ASK: How well do you remember God’s presence and interest in your daily life? What distracts you from thinking of him? What kinds of things tempt you (or even convince you) to believe you are alone and forgotten by God?

Keeping a journal or memory box are two good ways to help remember God’s faithfulness over a lifetime. Part of a deep faith, is remembering how God has proved himself over and over.

One of the many repeated themes in Scripture is God’s everlasting faithfulness. He knows how hard it can be to remember him when we’re waiting for an answer or for relief. That’s why he gives us specific, gracious reminders of his love. Don’t worry, he says. I have sent you my Spirit, and remember that Jesus is coming back just as your forefathers saw him leave.

READ Romans 8:14–17: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Our Father in heaven has sent his all-powerful Spirit to live with us, a constant, intimate reminder that we are children of God. And as children who are waiting on our father, sometimes suffering as we wait, we naturally cry out to him. The Holy Spirit is with us to assure us that we have been adopted into God’s family. We need not fear our Father has rejected us, disowned us, or ignored us, because we are not his slaves. We are his sons and daughters, royal heirs with Christ Jesus.

ASK: How do you see yourself in relation to God? In what specific ways, do you remember the Holy Spirit living within you?

In one sense, the Bible does call us slaves of God. That may be an important concept for modern Americans who tend to see themselves as God’s employees, earning a heavenly paycheck and guarding their free time afterhours. But neither slaves nor employees are loved and rewarded as richly as children and heirs, and that’s what we are for the Most High God.

READ Romans 8:31-32: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

ASK: How do you respond to these verses in Romans? Whatever you’re waiting on, have you considered the fact that God did not spare even his own Son for you? Do you hesitate to believe that God is wholeheartedly for you because of Christ death?

Some will suggest that all doubting is sinful, but God appears to have great patience with those of us who worry or doubt that he will provide. He tells us he will provide so often in Scripture because he knows we will have a hard time with it, especially while we’re waiting.

READ Acts 1:12-14: Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and

Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Having been encouraged by the angels, Jesus’ disciples and family gathered again to spend days in prayer. This was their kingdom work, their service to God. If someone had asked them if they had anything else to do, they would have said no. Prayer was their work, for the foreseeable future. Though this was a special time in the history of the world, they were not unfamiliar with long seasons of prayer. Jesus had modeled it for them, sometimes praying through the night.

ASK: How comfortable are you with praying for more than five minutes? How well do you handle praying with others? What has helped you learn to pray?

Jesus’ disciples devoted themselves to prayer for ten days until Pentecost. Sure, they ate, discussed Scripture, and talked about what they had experienced, but their primary work was prayer. Perhaps the primary reason most of us would have no idea how to manage ten full days in prayer is that we can’t imagine the need for it. We don’t desperately long to see God work in our lives, in our families, in our churches, or in the world. We don’t see our ministry or our personal comforts as being completely dependent on the Most High God.

ASK: If you struggle to pray, would you say it’s true that you do not desperately long to see God work? Do you believe you need God’s direct interaction in your life to get through the day or do you see God as managing life from a distance? Explain.

Just as we say at Christmas, so it is every day. God is with us, standing beside us in every party, trial, ballgame, and conversation. The grace that saved us and made us God’s child is the grace that sustains us and helps us rely on him in prayer.

ASK: If you struggle to pray, do you fear God will criticize you for being unwilling to pray in the past? Do you believe he will welcome your prayers now?

“Christ’s sheep are weak sheep, and lacking in something or other,” writes Richard Sibbes in his book, The Bruised Reed. “He therefore applies himself to the needs of every sheep. He seeks what was lost, and brings again what was driven away, and binds up what was broken, and strengthens the weak (Ezek. 34:16).”

Never hesitate to pray because you haven’t prayed much in the past. By putting your faith in the work of Christ Jesus, you are more righteous in God’s eyes than you can even imagine. Therefore, boldly confess your sins. Boldly seek the Lord in prayer, because he will welcome you as if you were Jesus Christ himself.

WEEK 2 – APPLICATION ACTS 1:9-14

Children and Grandchildren: Read the story of Noah together again. In fact, you might not have to read it, rather, let them tell you the story! They will remember some parts more than others, and you can fill in the gaps where needed. But as they tell the story there is probably one question they might not be able to answer, because we often overlook it: how long did it take Noah to build the ark?

We aren’t for certain but at the end of Genesis 5 Noah is 500 years old, and when the floods come in 7:6 he is 600; so an easy estimate is 100 years. He worked for 100 years, and waited that long, for the promise of God to come true. In Hebrews 11, Noah is said to have built the ark “by faith” meaning that he believed what God said, and acted accordingly. This is what we do as Christians. It may take longer than we ever imagined, but God always fulfills his promises, and it’s never a bad idea to wait patiently on Him.

Application for Everyone: In 2 Peter 3:1-13, we are given a great perspective on “waiting” for the Lord. It predicts that eventually the world will begin to taunt believers, asking ‘where’ God is, and why hasn’t he come back to judge the world. Our first encouragement as we “wait” is to “remember” that God has already judged the world once before: at the flood (building off the story of Noah above). So one way we wait patiently is by “remembering” what God has done before, both in our own lives, and in the history of the world.

Another encouragement from 2 Peter 3 is the fact that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” We can never judge God based on a timetable; He is infinite and is not restricted by time. Never become impatient with the One who “is, and was, and is to come.” He is never late, and He never forgets His promises. Even if you don’t see the results, God is faithful, and it is never a bad idea to wait for Him.

WEEK 3 – INTRODUCTION ACTS 1:15-26

Photo: theresurgence.com

Introduction: If you’re used to calling the shots as you see them and making decisions quickly, you will likely find the waiting room the biggest trial of your life. You just want to get all of the pertinent information and make a decision, but the Bible isn’t a procedural list for every situation. Despite the longstanding accusation that the Christian life is merely a list of dos and don’ts, God’s Word can’t be distilled to such a list. The resounding theme of Scripture is that the Most High God seeks relationship not good deeds.

ASK: Would you rather have a list of action steps from God or a faithful relationship with him? Which one is easier? Why?

God gave us waiting rooms because spending time with him is important, not only for information we might learn during that time. Humble worship of the Almighty takes time. Just as it takes time to sing or listen to a song, just as it takes time to enjoy a well-cooked meal, it takes time to walk with Jesus.

ASK: Would you rather have God tell you what to do in life or walk with you through your life?

The stories of the Bible tells us many things about world history and God’s interaction with people, but one of the biggest truths it gives us is God’s undying faithfulness to his people. He is our refuge in the storm. He will fight on our behalf. He will lead us through the desert into the Promised Land, not because we are perfect followers, but because he loves us as his adopted children for his name’s sake.

WEEK 3 – BACKGROUND AND TEXT ACTS 1:15-26

MAIN IDEA: God desires a relationship with us, and gives us relationships to better know Him.

READ Acts 1:15-17: In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

During the ten days between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter discussed their situation in the light of Scripture, making a profound point for modern Christians to consider: Judas Iscariot chose to betray Jesus under the sovereign rule of the Almighty. The Bible doesn’t reveal Judas’ motives for his betrayal. It does say he stole from the disciples’ ministry funds, but nothing about why he wanted to turn Jesus over to the high priest. He even regretted his choice quickly and turned to suicide instead of repentance (Matthew 27:4). But here, Peter says, “The Scripture had to be fulfilled.”

READ Luke 22:47-48: While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

It is important to remember that Judas was a close friend to Jesus and the other eleven disciples. He betrayed our Lord with a sign that showed loyalty and affection. For this reason, we should guard ourselves and each other in love and wisdom. We should never allow ourselves to think that a high church or community status makes us incapable of self-serving acts like Judas’ betrayal. When we remove ourselves from community, we are more likely to follow our ways and not God’s.

Spurgeon said in a sermon on Judas, “God give us grace to see the vision of his nailed hands and feet, and remembering that all this came from the treachery of a friend, let us be very jealous of ourselves, lest we crucify the Lord afresh and put him to an open shame by betraying him in our conduct, or in our words, or in our thoughts.”

ASK: How does the body of believers help us stay faithful to Christ? What can we do as Christians to encourage one another’s faith and obedience?

Judas’ story is one of many examples we have of our deep unfaithfulness to our Lord, and yet the Lord never gives up being faithful to us. In Isaiah 53, the prophet describes the horrors Jesus suffered because we “despised and rejected” him, but the fruit of that pain is this: “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). No one has despised or rejected Christ Jesus more than he is willing to forgive. Even Judas, had he cried out for forgiveness as Peter did after his betrayal, would have remained a disciple.

READ Acts 1:18-26: “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Notice what Peter is doing here.

1. He draws out the Bible’s explanation.2. He describes the Bible’s application.3. He appeals to a Bible-based community for confirmation.4. He prays for God’s specific direction.

Peter uses Scripture to explain the situation Judas has put them in. Though we are given only a couple verses, we know he isn’t proof-texting (taking Scripture out of context). He’s coming to grips with Judas’ betrayal in the new light of Jesus’ resurrection. He brings a strong knowledge of God’s Word to the table.

Even in the church today, some believers practice the age-old superstition of taking a line from the Bible and claiming it as God’s specific direction for their life. They claim Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” to mean they can do anything they set their mind to, which is far from Paul’s intent when he wrote those words. When we barely know the Bible’s context, we will easily misapply a single verse from it.

ASK: Have you ever reflected on Scripture and applied it to your situation and decisions as directly as Peter does? Have you ever wanted to but couldn’t discern what to do? When you weren’t sure what God says about your decisions, where have you turned for help?

We must guard ourselves against misunderstanding or misapplying Scripture to our lives. Our pastors and other elders who are steeped in Scripture can help us gain a healthy perspective and point us to the redeeming work of Christ.

Peter believed Jesus had established their core leadership group as a twelve-member team. He points to Psalm 109:8, “Let another take his office,” as direction to choose another man to replace the one they lost.

He doesn’t take these steps alone. He presents his thoughts to a large group of people who know the Old Testament very well and sat under Jesus’ teaching for three years. No doubt, they have been talking about Judas and other matters for a while, reminding each other of Old

Testament scripture and the things Jesus said. So they agreed with him and took the matter to God in prayer.

ASK: What matters do you take to the Lord in prayer, and how do you pray? Do you keep your worries and big decisions to yourself, asking others to pray only for “silent requests”? Do you allow others to remind you of God’s Word and bear your burdens with you? Are you faithfully bearing the burdens of others? Share with the group the struggles of deep prayer.

We may cry out to God over our situation, but minimize it around fellow believers. Some of us suffer needlessly because we are too proud to share our concerns with others. Some of us hurt others because we are too proud to bear their burdens faithfully. In this community of God’s family, let’s work to love and respect everyone who claims the name of Christ, never gossiping about them or trivializing their concerns, so that when critical choices arise we will support each other through it.

READ Acts 1:24-26: And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Peter and the other disciples prayed for God’s specific direction, fully acknowledging God’s understanding and authority in their choice. Some teachers criticize them for trying to replace Judas, saying Paul was God’s replacement apostle, not Matthias, who is not mentioned in Scripture again. But Scripture doesn’t give us any reason to believe the disciples are not following God’s direction to the best of their knowledge. Church tradition says Matthias served with Andrew on missionary journeys and preached the gospel as far as Macedonia and what is now Western Georgia.

ASK: When you pray over your decisions, how do you ask God what you want? How can we worship him through this decisions? How can we focus more on the relationship than request?

The disciples’ prayer may seem a simple request for God’s will, like many we have prayed, but don’t forget all the meditation on Scripture and council of Bible-saturated friends that went before it. They weren’t asking God to fix an embarrassing hole in their ministry team so they don’t lose face with their community. They are asking him to lead them into new roles as apostles. They were about to start the church of God on earth, a completely new movement in the world. They didn’t know how, but they did know they would become the emissaries of Christ Jesus, witnessing what they knew to everyone in their city, their region, “and to the end of the earth.”

When we pray, let’s dwell on the Word and take counsel from godly friends so that, like the disciples, we will have a lot of God’s direction before and during our prayers. We will have God’s character and authority in mind when we pray, so that we will truly pray like Jesus did, wanting God’s will on earth just as it is in heaven.

WEEK 3 – APPLICATION ACTS 1:15-26

Children and Grandchildren: A passage that is often quoted, and important for us to understand, is the importance of Godly community: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them” (Matt. 18:20). Just like in Acts, the passage in Matthew is referring to Christians gathering and making decisions together. There is importance in gathering with Christians in order to make decisions. Talk with your children about the importance of praying about difficult decisions, but also the benefit of praying with other Christians. When we involve others, and aim our prayers together toward the Lord, we are given the promise of his presence.

Students: The importance of Godly community cannot be stressed enough to teenagers and is most profoundly demonstrated by 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” This is Scripture, and therefore true, but there is a chance that Paul was even quoting a secular reference, which means that even non-Christians understand this to be true! The purpose of his quote is given in the next verse, when the command is “to not go on sinning.” It will be impossible to fight sin when you surround yourself with people committed to sin. Godly community is needed in order to make Godly decisions.

Application for Everyone: The importance of surrounding ourselves with Godly community is certainly what Scripture teaches, and if we are honest with ourselves, we understand the truth even without the influence of Scripture. But perhaps what we need to remember most often, is that our Godly community needs us. If the body of Christ (the Church) is to function at its highest potential, it needs every member present at all times. Each week a fellow member might need you to pray with them, and help them discern the will of God. We can’t always use the community of Christians when we need them, but we’ve also got to be available for other believers who may need us.

WEEKS 4 AND 5 WILL BE

DELIVERED IN JANUARY 2015