Ready...Set...Wait!

It’s that time of year that Pentecost Sunday comes around. We always talk about Acts Chapter 2 where we see the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit and rightly so.

But, today I’m going to take it back a step. We’re going to look at Acts Chapter 1.

Let's start with setting the scene. Sometime within the last month or so the disciples had watched their beloved teacher, the Messiah, get brutally executed. They buried him. They mourned for him. They doubted and wondered if the women were crazy when they said he was alive again. Finally, they encountered their Savior, alive and believed he had indeed risen from the dead.

Imagine the swirl of emotions they must have been feeling during those days: joy, hope, love, excitement, and maybe a little nervousness for what might come next.

One day Jesus gathers them all together to issue some instructions. I’m struck by the image of all the disciples sitting around a table with the risen Jesus, excitedly anticipating all of the great new adventures they’re about to embark on.

They are on fire. Ready to jump into action. And what does Jesus tell them?

“Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” - Acts 1:4-5

Wait here.

Umm……

Do you feel as much resistance to that as I do?

You know that feeling when you get all excited about making plans and you’re just ready to go? You’ve booked the trip, bought the tickets, organized the carpool plans, packed the snacks, and you just can’t wait to get going!

Then imagine someone tells you, “Wait here.”

Don’t you just feel a little like a deflated balloon at the thought of it? Or perhaps a little frustrated? Or maybe it’s just me.

But here’s the thing. Jesus knew why He told them to wait.

They were still far from home. I can imagine they might have been eager to get back home to Galilee and relay all of their stories to their friends and families.

Or maybe they were ready to simply to get away from that city of persecution where they had sat through so much grief and mourning just a month earlier. Jesus knew they would need the instruction to stay in Jerusalem, because it would go against their gut feeling.

He also knew that they were missing something vital to their impending journey. He knew if they hit the ground running without being filled by the Holy Spirit first, they would get nowhere.

Think back to your big plans. That person that said to wait turns out to be the driver and the car is out of gas. They know that you’re not going to get far if you try to set out right now. Even though you’re eager to hit the road, you’ve got to fill up first.

The Greek word Jesus used for “promise” means “a free promise, given without solicitation.” It’s not a promise given in response to a request, rather, it’s one given freely, out of nothing but pure love - given by Love Himself.

So Jesus is offering this free promise of the power of the HOLY SPIRIT. Let’s take a second to realize what that power looks like.

“After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions ... I will work wonders in the sky and on the earth. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke. The sun will be changed into darkness, and the moon will be as red as blood. Then the great and fearful day of the LORD will come!” - Joel 2:28-31

To me, the beauty of this promise is that Jesus promised the power before telling them the plan. It seems like a beautiful grace extended to them to show them the powerful might of their armor before letting them see the battle ahead.

Mmm, Jesus you are so good to us.

So, let’s check back in with our Apostle friends to see how they responded to this instruction from Jesus to stay in Jerusalem and wait.

“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” - Acts 1:14

Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem, and they obeyed! Just a quick glance through Bible history should remind you just how often the people of God were given a clear instruction and immediately disobeyed. So, I think this is a big win for the early church!

Not only did they stay in Jerusalem, but while they were there, they waited well.

They didn’t just twiddle their thumbs, work on some puzzles, or play some games to pass the time. They gathered together and were constantly united in prayer.

They were active in their waiting.

The word wait in the New Testament is exclusively used as a verb that translates to “serve or minister.” How beautiful is that!? The very word for waiting is active.

Church, what do we look like when we wait?

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m terrible at waiting. Like I said, I can hardly sit still. But to think of what it would look like for us to actively wait on the Lord in prayer… I can’t think of a better way to calm that nervous foot tapping or diffuse my impatient road rage, because there is no better way.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Romans 8:18-19

All of creation is in a season of waiting and longing. In our small-scale seasons of waiting, we experience the same longing and eager expectation for God to be revealed.

If you’re in a season of waiting, it’s because God has something more to give you. Rather than charging on ahead or grumbling about it, let’s find ourselves in prayer. Let’s find ourselves waiting with anticipation, eagerly seeking what God is going to give us next and how He’s going to use it to prepare us for the next season.

So in the little things and the big things, how do we wait well?

We gather together.

We pray in unity.

We intercede for one another.

We serve.

We minister.