Newsletter May 2021 Part 2
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by [the apostles] during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)
Luke begins his Acts of the Apostles by reiterating that Jesus who had been crucified rose from the dead and that those whom He had chosen were eyewitness to His resurrection, not just once but over a period of 40 days. During this time He instructed them from the prophetic scriptures concerning the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth and sent them to proclaim this good news not only among their own people but to all nations. Yet despite all that Jesus had explained to them, their focus was still on times and seasons. They wanted to know when God would restored the kingdom to Israel, but Jesus pointed them to the immediate task He had for them: you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Yes, Jesus had come into the world as the promised Messiah, the King of Israel, but for now He would return to His heavenly home. Nonetheless, God’s reign would be manifested through the presence of the Holy Spirit who would work in them to transform first them and then through them the whole world. Their witness would not merely be an account of what they had seen and heard, but a demonstration of their daily experience of God’s life-transforming presence. This is why they had to wait for the Holy Spirit.
As humans, we often struggle to wait for God’s timing and instruction. We see that something needs to be done and we look for solutions. This is true both in our own personal affairs and in our wider society. Be it conflicts, injustices, disasters or a pandemic – we focus on what we can do to fix the problem. This is also true, all too often, of the church. We who know of God and His purpose to restore His fallen creation back to Himself in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10) so often revert to our own ideas and come up with our own solutions rather than wait patiently on God for His direction.
Even during the short period of 10 days following His ascension, these followers of Jesus identified a need and came up with a solution of their own. Jesus had appointed twelve apostles and now, following Judas’ betrayal and death, there were only eleven. They determined what to do and decided to select two from among those others who had also been with Jesus from the beginning and had witnessed His resurrection, and then to allow God to choose between the two proposed candidates to fill the vacancy. They cast lots to determine God’s will, and Matthias was chosen. Interestingly we never hear of Matthias again. This does not imply that He lost his faith and abandoned the group of disciples, but as we read on, we hear of others suddenly appearing on the scene as God raises them up and empowers them by His Spirit to proclaim His message and perform miracles in His name.
Today, as the lockdown restrictions are gradually lifting, we too find ourselves at the point of new beginnings. Much has changed as a result of the long lockdown and the different challenges we have faced. We have reflected, have had to adapt to new situations and, as a result, we have changed. While some may have struggled with their faith during this crisis, others have found themselves drawing nearer to God and growing in confidence as never before. Let us therefore all determine to seek God. Let us allow Him to (re)build His house after this shaking.
What is God saying to you? Is He perhaps calling you to something new? Are you ready to step up and serve in His kingdom, not in your own strength and ability but by the power of His Spirit? Will you seek His face and answer His call?