Study::Acts 1:1-8

I am studying the book of Acts right now. My main source is N.T. Wright’s commentary Acts for Everyone Part 1.
I have been encouraged by a friend with the following:

“You have experienced much, and helped lead the youth into places that you didn’t even know existed as you have followed God. But as good as it is, it’s only a drop in the bucket to what God wants to do. The Kingdom really is the pearl of great price and it’s better and worth more than any of us can imagine. I share this because movements of God seem to quit moving if leaders lose the vision to keep pressing on–not in discontent, but true hunger and thirst to know God more deeply and to be used by Him. Secondly, I’d like to ask you to think and search and research about what the Church really is. If we strip it of all cultural expressions we’ve learned, what is it? To me, that is the central question of the season. If Jesus is building something that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against, what is that something? What do the scriptures say? How is that applied in Canton, or Columbus in specific cultural contexts. What is flexible? What is never to change?”

So I have chosen to begin to reflect on the book of Acts…uhhh…so here we go with a sense of expectation that God will reveal Himself and His rule to us in more clear and amazing ways!

ACTS
N.T. Wright suggests that the book of Acts is like “The Deeds and Teachings of Jesus II (Part 2)”. I can jive with that. I have heard others say that it should be titled “Acts of the Holy Spirit” instead of Acts of the Apostles. At the end of the day if we get stuck at the title, aren’t we missing the point before we get started. The whole “what should we title this?” thing by pastors seems to be such a gimmick sometimes to add flash to their point or to package a truth so that consumers…uhhumm “members”… might buy it. So may we leave the title and get to the story and how God continues to write it (cynicism grabs at my heels often…this is one thing that I hope to leave behind in my journey.).

Acts 1:1-5 (NIV)
¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

All the things Jesus BEGAN to teach – I love how this indicates that Jesus continues to be at work today.

The fact that Jesus spoke of the Kingdom in those days between his resurrection and ascension means much to me. If you had 40 days to “rewind” with the leaders you were about to trust the organism (not organization) too, what are you going to focus them on? Jesus’ priority seems to still be same as he taught us in the Lord’s paryer, “Let your Kingdom come.” Jesus opened up the Kingdom’s “breaking in” and now he is reminding them about what that means. Obviously this risen Jesus with his new body, a body that is more than our ordinary bodies (not less, like a ghost), is a very real visual that part of what the Kingdom breaking in is saying is that when the Kingdom breaks in at any level, it means “better” comes to the world.

- So then, part of the church’s role is to bring “better” to hurt world. We should be moving with Jesus as he moves to better all things unto full completion (best). So if we are moving forward, swimming in the flow of what God is up to, then our focus is on “bettering” ourselves, others, the earth, etc. I am not speaking on a “self-help” level of bettering, all though maybe that has a place as well.  I am more so speaking of justice and grace issues.

vs. 4 – Jesus takes them back to what it looked like when his ministry began, when he began to unfold among us what it looks like when the Kingdom comes. He is saying, there will be a start like that. Just as the Spirit was present at Jesus baptism, so again he (the Spirit) will be present at this new beginning. And what are we to do to await that start (I’m jumping ahead aren’t I?…upper room)? We are to pray and wait.

PATH MARKER #1 (“Path Markers” are BIG things, ideas, thoughts, etc. that God has been laying on my heart)
Path Marker #1 that God is saying to me is that praying and waiting have been forsaken by his church. This is why we have mega-churches in cities all over our country and yet those cities largely remain the same as they were before that “church” showed up. I really believe this, we are growing massive organizations with no power in them. And guess what, in large part, I feel as though I have to include myself in that powerless growing of a ministry.  I can’t honestly mark myself as a man filled with power from the Holy Spirit through prayer and waiting.  And yet I know the Spirit lives in me.

Acts 1:6-8 (NIV)
⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ 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.”

I understand this as follows:

First, Jesus completely wrecked their game plan/expectations with his death and confused them with his resurrection. I can imagine their roller-coaster of thoughts, “He’s the Messiah, he’s going to overthrow Rome and restore Israel to rule over the world…(Mother to Jesus) Jesus, can my boys have a top position in your government?”…then…”What has happened? How could he die? I thought he was the Messiah!”…to…”Whewwww, you scared me there for a minute (or 3 days). Ok, so are you ready to overthrow Rome now…LET’S GO! CHARGE!”

And yet Jesus ruins their refreshed game plan yet again. He instead speaks the language used in the situation when a new king is put into power…in essence he says, “the Kingdom is already in place and I am ruling, and you are to go and announce, “We have a new King!” to others. Such a predicatable Jesus move. This isn’t about brute force or violence or overthrowing a governmental world power…it’s much bigger than that! This is a declaration that the forces which hold the world captive are now under a holy attack…the King has come and he has brought his Kingdom with him (my blood pressure is rising as I type that…I feel like shouting, man God is so good!) and the powers of darkness are in grave trouble.

And Jesus isn’t preaching an escapist message. He isn’t saying, “tell everyone that in the near future we are all getting on a spaceship and escaping this hell-hole.” He loves his creation. This brings up questions of “a new heaven and a new earth”. Does that mean this earth is restored? What would make us believe that this restored Kingdom is the sweet bye and bye that we have been taught in Sunday School?

And my last thought:
So to keep a right perspective: God has the authority. The authority in the Kingdom does not belong to any man, no matter his position. The Kingdom authority is God’s alone. What he gives us is the power (through the Holy Spirit) to accomplish the further in-breaking of the kingdom. And we can expect that power to come as a result of prayer and waiting correct? Man, I can see so much how we get so wrapped up in our “church-building adventures” or our strategies of “getting more people to come to this sucker!” Sometimes our North American church seems SO FAR from where God’s heart is. I desire a community of people who move only on the giving of the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to finish knowing that I helped the King move his Kingdom closer to it’s full completion. That’s all I want.