Today Monday 16 May we launch our 28 day ACTS adventure as part of our Every Nation London “Spiritual Living” Series, which culminates on Pentecost Sunday the 12th of June. We’ll have a daily blog post here by one of our pastors from each days chapter. Check out the intro post here, and the ACTivate post here – then join us here every day for a few devotional thoughts about living like the believers in the early church:

“If we want to see the results of Acts in our day, we need to do the acts of Acts in our day.”

Read through Acts chapter one.

This chapter contains a promise, and a problem.

Jesus reminds His disciples of the great promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and what He would do:

v4&5  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

v8 …the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”

But there is a problem too: As Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples stay standing around looking up into the sky. They have been commissioned go into all the world, but they simply stand there gazing into the clouds. So an angel comes and asks them the question many believers today need to be asked: “Why do you stand there looking up into the sky?” 

Jesus had told them to “look at the harvest fields, they are ready for harvest. The harvest is ripe, but the labourers are few.”  The Holy Spirit would empower disciples like Peter – previously a 3xJesus denier – to be transformed into literal world changers. But they are looking into the clouds. Instead of waiting for the Spirit to get on with the mission, they are wondering about timings and events which the Father has kept in His own authority.

Today, instead of looking up at the clouds, spending time and energy and wondering about things that have very little to do with making Jesus known to all nations, drop your gaze down to and have a good look at the broken desperate world around you. As you do, pray with expectation for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, to empower you to tell your world and the world the Good news about Jesus!  For heaven’s sake today, look to the harvest, not to the heavens!

And by the way, you are also a chosen one! 

You may be wondering about the last bit of this chapter bit where they cast lots to choose the replacement for Judas – I’m not fully sure about that bit, but one thing I am clear about is that Jesus has chosen you, and called you to make disciples of all nations, with a promise that He would empower you by His Holy Spirit.