Power Before Program
Power Before Program
Monday
"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.' 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.'"
— Acts 1:6-11 (ESV)
— Acts 1:6-11 (ESV)
Reflect:
Notice what they asked and what He answered. They wanted a timetable for a kingdom. He gave them a task and a power source. Jesus did not scold their curiosity; He simply refused to feed it. There are things the Father has fixed by His own authority that He has not put on our need-to-know list, and peace begins the day we stop demanding the calendar and start accepting the commission.
Notice also the order. Power comes first, then witness. The command was to wait before it was to work. A church that organizes without praying is a church running on its own battery, and that battery always dies. Before you plan today, ask.
And notice the gentle rebuke of the two men in white. Standing and staring at the sky is a lovely posture and a useless one. The same Jesus is coming back, and until He does, we have streets to walk and people to tell.
Notice what they asked and what He answered. They wanted a timetable for a kingdom. He gave them a task and a power source. Jesus did not scold their curiosity; He simply refused to feed it. There are things the Father has fixed by His own authority that He has not put on our need-to-know list, and peace begins the day we stop demanding the calendar and start accepting the commission.
Notice also the order. Power comes first, then witness. The command was to wait before it was to work. A church that organizes without praying is a church running on its own battery, and that battery always dies. Before you plan today, ask.
And notice the gentle rebuke of the two men in white. Standing and staring at the sky is a lovely posture and a useless one. The same Jesus is coming back, and until He does, we have streets to walk and people to tell.
Pray:
Lord Jesus, I confess I want the timetable more than I want the task. Fill me with Your Spirit today, and give me the power to be a witness in the ordinary places You have already put me. Amen.
Lord Jesus, I confess I want the timetable more than I want the task. Fill me with Your Spirit today, and give me the power to be a witness in the ordinary places You have already put me. Amen.
One Question to Carry:
Where have I been standing and staring when I should have been going and telling?
Where have I been standing and staring when I should have been going and telling?
Posted in Unstoppable - Acts 1-17
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