Studies in the Book of Acts

Studies in the Book of Acts By Pastor Bien A. Llobrera

STUDY FOUR: WAITING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT ACTS 1:12-14

INTRODUCTION

1. Chicken or eagle -- which are you? Chickens are scared of strong winds; when the mighty winds sweep down the valleys, the chickens run and hide.

2. One characteristic of the eagle is that it is not scared by strong contrary wind -- in fact, the eagle welcomes it. For the stronger the wind, the higher the eagle will soar without expending too much energy. How does the eagle do it? It simply faces the wind, adjusts its wings to the proper angle, and lets the wind lift it higher and higher and higher still.

3. To become the eagle Christian and eagle Church God wants us to become, we need the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit. Before the disciples could do anything in the Book of Acts the Lord Jesus commanded them to wait for the promised Holy Spirit from the Father.

4. Our text (Acts 1:12-14) shows us how, after the disciples had seen the Lord Jesus ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9-11), they went back to Jerusalem immediately in order to await the Holy Spirit's coming. Let's look at Acts 1:12-14:

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas and Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers.

5. Let me ask you to think with me over this question: What lessons can we learn from these early disciples as they were gathered in the upper room of the house, waiting for the Holy Spirit? I believe we can learn at least three things, and let me summarize these in three words: obedience, relationship, and prayer. These three lessons, when learned, will make us into eagle Christians and make us into an eagle church.

OBEDIENCE

6. I agree with one commentator's observation when he wrote that these first Christians were showing obedience as they waited in the upper room. The Lord Jesus told them to wait and they waited. That's obedience.

7. Obedience is one lesson we need to learn again and again. When we obey we prove that we recognize that the work belongs to God and the power to do the work comes from God as well. We go when the Lord commands us to go; we wait when the Lord commands us to wait. Our going, and our coming, and our waiting -- they are all determined by the Lord whom we serve.

8. In the Old Testament, obedience was the mark of the true prophet and disobedience always exposed a prophet to be a false one. God made this very clear in Jeremiah 23:21-22: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My Words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings."

9. Illustration: This story about an old-fashioned preacher illustrates the importance of obeying the Lord's command to wait. The service had already started but when the time for the sermon came the preacher was not there. So the elders sent a little girl to go call for him at the cottage where he was staying. She went but she came back without the preacher. "Why did you not bring him?" the elders asked. "I can't because I heard him talking with someone." "That's strange," the elders said, "everyone's here and there's no one in the cottage with him. Go call him again." The girl went and came back still without the preacher. "What's the problem?" the elders asked the girl again. The girl replied: "Well, I told you he's talking with someone and they seem to be arguing." "What are they arguing about?" the elders asked. The girl replied: "Well, he's saying to this other person, I won't go and preach unless you go with me." The elders understood. "In that case, we'll have to wait."

10. Thousands of years before this old-fashioned preacher, Moses had the same argument with God. He had just led the people out of Egypt, and they were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. But before Moses would take another step toward the Promised Land he had this argument with God. Moses told God: "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth" (Exodus 33:15-16).

11. The Lord Jesus still commands us today to wait for the Holy Spirit. We are to wait until we are sure we have been endued -- clothed and equipped -- with power from on high. Do we understand the importance of this command to wait for the power so much so that like the old-fashioned preacher and like Moses we will say to the Lord, "I will wait, I'm not going anywhere, until I know Your Presence and Your Power will go with me"?

12. However, we must know there is a difference between the disciples and us. Today, we are commanded to wait, but not in the same sense that the first Christians waited.

(a) They waited in the sense that the Holy Spirit had to be sent down literally and historically from heaven in order to be present and to work in a special way here on earth. This is exactly the same as when Christ was sent by the Father from heaven to earth, for Him to be present and work in a special way on earth. After ten days of waiting by the disciples, the Holy Spirit came down to earth, and He has been present and has been working on earth ever since.

(b) Now that the Holy Spirit is here, today we wait in the sense that we need to prepare ourselves and to make sure that we are in proper working relationship with the Holy Spirit. And this brings us to our next word...

RELATIONSHIP

13. Though our text does not say anything specific, another commentator suggested (and I heartily agree with him) that during this period of waiting, the first Christians spent time in soul-searching. This period of waiting gave them the opportunity to adjust their relationship VERTICALLY with God and HORIZONTALLY with one another. 14. VERTICALLY, they must have searched their hearts over how they had acted unfaithfully and cowardly toward their Lord, specially during His crucifixion. They must have felt sorrow and repentance over their unbelief even after the resurrection. And as they searched their hearts they must have asked the Lord's forgiveness and recommitted themselves to His complete lordship over their lives.

(a) Today, for our own part, as we obey the command to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, we certainly need to go through a time of soul-searching and heart-cleansing. God will fill only clean vessels with His Holy Spirit. If we desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with power, our lives must be clean. We must adjust our vertical relationship with God.

(b) 2 Timothy 2:20-21shows us the way: "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

(c) How do we know what things we need to get rid of in our lives? Let me tell you something: If you are a truly born-again Christian, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and I guarantee you, the Holy Spirit has already been talking to you about certain specific things in your life... and (based on my experience) I also guarantee you that you have been putting off getting rid of those things... that is why you don't have the power and conscious presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

(d) LET ME GIVE YOU ONE ADVICE: What was the last thing you remember the Holy Spirit convicted you of? Begin with that thing; repent, confess, and get rid of that thing -- and if there is anything else, you can trust the Holy Spirit to point out those things as well. Trust the Holy Spirit. He will never rush you; He will deal with you one sin at a time. And as you obey Him one step at a time, He will make sure that you become a truly purified and cleansed vessel, ready for His use.

15. HORIZONTALLY, the disciples also searched their hearts over their sins and failures in regard to their relationship to one another. As they waited during those ten days before the Holy Spirit came, they must have remembered the new commandment that the Lord gave to them in John 13:34-35: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." They must have remembered bitterly how only a few short hours before the Lord was arrested they had been arguing over who was the greatest among them. And Peter must have remembered that even after the resurrection, after the Lord had told him something about his future, Peter could not resist asking about the future of another disciples... to which the Lord gave him this sharp reply: "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." In short, the Lord told him, "Peter, it's none of your business." And so as they waited during those ten days, they had the opportunity to adjust their horizontal relationship with one another. They asked each other's forgiveness and the reconciled with one another.

(a) Today, as we wait for the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, we must also adjust our HORIZONTAL relationship with one another. This is because the Holy Spirit works not just with individuals but primarily with the whole Body of Christ.

(b) While Christ was on earth, the Holy Spirit filled Him completely and worked through His obedient Body. Today, the Church -- we Christians together -- are Christ's Body, and the Holy Spirit wants to fill us as a Body in order to do His work in the world. And ONE REQUIREMENT is that the Body of Christ -- all Christians together -- must be completely united in love.

(c) This was the primary burden of Christ final prayer for His disciples just before His crucifixion. Listen: John 17:20-21: "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

(d) Did you see that? The world will believe in Christ WHEN Christians have become truly one with Christ and with the Father and with one another. The Holy Spirit has a very difficult time working -- if He works at all -- in and through a church where Christians are divided and where they are not united in love.

(e) In a previous study we mentioned Count Von Zinzendorf, that young rich German nobleman who saw a painting of Christ crowned with thorns bearing these words underneath: "All this I did for you; what have are you doing for me?" Challenged by those words he dedicated himself to the ministry. In 1722 the Lord opened up an opportunity for service when a group of Protestant refugees sought shelter in his estate. Hearing of his charity more refugees followed until a Christian community grew. There was only one problem -- these Christians had fights and quarrels among them. But God had a great plan for Zinzendorf and these refugees. Five years after the arrival of the first refugees, in 1727 God graciously sent them a mighty spiritual awakening in which they were baptized with the Spirit of love and power and missions. Christians got reconciled with one another and they received a mighty desire and power to spread the Gospel to the whole world. As a result this started what has become known as the Moravian missions, which became a powerful force for modern world missions.

(f) Today, our Lord Jesus commands us to wait until we are baptized with the Spirit of love and power. But are we willing to pay the price? Are we willing to adjust our VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP with God and our HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP with one another? We can begin today. Even now, during the service, if we need to go to a brother or sister and ask for forgiveness, we should do it. And after the service and in the coming days, we should follow the Holy Spirit's conviction and fix all broken relationships.

(g) We need to mention one thing more about the Moravians. As a result of their baptism with the Spirit of love, they were also baptized with the Spirit of prayer and they began a round-the-clock prayer vigil, seven days a week, that continued without interruption for more than one hundred years. This brings us to our third and final word...

PRAYER

16. Let's read Acts 1:14 again: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication...."

17. Someone said: "When God is about to do something, He sets the Christians a-praying." Prayer precedes, accompanies, and follows all mighty work of the Holy Spirit.

18. I do not want to say much about prayer today except this: WE HAVE DONE ENOUGH TALKING ABOUT PRAYER IN THIS CHURCH; IT IS TIME WE DID SOME PRAYING, REAL PRAYING. 19. I am saying this because this is what the Holy Spirit has been telling me for the longest time. Bien, you have taught and preached too much about praying. Why don't you practice what you preach, and start praying?

20. Let me encourage us all to do the following simple and practical things:

(a) ONE: Let's determine to do our DAILY DEVOTIONAL TIME.

(b) TWO: Let's covenant with a PRAYER PARTNER and schedule to pray for and with one another at least once a week (over the phone or personally).

(c) THREE: Let's commit to pray as a CHURCH during our stated weekly prayer meetings -- Wednesday morning, 11am-12noon; Wednesday evening, 7PM. Also, during the Sunday evening service we set aside time for praying together.

21. Let me also encourage you to use the acronymn A-C-T-S as a guide for your prayer. In your prayer spend time for each aspects of prayer:

(a) ADORATION - take time to worship God; praise Him for WHO HE IS;

(b) CONFESSION - take time to examine yourself and your relationship vertically with God, and horizontally with other people;

(c) THANKSGIVING - take time to acknowledge God's blessings; thank God for HIS WORKS AND HIS GIFTS AND BLESSINGS;

(d) SUPPLICATION - take time to pray for the needs of yourself and others.

CONCLUSION

22. In conclusion, let me tell you about one amazing Christian I have known in the Philippines. Her name is Mrs. Quintina Salvador, mother of my very good buddy Romy Salvador from our college Navigator days. Mrs. Salvador had only some elementary education; she asked me to teach her English so that she could read commentaries and Bible study references, which she needed to do to prepare for the Bible studies she was conducting among her friends and neighbors. How did she get started in this ministry? I found out as I asked her to tell me or to write out her testimony in English.

(a) First of all, she shared what kind of Christian she used to be. She grew up in a traditional protestant family. Whenever the offering plate came around to her, she felt around in her purse for the coins that were smooth and did not have ridges (those are the 5 centavo coins).

(b) But one day, when she was already an older person, a preacher showed her the verse which said: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." The preacher challenged her: "Sister Salvador, pray that God will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Somehow the Lord touched her heart and she prayed continuously for about a year: "Lord, baptize me with the Holy Spirit and fire."

(c) And this is her testimony: After praying that prayer for about a year, during one service she saw something like a rain of fire falling from above and entering her body. She felt caught up in a spirit of prayer and from that service she went home and prayed continuously for three days non-stop. She felt so full of God's power and presence that she felt she would die and she had to ask the Lord to hold back this tremendous wave of power. She had visions of herself preaching to the people and telling them about Christ. And so she started witnessing. And people got saved. And when she prayed for the sick, they got healed. Soon she was getting invitations to share the Gospel in different places. I have not been in touch with her for a while now; but as far as I know God continues to use her to bring Christ's salvation and healing to many people in the Philippines.

23. We may never have a dramatic experience like Mrs. Salvador had. I never had. But one thing is clear: The Lord Jesus wants us to wait and pray for the Spirit's power in our life. And to prepare for His coming in fullness, we need to apply these three lessons:

(a) Obedience: We must obey the command to wait;

(b) Relationship: We must make right our vertical and horizontal relationship;

(c) Prayer: We must commit ourselves to regular, consistent prayer individually and as a church.

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PREACHING OUTLINE

WAITING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

Text: Acts 1:12-14

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas and Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers.

INTRODUCTION: Chicken or eagle -- which are you? Chickens are scared of the wind; eagles soar in the wind. To be an "eagle Christian" and to be an "eagle Church" we need to learn three lessons from our text in order to soar in the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit.

A. OBEDIENCE

We must obey the Lord's command to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit.

B. RELATIONSHIP

We must make sure that our relationship is right:

1. Vertically - with God

2. Horizontally - with other people.

C. PRAYER

We need to commit ourselves to regular, consistent prayer:

1. Individually in our DAILY DEVOTIONAL TIME; 2. With a PRAYER PARTNER;

3. With the CHURCH in our scheduled prayer meetings.

CONCLUSION: Mrs. Salvador's testimony.