Gathering
them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what
the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of
from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with
the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Insights: These two
verses are some of my favorite. I say
that so often it is kind of funny. The
reason, however, is because of one word found in verse four. Before I share that word, let me lay some ground
work for us. We, as people, are very
self-sufficient, at least I am. We don’t
really like to ask other people for help very often. We like to do things ourselves. This independent attitude starts off at a
very young age. I think about children I
watch playing in the nursery or other locations from time to time. I cannot recall how many times I have heard
one of those little ones say, “I can do it!” as they pull the puzzle piece or
toy away from the adult trying to help them.
We do the same thing when it comes to evangelism as well. Often times we learn our formula and that is
what we depend upon in our gospel presentation.
The one word I want you to notice in verse four, however, is wait. Think about all the disciples had scene. For the last forty days they had been walking
around, eating and learning from Jesus, the resurrected Messiah. They saw Him die and placed in a tomb and now
they are conversing with Him. They were
ready to charge hell with a water pistol for the sake of Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus, however, tells them to wait. He did not tell them to storm Jerusalem and
remove the Roman governor. He did not
tell them to charge Rome itself and defeat the Emperor. He did not tell them to go to the Sanhedrin
and proclaim His resurrection and victory.
He told them to wait. Verse five
tells us why they were told to wait.
They had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit. That event would come ten days later. If they had done any of the previous things,
it would have been in their own power and would have been a dismal failure. He tells them to wait on the Spirit to empower
them with His power, then, and only, then would they be affective for the
proclamation of the gospel. Beloved, we
must be dependent upon the Lord!
Questions:
- Are
you trying to live the Christian life in your own power and strength?
- Has that effort left you exhausted and frustrated?
Prayer: Father, I am
such a self-sufficient kind of person and do not like to rely on anyone. Forgive me for this prideful attitude and
grow my by Your grace to be humble in You and wait for Your Spirit before I
attempt to serve You. For without You,
it is futile work indeed. Amen.
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