The Prelude to Power Acts 1

Acts 1:8 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."

33 AD 120 Christians 300 AD 6 Million Christians Mid 300s AD 34 Million Christians By the year 350, one in every two persons in the Roman Empire was a church member!

“How did a tiny and obscure messianic movement from the edge of the Roman Empire dislodge classical paganism and become the dominant faith of Western civilization?”

I think it would be a huge mistake to conclude that sociological dynamics alone can explain the growth of Christianity … in the ancient world, or in ours.

The first-followers of Christ were filled with an incredible degree of spiritual power which enabled them to articulate and embody the message of the Gospel in such a way as to make Christian disciples in a remarkably rapid yet effective manner!

How did these early Christians come by this spiritual power?

Acts 1 is all about explaining to readers the events that led up to the first-followers of Christ being empowered to launch the Christian movement and turn their world upside-down.

What I’m going to talk to you about today is some very fundamental stuff.

He [Lombardi] took nothing for granted He [Lombardi] took nothing for granted. He began a tradition of starting from scratch, assuming that the players were blank slates who carried over no knowledge from the year before…. He began with the most elemental statement of all.

“Gentlemen,” he said, holding a pigskin in his right hand . . . . . . this is a football.”

Lombardi was coaching a group of three dozen professional athletes who, just months prior, had come within minutes of winning the biggest prize their sport could offer. And yet, he started from the very beginning. Fundamentals matter!

Ministry fundamentals matter as well!   Ministry fundamentals matter as well!

What were the folks who made up the very first “First Assembly” doing that put them in a position to receive the power they would need to turn their city and then their world upside down?

First of all, they waited (Acts 1:1-12).

Acts 1:1-12 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." …

… {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." …

… {9} After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight….

… {10} They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. {11} "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."…

… {12} Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city….

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised … "

This is the first ministry fundamental, and one which according to Acts 1 functions as a prelude to power: the need to wait on God rather than trying to get the job done in our own strength and wisdom.

Psalms 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalms 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him . . . Lamentations 3:26 … it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Waiting Ministry Empowerment

Secondly, they prayed (Acts 1:13-14).

… {12} Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. {13} When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James….

…{14} They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. . . .

According to this portion of Acts 1, the first-followers of Jesus didn’t just wait around twiddling their thumbs, they waited in prayer. Furthermore, they engaged in this praying … as a group.

The first-followers of Jesus weren’t just waiting; they were waiting in prayer, readying themselves to experience the empowerment that Jesus had promised them.

Waiting Praying Ministry Empowerment

Thirdly, they studied the Scriptures, “listening” for ministry wisdom and guidance in the process (Acts 1:15-22).

… {15} In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) {16} and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus-- {17} he was one of our number and shared in this ministry." …

… {18} (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. {19} Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) …

… {20} "For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms, "'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' [Ps. 69:25] and, "'May another take his place of leadership.' [Ps. 109:8] …

…{21} Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, {22} beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." …

As Jesus’ first followers prayed, they also studied the Scriptures, seeking guidance, seeking further instruction, seeking to ready themselves as a missional community as they awaited their empowering experience.

Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Luke 22:28-30 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. {29} And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, {30} so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Another ministry fundamental/prelude to power calls for church members to, like Jesus’ first followers, study their Bibles, seeking ministry wisdom, guidance, direction from God as they wait upon him for their empowering experience.

Waiting Praying Studying Ministry Empowerment

Fourth, they obeyed (Acts 1:23-26).

. . . {23} So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. {24} Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen {25} to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." {26} Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Walking by faith, the first-followers of Jesus cooperated with what their apostolic leaders felt the Scriptures were calling for them to do as they waited on the Lord for their empowering experience.

Yet another ministry fundamental/prelude to power was manifested when the 120 humbly cooperated with Peter’s call for the group to take a particular action so as to become a missional community that was ready to roll once the empowerment had come.

In other words, Luke was telling his readers from the very get-go of the Book of Acts, how important obeying our earthly leaders is to a ministry empowerment!

Waiting Praying Studying Obeying Ministry Empowerment

Ministry fundamentals matter!

Vince Lombardi being carried off the field by his players after defeating the New York Giants 37-0 to win the 1961 NFL Championship.

Church history tells us that God is ever willing to provide Christ’s followers in any era with the supernatural power that is needed for them to articulate and embody the Gospel of Jesus in wonderfully fruitful ways.

“Anything God has ever done, he can do now “Anything God has ever done, he can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you.” -- A.W. Tozer

Wait Pray Study Obey Ministry Empowerment

The Prelude to Power Acts 1