Year 1, Day 234: Acts 1

Acts

The book of Acts used to be one of my least favorite books to read.  Then I started studying it in-depth as a Bible Study at my current congregation.  It’s been 18 months and going strong, and my perspective with the book of Acts has certainly changed.  This book is about the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I find that almost every chapter is a greater fulfillment of the promise of the Prophets found in the Hebrew Scriptures that “Behold, I am doing something new.”  If you don’t like change and you don’t like seeing how God walks on the traditions of mankind, then don’t read Acts.

Setting the Story

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a day to get into seeing the Spirit at work.  Instead, we have a day to set the story.  So let’s begin with Jesus popping in an out of the lives of the disciples for 40 days before the ascension.  This is pretty cool when you think about it.  We get the impression that these followers of Christ never knew when Christ was going to show up.  And we know from Luke’s account that there were more than just the 12.  We are told about Cleopas in Luke 24 and we are told that Matthias and Barsabbas here in the opening chapter.  They would be going about their life and suddenly they would realize they were in the presence of Christ.

That sounds very familiar, for the record.  I know what it feels like to be going about my daily life and suddenly find out that I am in the presence of God and didn’t even know it.  And when I put it that way, it sounds very Hebrew Scriptures, too.  Doesn’t that sound a little like Moses and the burning bush?  Or perhaps an experience like the prophets would have had?  I find it strangely comforting to know that this idea of Jesus “sneaking up on you and suddenly finding Him in your presence” is how it happened to the followers of Christ from literally Day One.

Acts 1:8

I’d also like to take a good long look at Acts 1:8.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”  This sentence says at least three things:

1. They did not presently have power.  They will receive power.  Sure, we have human strength, human wisdom, and human ingenuity.  But what is that next to what God can give us?
2. The power comes through the Holy Spirit.  If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have the power that God gives.  You might have your own charisma.  You might have power from your social standing or the place of your family.  But if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have the power of God.  This is a theme that will be reoccurring through the first 20 chapters of Acts.
3. The Holy Spirit comes upon “you.”  In other words, He comes to those who follow Jesus.  There is no special club – well, other than following Jesus.  But all who truly follow Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit.  You don’t need to be the right gender, the right education, or the right socio-economic status.  You just need to crucify yourself with Christ, take up your cross, and follow Him.

Of course, when we finish the sentence we understand the point of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit comes to us so that we might be witnesses for God to the world.  It isn’t about the power; it is about drawing people to God.  It isn’t about the popularity, or the control, or the nature of being significant; it is about God.  The point of receiving the Holy Spirit is about the relationship between humanity and God.  {See the aside below my signature in this post for more ponderings on the Holy Spirit.}

Come Together: Oikos

After the ascension we see the first Post-Physical-Presence fellowship event.  {My use of alliteration is not meant to say post-Christ, but after His physical presence is gone.}  What do they do when Christ leaves them?  They get together: Men, women, Jews, Followers of the Way.  In a sense, it’s a family gathering.  No, not because Jesus’ brothers are there.  It’s family because spiritually they are all God’s children; they are all God’s heirs!  Jesus’ departure could have been such a down time in their life – and perhaps it did have some sadness to it – but these first followers come together.  What a wonderful testimony to how we should behave as well.  How do we as followers of Jesus Christ deal with the events of the world?  We should come together.

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Aside

I’ve spent much time lately pondering my amazement of how little I see the Holy Spirit around me – or even in me, I’m sorry to confess.  I wonder if this is because American Christianity has become ensconced in our desire to uphold our traditions, maintain the buildings that we (or our parents) built, and do things the way we’ve always done them.  Why would the Holy Spirit come to a people who are focused on physical, emotional, and psychological effigies to their own greatness?  The Holy Spirit is about the greatness of God, not the greatness of any of us or our things.  Do we see so little of the Holy Spirit because we genuinely don’t align ourselves to do what the Holy Spirit is sent to us to accomplish through us?