© 2016 by
ERICA WIGGENHORN

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Edited by Pam Pugh
Interior design: Erik M. Peterson
Cover design: Dean Renninger
Cover image of watercolor copyright © by LoveKay/Adobe Stock (63424683). All rights reserved.
Author photo: Suzanne Busta

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wiggenhorn, Erica, author.

Title: An unexplainable life : recovering the wonder and devotion of the early church (Acts 1-12) / Erica Wiggenhorn.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016004439 | ISBN 9780802414731

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Acts, I-XI--Textbooks. | Church renewal.

Classification: LCC BS2626 .W54 2016 | DDC 226.6/06--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016004439

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ERICA WIGGENHORN

INTRODUCTION

Ministry leaders across the country have told us they are seeking more in-depth Bible studies, and we have listened! Here is a sample of one of our new Bible studies designed to equip and inspire women to dive deeper into God’s Word. Studies are ideal for individuals or groups of various sizes, and come with free downloadable study tools, resources, and leadership materials.

This book is affectionately dedicated to

The Bravo Team—my first and forever true church.

All of the pastors and saints at Desert Springs Community Church.

Your teaching, fellowship, love, and encouragement have continually spurred me on.

May the unexplainable happen within and among us!

Let’s Open Our Minds

Making the Most of This Study

Week One: Living an Unexplainable Life

Week Two: Unexplainable Change

Week Three: Unexplainable Courage

Week Four: Unexplainable Mission

Week Five: Unexplainable Vision

Week Six: Unexplainable Expansion

Week Seven: Unexplainable Unity

Week Eight: Our Unexplainable God

Week Nine: Unexplainable Discipleship

Week Ten: A Journey Toward an Unexplainable Life

Some Parting Thoughts

Notes

Acknowledgments

LET’S OPEN OUR MINDS

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

—Luke 24:45

Welcome to An Unexplainable Life: Recovering the Wonder and Devotion of the Early Church.

Acts is the place where all the teachings of Jesus come to life in living color before our eyes. After three years of traveling with Jesus, walking in His footsteps, yet struggling to fully grasp the magnitude of His mission, the apostles’ awakening arrives. They still held misconceptions and were bound in understanding by the culture and events surrounding them, but they slowly started to become privy to their own limited perceptions. Their minds were awakened to the fact that they still had much to learn from their beloved Jesus. They hadn’t yet figured it all out.

The Holy Spirit comes and the disciples are utterly transformed. Men of doubt, full of disbelief and fear, become courageous giants filled with wisdom and truth. Their own ambitions are abandoned, risking everything for the message and mission of Christ. Circumstances matter not. Christ has become their only reality.

And their deepest desire was Christ becoming everyone’s only reality.

Maybe it’s time that you and I boldly pray for Christ to open our minds and give us a fresh understanding of the Scriptures. Maybe it’s time for you and me to admit that we haven’t yet figured it all out. Cultural influences, circumstances, and our own misconceptions have stifled the life of God in us, resulting in imprecise views of Christ’s mission for our lives both individually and in the Christian church collectively. We have become men and women of doubt and fear. We search for courageous giants of the faith, but we cannot find them. Our prayers have become focused solely on our own individual needs. We are consumed by our circumstances.

CONSIDER:

What if Christ were to become my greatest reality?

What if His message and mission were my deepest desire?

Would my worry, anxiety, unrest, discontent, and angst be replaced by the abiding reality of the Prince of Peace ruling in my heart and mind?

Do I truly believe that losing my life for His sake results in the greatest discovery of all time?

If you answered no to the last question, this study will challenge you. If you answered yes, I pray this study will equip you and bring an awakening of the reality of Christ into view, dimming everyone and everything else within your sight. I pray that the words of Jesus will come alive to you in new ways you’ve never understood before. And that when your mind becomes open, you will go and tell. You will become witnesses to what you have heard. Not timid “suggesters” of the truth, but courageous giants—full of wisdom and truth, prepared to turn the world upside down.

“… grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29).

Let’s be brave together.

MAKING THE MOST OF THIS STUDY

Over the next fifty days, we are going to become eyewitnesses of the birth of the early church. As we walk alongside Peter in the first twelve chapters of Acts, we will discover a radically transformed man. My prayer is that you and I are transformed as well. In only fifty days Peter went from a timid man, full of fear and hiding in the shadows, to a courageous follower of Jesus. The change was unexplainable, a work of God in Peter’s heart and mind, because as those around him noted: Peter had been with Jesus.

What do you suppose God could do in and through each of us in fifty days if we spent time with Jesus in this study of His Word? I encourage you to find out!

Will you join me in the journey of completing five days of homework each week? To maximize the learning time and allow you to listen to God, begin your study time with prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Also, try to study on a daily basis. This allows ample time to contemplate the content and develop a habit of getting alone with God regularly, strengthening your relationship with Him.

Beginning on Day 2, each day’s session starts with a thematic title and Bible passage that will take you about twenty to thirty minutes to complete. Begin your study time by reading the passage in its entirety. Read the daily passage aloud. I’ve used the English Standard Version as my main text and indicate other versions where applicable, but you may of course use any version you’re comfortable with. Reading the daily verses will offer a basic overview of that day’s Scripture and story before we break it down more in-depth. The more you familiarize yourself with the verses, the more likely you will remember them and allow their truths to penetrate your heart.

Making your way through each daily assignment, you will encounter several questions in blue. These questions can help you stop, pray, collect your thoughts, and write out answers. Writing responses prompts you to slow down and grapple with the Scriptures, and apply them to your life. On certain days, you will notice blue picture frames. These are your invitation to press pause and dwell in the truths presented that day. Draw, write, doodle, or ponder, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you in the quietness of your heart. Bible study is not meant to be a task to complete. Instead, it is an avenue for building a relationship with God. Invest time toward your relationship with Him.

Some of the blue questions can also be used in small group discussions. The leader’s guide for this study indicates which questions work best for groups. You can access this free resource at www.ericawiggenhorn.com.

A bonus for you, Deeper Discoveries, has some extra material that corresponds with each week’s study. This is an optional component in which you can dig more deeply into the Scriptures by making connections between the Old and New Testaments. You’ll find this at www.ericawiggenhorn.com.

I am praying for you as you walk this journey. I pray that God will speak to you, encourage your heart, and build up your faith! I would love to hear what you learn, so please visit me at www.ericawiggenhorn.com and tell me about your progress and insights.

Erica

When our Lord looked at us, He saw not only what we were—He was faithful in seeing what we could become! He took away the curse of being and gave us the glorious blessing of becoming.

—A.W. Tozer^1

In only fifty days Peter becomes radically transformed. From being a man crouching in the shadows who denies even knowing Jesus, to becoming a bold preacher proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus in the middle of the temple courts, Peter is a new man. How did the change occur? And more importantly, can such a change occur within us—today, in the here and now?

For the next fifty days, you and I are going to dwell in the first twelve chapters of Acts. In this portion of Scripture we meet Peter face to face and encounter the source of his power. We become challenged to grab hold of that power ourselves, believing that God wants to do something in and through us that is unexplainable apart from Him. Let’s give God fifty days and see what He might do! How about it, friend—are you game?

The purpose of this study is not simply to reiterate a message. You can find many Bible studies on the book of Acts. Our purpose here is to reignite a movement of the power of the Holy Spirit in each of us individually and in our churches collectively. As Obadiah said to Elijah, “The Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where” (1 Kings 18:12). Indeed! No one knows but the Spirit Himself. But unlike the case in Elijah’s day, the Spirit has already come. If you have put your faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Spirit now dwells inside you (1 Corinthians 12:7). So where does He want to take you? Where does He want to take your church? The Holy Spirit desires to be a manifest presence in your life to authenticate Christ’s claims as Lord.

Here’s the thing. The disciples understood from the beginning that Christ had called them to be a part of a movement. Each one of them jumped at the opportunity. What they didn’t understand was the mission of the movement. They thought they were pursuing civic and social change, not individual change that would result in a universal overhaul of the entire world.

As Christians we, too, fundamentally understand that Jesus has called us to be a part of His movement. We have tapped into Christ’s mission for individual change in each of our lives—and we like that part. The problem is that many of us haven’t embraced His bold claims that our individual change will result in turning the world upside down. Maybe once the kingdom reached us individually, we became satisfied. As long as Jesus added something to each of our lives personally, we felt good. Therefore, if we become better people as we try to live by scriptural principles, we believe we have fulfilled our mission.

Can I rock your world for a moment? If that is how you and I approach our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ, then we’ve missed the mission. We’ve made it too small and self-focused. We’ve sought our own betterment and advancement through His kingdom, but then reflect, “I thought I signed up to be part of something that was bigger than myself,” and wonder if something went wrong.

Well, thankfully you did!

But sometimes many of us lose our way and make it all about ourselves. As a result, we forfeit our power. See, the Holy Spirit was sent to authenticate Christ’s claims of deity (John 16:14–15). The Spirit powerfully manifests Himself in order for Christ’s prayers that the church will demonstrate an unexplainable love for Him and for one another are fulfilled (John 17:20–26). Yet we can lose our dependence on the Holy Spirit and attempt to manufacture our own power.

Here’s the remedy: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). The Holy Spirit’s desire is to continue to magnify Christ. He is our Counselor who guides us into all truth. He is the One who enables us to understand the Scriptures. He is the One who empowers us to live out the mission. You will be My witnesses. Your life was meant to authenticate My power! He is able to work in and through us so the world may know the power of Christ.

Are we brave enough to admit that there may be some things we have misunderstood?

Over and over again in the story of Acts, we read of people being in awe of the believers’ lives, astonished at their courage, baffled by their wisdom, and in admiration of their lifestyle. Francis Chan writes: “I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through.”2

Oh, that this would be my heart’s cry!

How about you? Are you up for an unexplainable life? Being a witness for Christ means we verify His claims. We demonstrate His power. We embrace that Christ’s mission is so much bigger than ourselves and finally fess up that we are “sick to death of ourselves already.” We begin to live in such a way that the world’s people are left scratching their heads. We leave them baffled.

Acts is the story of Christ’s mission becoming reality in the lives of His followers. To study it is an invitation for it to become your reality and mine. Let’s get started, shall we?

You may be a brand-new Christian, so this next exercise may be a little difficult for you to complete. I hope it excites you, though, and stirs within you an anticipation of what Christ wants to do in and through your life.

If you’re not yet a believer, I hope these questions whet your appetite to know Him!

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Let’s breathe in the sweet fragrance of Christ’s presence in your life. Recapture some of the moments when Jesus was very much a reality in your daily life.

List three or four specific answers to prayer you have experienced. Perhaps some of the answers were no, and you now understand why.

List a few times when God obviously directed your path through detours, closed doors, or opened doors.

List some times when you unexplainably felt God’s presence or power.

List three or four passages of Scripture that jumped off the page and spoke to you in your time of need.

List a few people God graciously brought into your life to teach you truth. (These could be a pastor/author/teacher/speaker, as well as a direct relationship.)

Dear one, these are some of the ways the Holy Spirit demonstrates His power and presence in our lives. Please do not be discouraged if you cannot answer them all. Obadiah was right: We do not know where the Spirit will take us. But we know He is here—living inside us. Let’s invite Him to speak, guide, direct, and teach us new discoveries about the One He loves to exalt: Jesus. Let’s embrace an unexplainable life.

Here we are on Day 2 and we haven’t even opened up the book of Acts yet! So let’s jump right in.

Look at Acts 1:1.

How many books has the author of Acts written?

To whom is he addressing this current work?

What was the subject matter of his first book?

Scripture gives us strong clues as to who wrote the book of Acts in this opening verse. Read Luke 1:1–4 and record the commonalities you see between Luke’s opening paragraph in his gospel and Acts 1:1.

Luke was a Gentile. In fact, he is the only Gentile author in the New Testament and by trade he was a physician (Colossians 4:14). I find this interesting because I am married to a doctor. Luke’s scientific background provides great insight into his approach in writing not only the gospel of Luke, but also the book of Acts. He writes in the same systematic manner as my husband, Jonathan, does.

When Jonathan first sees a patient, he does several things to arrive at a diagnosis. First, he takes an overall look at the patient. Does he appear generally healthy with only the specific ailment in question plaguing him, or does his health seem compromised in multiple areas? From there, Jonathan takes an assessment of a variety of possible symptoms by posing a litany of questions to the patient, taking all the answers and putting them together as one would arrange puzzle pieces to form a final picture. Once he is certain he has gathered all of the pertinent facts, the doctor finally arrives at a diagnosis. He then develops a treatment plan to restore the patient to health.

This is the approach Luke takes in his writing. By diligently researching all the facts regarding Jesus, he arrives at his verdict: “You may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4). Jesus is indeed the Christ. By the end of the book of Luke, he is firm in this conclusion. From there, he moves on to Acts: the treatment plan. Acts lays out for Theophilus the steps that the followers of Jesus took based on their conclusion that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. It is the treatment plan for a disciple.

In a physician’s mind, a diagnosis is meaningless if the patient remains untreated. It is the treatment plan that makes the knowledge of the diagnosis worthwhile. Thus it is for Luke: “I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1, emphasis mine). Keep reading, Theophilus. We’re talking about more than just an intellectual understanding that Jesus is the Messiah. Did you get that, friend? Accepting Jesus as your Savior is just the beginning.

Luke continued this intense investigation as he wrote Acts. He interviewed the original disciples and other witnesses firsthand. For example, the book of Luke tells a lot about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Perhaps he sat down across from her and asked her to tell her story.

We will see that Luke went to great personal lengths to gather all of the facts firsthand, often putting his own life at risk. For the majority of the book of Acts, Luke writes in the first person, letting us know that he is recording the events as an eyewitness in real time. When he was not present, he switches to the third person, making it clear which events he experienced firsthand.

This determination to conduct such exhaustive research leaves us wondering who Theophilus may have been.

How does Luke address him in Luke 1:3?

How is he addressed in Acts 1:1?

There are competing ideas about Theophilus. His name in Greek means “loved by God” or “friend of God,” so some have sought to depersonalize him and conclude that Luke’s audience is anyone and everyone who loves God. However, I don’t believe this is so. First of all, to address someone as “most excellent” refers to someone of high authority in the Roman world. Luke uses the term twice later in the book of Acts, in reference to Felix (24:2) and to Festus (26:25).

So why does Luke disregard this address in his second book? Some possible explanations are that Theophilus became a Christian after reading Luke’s gospel. Out of reverence for the lordship of Christ, he felt unworthy to continue to tout earthly titles of power and authority. Or due to his political position, maybe he wished to maintain his anonymity. And perhaps by this time Luke’s relationship with him had deepened, and a formal title wasn’t necessary. Or maybe it’s not significant at all. We could speculate for days, but due to Luke’s two different manners in how he addresses him, I believe Theophilus was an actual person.

In any case, Theophilus is not the most important figure in our story. If we were to indelibly print one particular word in this verse in our minds as we begin this journey in Acts, it is the one following the word “Jesus.” Read Acts 1:1 again carefully and fill in the following:

All that (everything) Jesus to do and to teach …

Today, my friend, is a new beginning. My prayer is that when you finish this study and set it on your shelf, you will say, “That was the time when Jesus began to do and to teach me …”

We covered a lot today, but before you put your book away, stop and reflect:

If someone were to examine all of the facts and details of your life, would they diagnose you as a Christian? Why or why not?

How has becoming a Christian changed your treatment plan—the way you live your life?

What is one thing you are hoping Jesus may begin to teach you or do in your life as you make your way through this study?

Thank you for the courage to take this journey toward an unexplainable life with me. I am honored that you are here.

Luke made it clear to us yesterday that his gospel set out to prove that Jesus was indeed the Christ. All that Theophilus had been taught about him was true. Acts picks up right where Luke’s gospel ends.

I liken the two books to the ways my husband and our children approach their gifts on Christmas morning. When Eliana and Nathan run out to our family room and behold all of those wrapped presents under the tree, they cannot wait to get their hands on them! As soon as the paper is ripped from a package and they discover what is underneath, though, they immediately begin to scan the tree to see if there is another wrapped surprise with their name on it. Herein describes the gospel of Luke. Theophilus has unwrapped the mystery of Christ and now knows who He is, but rather than immediately set Him aside, Luke challenges him to more closely examine all that He is.

This is how my husband, Jonathan, approaches a Christmas gift. Once it is opened, he rolls it over in his hands, examining it from every angle. He removes the manual (it’s usually some sort of gadget or electronic device) and begins to pore through it, discovering all the capabilities of the object. He wants to know every last detail about what it can do and how to best use it. He wants to understand how it works. This is the book of Acts: Jesus at work in your life.

Read Acts 1:2–3.

Where does Luke’s gospel end?

How does Jesus now give instructions to His disciples?

Jesus began His work on earth as recorded in the Gospels. He died and rose again, but He was still teaching and working. Though He had conquered sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection, He still had more to explain to His disciples, and He was commissioning them to carry on His work.

What did Jesus prove to His disciples?

About what did Jesus instruct His disciples?

It was of utmost importance that there was no doubt in the disciples’ minds that Jesus had, in fact, risen from the dead in a bodily resurrection. It was also important for the spread of the gospel. While many would claim that the disciples only imagined that Jesus had actually risen from the dead, the early church writers share several examples verifying that Jesus was actually physically alive for forty days after His resurrection.

According to Luke 24:1–12, to whom did Jesus appear first?

Jesus remained on the earth forty days after His resurrection. In Jewish thought, the number forty often symbolized the fulfillment of a promise or the accomplishment of God’s purposes.

Who else did He appear to that same day? (Luke 24:13–35)

When the disciples were still in hiding, how many times did He appear to them? See John 20:24–30.

See John 21:1. Where else did He appear to His disciples?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–8. After He had appeared to His disciples on several occasions, who else saw Him?

What promise was going to be fulfilled soon? (Acts 1:4–5)

In case they weren’t sure what He meant, what did He specifically say the gift was?

Read Joel 2:28–29 and explain how the gift of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of a promise.

Refer to John 16:5–11. In what way would the gift of the Holy Spirit be a form of judgment?

The day that this marvelous gift of the Holy Spirit arrived was a greatly significant one on the Jewish calendar. It was fifty days after Passover. On this holiday, Pentecost, the Jewish people brought wheat sacrifices to the temple. They celebrated the covenant God made with Israel when He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Holy Spirit’s arrival ushered in aspects of a new covenant. Additional promises of the new covenant will be fulfilled when Christ returns to earth again.

What did Jesus call the true bread of heaven in John 6:32–33?

Describe the new covenant God will make with His people Israel (see Jeremiah 31:31–34).

God divinely orchestrated the death and resurrection of His Son to occur at a time when Jewish people from around the world would converge on Jerusalem in celebration of these holidays. He had instituted these holidays thousands of years prior, commanding that they be migratory feasts in which all adult Jewish men must return to the Holy City of Jerusalem. The holidays foreshadowed His ultimate plan of redemption in the death and resurrection of His Son.

The coming of the promised Holy Spirit was to be no different. This holiday of Pentecost, when He unleashed His power on the apostles, was also a migratory feast. No one who was committed to God was going to miss the scene. Everything was unfolding exactly as God had planned.

What does God say about Himself in Isaiah 46:9–10?

Friend, know this today: God is not finished yet. He has a purpose for your life. He wants to give you an unexplainable life. His timeline is unfolding just as He has planned. Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t run ahead of Him. Just wait. The gifts He has for you will arrive right on time. We’ve only just begun.

Take time to think about what having an “unexplainable life” might look like for you personally. Record your thoughts below.

Have you ever been in the middle of telling someone something when they suddenly interrupt you with what feels like a random question? Not only do you wonder if they heard a word you said, but you also question how valuable they find your information to be! This is exactly what the disciples did to Jesus in our passage of Scripture today. Jesus had important instructions to give them during some of their final moments together. He was trying to explain to them the importance of the Holy Spirit’s arrival, but they interrupted Him with questions regarding their own agenda.

See Acts 1:6–7.

What question did the disciples ask Jesus?

How did Jesus respond?

The disciples are still seeking a literal kingdom in which Jesus serves as king and they get handed some official titles of importance. Jesus had told them when He set up His kingdom, His twelve disciples would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (See Matthew 19:28.) The mother of James and John requested that her sons’ thrones be in the most special places of honor (Matthew 20:21). They expected a literal kingdom, its arrival imminent, and one in which they would hold special positions of authority. No wonder Jesus admonished them to not be like the Gentiles in how they govern (Matthew 20:25–28). Here are the real questions they have:

So when is my payout? When do we begin ruling?

Have You figured out what my role is going to be yet, Jesus?

Are You finally going to take some of that miraculous power of Yours and use it to overthrow the Romans?

We’ve followed You around for three years now. When are You going to get with the game plan, Jesus?

Actually, guys, He’s trying to give you the game plan, but you’re interrupting Him with your self-absorbed questions! The disciples still did not understand the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom. Maybe today we have gone too far in the opposite direction. We have focused so much on the spiritual aspect of the kingdom that it is nearly invisible to the world. We have ceased to expect the power of the Holy Spirit to be lived out in a literal and tangible way before our eyes. We have failed to understand that the way we live our lives is supposed to serve as proof of the kingdom.

Christ gives us the power to overcome self—to put an end to our selfish ambitions and desires and to serve one another in love. Jesus is trying to explain to them that through the gift of the Holy Spirit they will accomplish this, but they are still wrapped up in their own agendas.

We ask Jesus these same questions, they just sound a little different. We might say:

I’ve been obedient. Why aren’t You blessing me?

Why are You making my life so hard? My coworker is unreliable, but he gets a raise!

Why won’t You allow me to serve in the area I want to in the church? Why does that Jessica always get to be in charge of everything?

When are You going to intervene on my behalf, Jesus? I’ve waited a long time.

You know I’ve always had it on my heart to , Jesus. Why aren’t You making it happen for me? When are You going to get with my game plan?

Jesus jolts them back into attention by making it plain that the timeline of His earthly kingdom is none of their concern. Likewise, the timeline of Jesus meeting our agendas is none of our concern. He is trying to shift our focus to more important things.

What did Jesus say they would receive in Acts 1:8?

What would they become as a result?

Where would they go?

FIRST:

SECOND:

THIRD:

FOURTH:

I’ve got news for you, friend. This power that Jesus is talking about is the Greek word dunamis. It is where we get the word “dynamite.” It is the same word used to describe the power that God used in raising Christ from the dead. This isn’t a shot in the arm, a little ummph kind of power—this is earth-shattering stuff. Am I petty enough to be upset because someone else was chosen to lead worship or teach? I hope not! This is power that can drastically shift our focus from everything that pulls us down and wastes our energy.

Let’s take a closer look at what the disciples were to do with that power—become witnesses.

The disciples held the authority to be His witnesses because they themselves had witnessed Christ, spending three years following Him everywhere, seeing how He lived, and listening to what He taught. In the time of Jesus, followers of a rabbi did this in order to become like their teacher, imitating in every way imaginable his lifestyle and teaching. What they lacked was the power to become like Christ and have their lives reflect all that He had taught them to be and to do. Remember what Jesus told them? “You, therefore, must be perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Who in the world could live up to that? They also had yet to be able to avoid something: namely, their own selfish ambitions and desires. They were not yet ready to abandon everything for a kingdom that offered little tangible reward in the here and now. They still did not understand the emotional and spiritual rewards Jesus offered.

One benefit was that they were going to get to travel! Okay, I’m being facetious here—because when Jesus said they were going to be His witnesses “to the end of the earth,” it may have startled them. It’s likely none of them had ever left Israel except for the times when Jesus took them to Caesarea Philippi and Sidon. And Samaria? Who wanted to go there? Yet Jesus was saying they were to go to places unimaginable and engage those with whom they had formerly been forbidden to eat or associate. They were to dine with pagans and speak to people of foreign tongue—ministering to people they had been taught to disdain and look down on. They were even supposed to witness to their enemies. Sounds a lot different than their agenda, doesn’t it?

No wonder they were going to need some dynamite power! How were they going to humble themselves enough to serve these people? If you are guessing they missed what Jesus said, you’re right. They didn’t get it. “He couldn’t possibly mean it,” they thought. “He must mean Jews that live in other parts of the world, not pagan idolaters. Right?” (We will understand this more fully when we arrive in Acts 11.)

Will you be brave enough to ask Jesus what His game plan for your life is?

Did it ever cross your mind that Jesus might want you to cross the socioeconomic tracks and drive across town to another neighborhood that is more ethnically diverse than your own—or perhaps reach out to people with other belief systems? Where are you willing to go to be a witness for Christ?

Spend some time in prayer asking God these two questions and record what He reveals to you below:

As I read through the book of Acts, I am convinced that it is plausible Luke became a convert to Judaism before he became a Christian. The phraseology he uses and his manner of describing events correlate directly to significant moments in the Old Testament. It is also further proof that the Word of God is inspired because it allows readers over two thousand years later to make the same connections.

Read Acts 1:9 (HCSB) and highlight the word(s) that describe Jesus’ ascension:

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.

The prophet Elijah had been “taken” to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), and the Jews of Jesus’ day expected Elijah to accompany the Messiah’s return (Malachi 4:5). This reference to Jesus being “taken up” would have clicked in the Jews’ minds that Jesus had gone back to heaven just like Elijah had.

The cloud was also significant for other reasons. In the wilderness where the Jews wandered after their escape from Egypt, the Shekinah glory of God rested in the cloud to guide them. Paul equates the Shekinah Spirit of God with the Holy Spirit living inside of us in 1 Corinthians 3:16. First-century Jews equated it with the presence of God. In other words, it was as though God Himself came in the cloud and carried His Son back to heaven where His throne awaited Him! We have to remember that at this point in Israel’s history, the Holy Spirit of God had been poured out on one person at a time to fulfill a specific purpose. The disciples did not yet comprehend the universal dispensation of the Holy Spirit that was soon to occur. God’s coming in the cloud brought the disciples reassurance that Jesus was completing His mission from God. For thirty-three years the Father had witnessed His Son experience the plagues of life on earth: temptation, illness, rejection, betrayal, and even death. Imagine His joy when the penalty had fully been paid and His Son was to return to glory!

Another Old Testament passage, foretelling about Christ, mentions clouds.

How is Jesus described in Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:13–14?

These references to Old Testament prophecies were Luke’s way of confirming that Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfillment of visions and prophecies of long before. Luke brings his Grecian background into his writing as well. Consider this commonly held belief in Roman paganism:

Many of Luke’s readers would know that when a Roman emperor died, it had been customary to declare that someone had seen his soul escaping from his body and going up to heaven. If you go to the top end of the Forum in Rome, stand under the Arch of Titus, and look up, you will see a carving of the soul of Titus, who was emperor in the 80s in the first century, ascending to heaven. The message of this was clear: the emperor was becoming a god (thus enabling his son and heir to style himself “son of god,” which is a useful title if you want to run the world).3

Luke’s reference to this pagan belief presents Jesus as superior to these Roman gods. They believed that the emperor’s soul would ascend to heaven; Jesus was physically resurrected and His body and soul were being raised up to rule and reign. Greek philosophy viewed the body as inherently evil; Jesus’ bodily resurrection speaks of His power over death and evil. In other words, Jesus superseded any godlike capabilities that the Roman emperors might claim for themselves. He was the One, the only One, who held the true authority and power. Greek philosophy and religion pervaded the Roman Empire during the first century, necessitating the explanation of Jesus’ supremacy over all other Roman and Greek gods. Additionally, many of the Jewish people had been dispersed throughout the Roman Empire at this time, and had become deeply influenced by Greek culture and philosophy.

Scripture often refers to these Jewish people as Hellenistic Jews.

See Acts 1:10–11. Describe what is happening.

Jesus was last glorified on the Mount of Olives. Afterward, He returned with the disciples to continue His ministry (Luke 9:28–37). I’m sure they hoped it was the same in this instance. They still had so much they didn’t understand. Why did Jesus have to go away? Christ had already explained to them why He had to depart.

What had He told them in John 16:7?

The two messengers (angels) were clear. Jesus was going to return in the same way He left. It wasn’t going to be some secret event they could miss. It was going to be as plain as day. Now they were to go and wait as He had said. I’m sure they were racking their brains trying to remember all that He had told them about the Holy Spirit. I’m sure they argued and debated with one another over what they remembered. But they obeyed. They went back to the room and they waited.

List the names of the eleven disciples who were there:

Who else was with them? (See Acts 1:14.)

What did they do while they waited?

It is interesting to note that Jesus’ siblings were now there with the disciples. As far as we know, none of them had been at His crucifixion. Had He appeared to them after His resurrection? We know He appeared to James (1 Corinthians 15:7), but Scripture does not mention others.

I find it so beautiful that they prayed during this time of waiting. It was ten days of continual prayer as this ragtag bunch sought God with everything they had. What was going to happen when the Holy Spirit came? I wonder if they were praying for God to speed the Holy Spirit’s coming much like we eagerly pray for Christ’s return. Unlike the time when they left their room prior to the ascension and returned to their livelihood of fishing (John 21:1–3), this time the disciples remained together, praying constantly for God to show them what to do next.

And show them He would! But that is for next week. For now, let’s stop and do a little reflection.

Are you waiting on something from God—an answer, direction, or clarity? Write about that here or in a journal.

Have you devoted the matter to prayer? Write out your prayer.

Who are some other believers you could invite to pray with you about the matter?

As we learned yesterday, God’s timing has a very distinct purpose. His reasons for making us wait are far beyond our ability to comprehend. To be candid, I am not a big fan of being in God’s waiting room.

We are all waiting for something: a medical diagnosis, a paycheck to arrive, a promotion to be announced, a relationship to be restored, a prodigal to return, a heart to mend, a healing to occur. We’re in the waiting room for the first time or the hundredth time. And we’re here for a reason. Be still and listen intently to God today … He’s getting ready to call your name. Keep praying. Keep connecting with other believers. He is up to something—and that’s a promise!

Look back at your list of the thing(s) you are waiting on God for. Spend time before the Lord today asking Him to prepare your heart for His answer. Record anything He reveals to you below:

Look back at what He revealed to you at the end of Day 4. List a change in your life (your treatment plan) that you sense God is prompting you to make.

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