Recently God has been absolutely rocking my world in the book of Acts…I’ve been writing down some thoughts that I am praying/wrestling through and wanted to share some of the things I am learning here at this site.
(Not sure how long this series will last…may come in posts over the next several months)
#1 - Jesus MUST Drive The Vision Of The Church - Acts 1:6-8
In this section of Scripture the Apostles asked Jesus if He was going to restore Israel, in other words, “are you going to do what WE have been expecting You to do all along?” (Evidence that even after three years of walking with Him and seeing Him risen from the dead they still didn’t completely get it! BUT…I can’t judge them…I am a work in progress as well!)
He offers a rebuke in verse seven…and then in Acts 1:8 He lays out the vision for the church. (Which we see fulfilled by chapter 10! Acts 1-7 is Jerusalem, Acts 8-9 is Judea and Samaria, and Acts 10 is the Gentiles, which begins “the ends of the earth.”)
The vision was simple—clear—and unmistakable. Jesus didn’t apologize for it or try to defend it…He said it and obviously the Apostles took it to heart.
When a group of leaders will commit themselves to seeking the face of Almighty, hearing from Him and then doing what He says…the church can accomplish so much more than it ever imagined.
We can never let our passions and ambitions drive the church…but rather HIS passions and ambitions coming out of us!
One of my constant prayers is, “Jesus, teach me to see as You see and feel as You feel so I can be passionate about what matters to You!” He’s GOT to be the driving force behind what is happening in the church…or the church will be fruitless, boring and unproductive.