A Time for Waiting

Acts 1:12-26

Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 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. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

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

“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,’

and,

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 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.”

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

What happened during the ten days between Ascension and Pentecost? Sometimes the Bible skips long periods of time. We know only one account about Jesus between his birth and his baptism. That’s almost thirty years of silence. Scripture jumps hundreds of years between the time of Joseph and Moses. It only gives a list of names in Genesis to show that a thousand years passed between Creation and the Flood (Genesis 5). But the Holy Spirit chose to tell us what was going on during those ten days between Jesus’ ascension to heaven and Pentecost.

 The disciples didn’t just sit on their thumbs while they waited for the promised Holy Spirit. Filled with faith, they joined together with the other believers, about 120 people, and prayed. And not just one day out of ten. They “prayed constantly” (Acts 1:14).

 They also prepared themselves for the work they were going to do. Jesus had told them, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). They may not have known exactly when the Holy Spirit was coming, but they knew he would. They wanted to be ready to go out and preach the good news.

 Part of that meant having enough manpower. Peter, speaking from Scripture, mentions that there needs to be a replacement for Judas. Yes, Judas had betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, but Peter mentions, “He was one of our number and shared in our ministry” (Acts 1:17). They were down a man. Just as the Holy Spirit had foretold (though not desired), one of Jesus’ disciples would betray him. His house would be deserted, but his position of leadership had to be filled.

 Peter and the other believers leave this to the Lord. The Lord had chosen the original Twelve. He would now choose the replacement. The believers choose two men, who had been with Jesus from baptism to ascension—Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas Justus. The Lord chose Matthias, and he became an Apostle.

 We are in a time of waiting. We are still waiting to fully reopen. We are waiting for more news about what we can do. And yet, like the disciples, we are not going to just sit on our thumbs. Though we are waiting, it is also time for work. Filled with faith in Jesus and forgiven by him, we want to continue the work of God's Kingdom.

 Like the believers in Acts, we can pray. Now more than ever we have time to pray. We can we pray for? We can pray that God spare us from the virus and that he take it away. We can pray that he keeps us all healthy. We can pray that people keep their jobs or find new jobs. We can pray for our leaders to make good and wise decisions. We can pray for healing in our divided nation. We can pray for peace in our families. We can pray for God to give us opportunities to do his work. We can pray for the people who do not know Jesus. All this we can pray because God hears our prayers through faith in Jesus.

 Like the believers in Acts, we can prepare ourselves for the work we will do when the waiting is over. The council is currently working on the ministry plan for the coming year. The work for God's Kingdom does not stop. When the ministry plan is sent out, look it over. See what ministry we hope to accomplish in the next year. Look at the different ways you can serve, not just by giving your offerings, but by offering your time and your talents to God's work.

 We have also been approached by the District Mission Board to explore planting a new church to the north. Please pray for these efforts. Ask questions. Not just of the leadership, but of yourself, “Can I be involved in something like this?” Pray about that, too.

 There’s plenty of work to be done in Plano as well. Did you know that there are 65,000 people living within two miles of church? Did you know that 20,000 of those people say they don’t believe in God? The fields are ripe. The harvest is waiting. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). And know that you might be the answer to your own prayer.

 Of course, there’s also plenty of work to do in your own neighborhood. Yes, that includes reaching out to the 30% or so that say they don’t believe in God. But there are many ways to serve God in your neighborhood by serving your neighbor. There are many ways to serve God in your house by serving your household. We are in a time of waiting. But we can work while we wait.

 A time of waiting. Even after the coronavirus pandemic passes, we’ll still be waiting. Waiting, as we always have, for Jesus to return in glory. For now, it is day. And while it is day, we will work to the glory of our Savior God.