What to do while waiting.

Listen along here:  https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/4598f747/what-to-do-whi...

What happened next?

Here's what we know: Jesus was crucified, walked out of the tomb, and just over a month later ascended into Heaven, his closest followers left behind. Okay, okay, but then what? >And right here, you need to know I see faces. . . people I have met while traveling, at the gym, or conducting business around town, who do not know what came next, but they want to know the story, and they read these Morning Briefings.

Do you know that there are many who want to know what the Bible has to say ... and there are many who want to know God--but they have a bad taste of the church. Yes, there are a lot of what sociologists have dubbed the 'nones' as in the box they check when asked their religious affiliation: none. Those 'nones' are not disinterested, just unsure where to turn to get the facts, and as Joe Friday said, 'just the facts, Ma'am.'

For that we turn to a reliable source: Scripture.

[want some evidence for that claim? Read this... nothing compares: https://conta.cc/3W8pjnp]

Luke, a Gentile physician wrote one powerful, detailed account of the life of Jesus Christ. Luke's gospel covered a lot of ground! From the birth of John the Baptist to a faithful couple who were way too old to bear a child, to the angel Gabriel's visit to young Mary to tell her of the precious Christ child she would bear, to Rome's decree of a census, the catalyst for Joseph taking Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register. And in fulfillment of five dozen Old Testament prophecies, given hundreds of years before, Jesus was born. There has never been another like him.

[For the 'nones' who are reading this right now - I challenge you to look up the gospel of Luke on your device, which is probably your phone. Go to www.biblegateway.com, click on Search for a Bible passage, then enter Luke 1, (the start of the gospel); you can then read or click the speaker icon and listen. Buntha and Hakim, you can listen while driving around Boston; Tony and Megan, you can read it on your way home from work or when you get there. I can make you this guarantee: it will be the most interesting thing you consider all day, far superior to social media scrolling, or news headlines.]

After writing a wee bit about Jesus' childhood, highlighting one crystallizing moment when Jesus was 12 years old, Luke wrote about his vocation: Jesus calling the disciples, his habits, teaching, miracles, dustups with the Jewish leaders, his tender mercy--with children, a woman caught in sin brought to him to judge, and so much more. There has never been another like Jesus of Nazareth. And capture him well, Luke did.

But he knew too much to stop there, Luke continued the story in 28 chapters of what was later named the Book of Acts. Again, he dedicated his retelling of the story to Theophilus, just as he had the gospel of Luke.

As we seen in Acts chapter 1, before he ascended back to the Father, Jesus "ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father."1

And with Jesus' words ringing in their ears, his love filling their hearts, those who were closest to Jesus--his inner circle, did what he told them to do. They obeyed.

Check it out. Luke writes--wait, first

A prayer: Father, help us to read these words slowly, as they are few. What do you want us to take from them? What do we learn about you and how you want us to live? Show us, Father. May we then have the courage to obey, just as those who were left standing on the Mt. of Olives, looking into the sky. Amen.

Luke writes: Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.

Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James). They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.2

What do we learn?

>There was a group of people who obeyed what Jesus had told them to do

>They stayed together

>The group included all of Jesus' disciples, except for Judas, who had left them once he had betrayed Jesus

>Mary, Jesus' mother was there, along with several other unnamed women

>Jesus' brothers were there. Wait, brothers? James, Joseph, Judas (also called Jude) and Simon3

>And. they. prayed.

Your attention please - maybe you are in a season of waiting, as am I - there is nothing better or more important than we can do than pray. Jesus had been their example, as they often saw him seek solitude on a hillside or in a garden to pray to his Father. Again I will say, if Jesus needed to pray, how much more do you and I?

Wonder with me for a minute about what they might have prayed. "Lord, because you promised to send us the Holy Spirit, would you do it now?" "Give us courage, Lord, as the Savior is no longer with us!" "Help us stay faithful to what he taught us." "This guy next to me is really annoying, but you taught us to love, so help me be loving!"

What are you waiting for?

Keep your mind focused on what you know to be true: God is faithful, and He is good. He hears your prayers. He is with you. And he alone is the source of your peace.

Back to the Upper Room where the faithful were praying, I can imagine that John might have stood up and said to all of them, 'Brothers, dear Mother, on that night before Jesus was arrested--you know that night we all had supper together, Jesus looked at each one of us and said:

Peace I leave with you; 

my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your hearts be troubled,

neither let them be afraid.4

It all makes sense now, doesn't it, Fellas? Jesus knew how we would feel right now, and he wanted us to be at peace. O man, how he loved us!'

So as they did, we do - we wait, watch, pray and trust him. Oh yeah, and one more thing: we stick together.

Come, Jesus Come. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SF9xrCtdgE

Jesus makes the waiting peaceable,

Christine - PastorWoman.net

Acts, no.2

1 - Acts 1.4

2 - Acts 1.12-15

3 - Mark 6.3

4 - John 14.27