Post-Resurrection Living Again!

Post-Resurrection Living. . . Again

Allow me to take you to Acts 1:1-14 today. We're thinking this weekend about living as followers of Jesus post-resurrection. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave his disciples some simple instructions.
They were to wait in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came to empower them. Most of us already know that.

Think with me about what happened while they waited. I think we can learn from the things the disciples did while they waited. They way they began their post-resurrection living offers us insight into how we, too, can live with power in our lives.

First, I want you to notice that the disciples chose to obey Jesus' instructions. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait. That's what they did. Verse 12 tells us that they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and went into an upper room. The men who would become the apostles and some of the other disciples obeyed that very simple instruction. All of us who want to live with post-resurrection power must understand the importance of obedience. Everything else flows out of the choice to obey.

The next thing we notice is the spirit marking the disciples while they waited. Verse 14 shows us that the men and women gathered in that upper room were waiting with one accord. We sometimes saw the disciples bickering and divided while Jesus was alive. That behavior is gone! In fact, if you follow the events of the first few chapters of Acts, you'll notice the "one accord" theme recurring through those early days of the church. Most of belong to churches that hardly ever experience one accord. That lack of unity hinders the work of God's Spirit in our midst. Each of us can choose to contribute to unity or diminish that unity. What do you choose?

Finally, those men and women in the upper room prayed. (1:14) They prayed for each other. They prayed for the people of Jerusalem. They prayed for God to use them for His glory. As you follow the development of the early church in the Book of Acts, you'll see that every major movement of God began after God's people prayed. You and I have yet to learn what God can do when we live obedient lives in harmony with our brothers and sisters and pray for God's work.

Obedience. Unity. Prayer. These simple steps will take us to a post-resurrection life marked by God's power and blessing. They are qualities of life that will mark us as followers of Jesus. We can't ask for more than that. - Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River and our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor.

Today's Scripture Reading - Judges 9-10; Luke 5:17-39

Great Quote For You to Think About: If you can't be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape. - Anonymous