65 WAITING TOGETHER F O O T ================================

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READING

65 WAITING TOGETHER

PRAY Lord, enable me to put aside those things which discourage me from praying and serving. —————————————————————- READ Acts 1:12-26. —————————————————————- THINK What were the qualifications of an apostle (21-22)? —————————————————————- FOCUS Jesus had told his disciples to wait for the gift of the Spirit (1:4,5). Notice how they spent their time: IN PRAYER (14). Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned for the last time in the New Testament in this prayer group. But Jesus’ brothers are now also associated with the disciples. The group gathered frequently to pray (14) and set the example for us. Without prayer, any work that we undertake will have more of ourselves than of God in it. If we want God to work, we too must meet frequently to pray. These people had a deep friendship because Jesus had bound them together. Even a former tax collector and a nationalist zealot had lost their traditional hate for each other (13). IN CHOOSING A LEADER (15-26). One shadow remained over the joy and expectation of the Christians as they marvelled at Christ’s resurrection and waited for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit – it was the tragic memory of Judas the betrayer. Jesus had chosen the twelve disciples – now only eleven remained. So Peter suggested that another person be chosen to replace Judas. Note again the qualifications of this person (21,22). We may find the casting-lots method they used to choose rather strange. But it was a sacred institution in Old Testament times and was often used to determine God’s will. However, we don’t read of this method being used again once the Holy Spirit had been given. —————————————————————-

PRAY By name, pray for Christian leaders whom you know.