Love you Scituate...more than you know.

3/12/2012

Acts 1:4- “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift of my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.’”

Interpretation: The gift Jesus is referring to which the Father had promised them is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who he had spoken about before. In John 16:7 he says, “But I tell you the truth: It Is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” So what was the importance about the disciples staying in Jerusalem? The significance was great. Jesus continued to tell them in Acts 1:8 that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them, and will be his witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The implications of them staying in Jerusalem at this time may have scared some of the disciples. At this time there was great chaos around the disciples because of the resurrection of Jesus. They could all expect to be persecuted for proclaiming the good news, yet Jesus tells them to stay until they receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost and Peter and John defend themselves before the Sanhedrin. Many miracles are done and many believers are added to the church. Stephen is martyred later on, and in Acts 8:1 it is written, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” It is God’s will that we stick around our hometowns and spread the good word. If not a specific place of birth, our hometowns could be considered our family, and our network of friends and the people that we know. It is his will that we, as a group of believers, reach to all ends of the earth, without forgetting those people closest to us. Persecution may eventually allow us to brush the dirt off our sandals and move on, but it is important to know where our faith, hope, and power come from. Matthew 10:19-20 says, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” The Holy Spirit is God living inside of us, and it is by his power that the work of the Father will be completed.

Application: My Jerusalem is my hometown in Scituate. God has put it in my heart to commit to visiting my high school while I’m home to be a witness to my old teachers, knowing that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through me and living in me that lives will be changed.