Leaders require certain qualifications and equipment for their task in a particular field, and many are totally unaware of this necessity and flounder on in their own inadequate strength and try to muddle along. I was once in this very situation.
What I am describing here is not theory, and nor is it religious philosophy.
Before the risen and living Jesus ascended back to God the Father, He instructed His disciples, to wait in the city of Jerusalem until they had received the power of the Holy Spirit.
They were going to be obedient to Jesus. It always pays to be obedient to Jesus. They patiently wait and faithfully pray.
In verses 15 and 16 of Acts Chapter 1, Peter emerges as the leader, yet they are all brothers. The task is to seek a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus and who had gone on to commit suicide.
His ministry should be given to another. We read the tragic details of what happened to Judas the betrayer.
Peter quotes from the Scriptures. There have been many Bible studies since Jesus Christ went to the Cross. Now, Peter is reminding them of what is in the Word of God. Right to the very end of his life Peter continued to remind people of matters and issues which were important. We learn that in his letters, which were written some 30 years later.
The replacement for Judas has to be someone who has been with us, and with Jesus, from the beginning.
Two appear to be qualified. Joseph and Matthias. They pray – and draw lots. We may smile at that, but remember the Holy Spirit has not yet been poured out. Today, we occasionally experience methods which are no so commendable, when selecting and appointing leaders.
Casting lots was an Old Testament method. This was the very last occasion it was used, and it does take the decision out of human hands. From Pentecost on, the Holy Spirit would lead in a new way.
Peter realises the importance of being an eyewitness – a man with a personal experience of the risen Jesus. Matthias is chosen.
So here, at the end of Acts Chapter 1, we have the picture of a Church which has so much, and yet hasn’t enough. See the picture clearly. They are studying the Scriptures. They believe that Jesus Christ is risen and alive. They have seen Jesus ascend.
They are faithful, prayerful, united, and are eager to do The Will of God. These are real people, waiting and praying.
We have no idea at all what it must have been like for these disciples, but they are inside a room and not getting out. They so need the power and fire of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had said that as John took men and plunged them in the waters of the Jordan River so you will be plunged in the Holy Spirit. Jesus had also said, “I will be with you. I will not leave you as orphans. It is better if I go away, then the Comforter could come, and He would be the One who would draw alongside and fortress”.
These must have been difficult sayings for the disciples at that particular time. We cannot imagine what must have been surging through their hearts and minds as they patiently waited and prayed. We take so much for granted.
Jesus is now able to do things, which he could not do if He remained on earth. Jesus can be with you and He can be with me, through the Holy Spirit, but these disciples are right in the very middle of that transitional stage.
And, then it happened, fifty days after Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and the world would never again be the same!
Sandy Shaw
Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled “Word from Scotland” on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.
His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.
Sandy Shaw
sandyshaw63@yahoo.com
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