“He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:3-5

Proof, preparation, and patience. Unless we are fully convinced of the resurrection of Jesus, we have nothing to share or truly live for. Once fully convinced, there is the need for preparation. We are not ready to serve and share the gospel until we have been thoroughly trained, and trained in the central message of Jesus. It is an astonishing thing to hear those who say they love Jesus but know little if anything of His main message. To truly love Jesus is to know all we can about Him, and it is impossible to miss His main emphasis if we carefully study the gospel accounts of His life and work.

Few things are as difficult as waiting, but work without waiting would have been disastrous if the disciples had not done so. Spirit power was essential to their gospel work.

The historic fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is well verified, but it means little unless it is personally experienced. A dynamic personal encounter with the risen Christ is key. But this personal encounter must be grounded in training. Until we “go to school” with Jesus, and are thoroughly taught truth by Him, we are not ready to serve Him.

There is the need for Spirit patience. It takes time to learn the prompting and flow of the Spirit. Nothing is easier than to presume concerning action and timing. The right idea at the wrong time amounts to the wrong idea. We see an outstanding example in Acts 8 of Philip, sensitively and specifically directed to a certain location at a certain time, as an individual just “happened” to be passing by, riding in a chariot. At that very moment he was reading from Isaiah, and was receptive and responsive to an explanation and understanding. At exactly the right time, he was ready to respond and be born again.

As those convinced of the risen Christ, committed to preparation and training, and waiting and responsive to Spirit prompting, an exciting adventure awaits us daily.

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