Holy Spirit and Mission, part 1

Another school year is coming to a close.  Perhaps you have taken some time to “build a memorial to the Lord” as I wrote about last week.   Some of you were very encouraged as you reflected on all the things you saw God do through you this year.  Perhaps others of you were a little disappointed that it didn’t seem that God was working as strongly as you had hoped.  Perhaps you will be encouraged by the uncertain situation that the early disciples faced in Acts 1.

The disciples had been given the charge to take the gospel into all the world…but were then immediately instructed by Jesus to wait in Jerusalem until they had received God’s power for His mission (Acts 1:8-14).

  “Go…but wait first…”  Jesus’ instructions to wait seem contrary to His instructions to go, but the disciples obediently waited.  They didn’t know what else to do, so they prayed – this is a great principle in ministry:  when you don’t know what to do, pray!

“Prayer marks the beginning of most the significant Christian movements ever begun.  The beginning of this movement [in Acts 2] would begin in Jerusalem on Pentecost, when crowds from all over the world were gathered.  The disciples, praying and waiting, did not know the reasons for the delay, but continued to devote themselves to prayer.” (from the commentary on Acts by Charles Erdman)

God didn’t tell the disciples the ‘when’ and ‘how’ of His plan to get the gospel out to the nations.  He generally doesn’t give us His detailed plan either.  The disciples waited together and prayed together.  God was at work gathering everything needed to ensure that the gospel would indeed be taken to every dark corner of the world.  In this situation, He was waiting for the most strategic and effective moment to work: the moment during the holiday of Pentecost when there would be a representative from every tribe and nation gathered together in one place who would hear the gospel in an amazing work of the Holy Spirit that made it obvious that this was a work of God.

After that, the disciples were free to travel about carrying the gospel to world as commanded.  The rest of the book of Acts records how God built this great movement through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Where are you in this process?  God has called you to bring the gospel to your campus.  Perhaps you have been praying and waiting for a long time…but still have no clear indication of when God is going to start building a movement on your campus.  What has He promised?  Do you really believe that He is already at work preparing to start a movement?  Have you stayed together devoted in prayer?  Keep reminding Him through prayer of His promises to work at your university (which means you are reminding yourself of His promises).  Keep believing Him and keep waiting, keep being devoted to prayer.  He is indeed at work gathering together all the strategic elements needed to begin a great work of God on your campus!  When it happens, you will know that it is the work of God.