Week 6 (May 10-16) --Seeing the Potential -- Recognizing the potential of the orality movement that lies within the next generation.
Here we are at Week 6... Waiting had become the new normal for the disciples and the 120 gathered in the upper room. Pondering this week the end of what they were waiting for...
Remembering in this 6th week, Jesus would have ascended and the disciples would have found themselves in the middle of Acts 1:8 and the beginning of the last 10 days to the Day of Pentecost.
Just before The Ascension into heaven, a very important instruction was given...
Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day . . . Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.' -Luke 24:46, 49
Jesus instructed the disciples to 'tarry' in Jerusalem. The Greek word for tarry translated is kathizo [Strong's Concordance #G2523], which means to sit down. Jesus was instructing the restless disciples to relax and wait in Jerusalem until they received the power of God. After that is when they could go out and preach the gospel to the world with effectiveness!
Acts 1:1-11 Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Seeing this in a movie format is really powerful. If you have not yet seen this section of Scripture, there is one that is very well done. Here is the link for the A.D. The Bible Continues - The Ascension of Jesus (5 minute Episode Highlight), it is worth the time. Click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgS6Hdvi8Jw
The disciples were full of questions, full of wondering what was to come... Yet, it is quite telling that in this portion of Scripture, as Jesus spoke to them --what He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
He knew the plan. He just needed them to submit to the plan and have the want to follow and obey. It was upon them and the coming time was now with them, when a new generation was to take the lead. The potential of this group was worth the time that Jesus had invested in them. The Father knew what they could do. The same is true for today. We too, need to step into place and be ready to see the next generation be ready to carry the message. It will take some transition of mindsets, it will take time. But it is coming. It will also take a willingness for us to be ready to receive those that God is touching for such a time as this. JD Payne recently wrote and did a podcast on the Power of the Ordinary. Check it out and see if it strikes a note in your heart for what God might be doing.
written by JD
- April 23rd, 2015
If the first century disciples approached disciple making and church planting with the complexity we have in the West, the gospel would have never left the Middle East.
We want reach the world with the extraordinary working through complexity. But what if the way to reach the nations is not through such means? What if in our Father’s economy the primary way to accomplish the extraordinary is through the simple and ordinary?
In this episode of Strike the Match, I talk about these matters and that the complexity in the Kingdom is found in the King, not His commands. The extraordinary is found in the King, not His followers’ intellect, leadership capacity, experience, degrees, or charisma.
The ordinary once turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The ordinary was responsible for the Word of the Lord going forth everywhere (1 Thes 1:8).
- See more at: http://www.jdpayne.org
May we be willing to allow our extraordinary God to use the power of the ordinary to bring about His plan and purposes. We too must be willing to just follow and obey, even when we do not know the plan.
ION has been in a season of waiting and praying during this 50 days to Pentecost. Are you getting a sense of expectation as to what is to come? It will take all of us standing together, in faith. Ready to receive. . . It will take a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to carry His message into the hardest and toughest places on the earth that are left. The body of Christ is well equipped at this time, the same way they were in the first century. Let's pray that we will work together in monumental ways and step up to trust Him and believe that He will move.
Let us pray: Recognizing the power of following the King. Seeing the potential of the orality movement that lies within the ordinary that allow the extraordinary God to work. We pray now for the next generation. Acknowledging for the distant near future of the time when they must take the lead. We are asking for a greater portion of trust in you and in your purposes. We are so grateful for the generations that have gone before us. Let us, with a grateful heart pray for those that are being set in place to serve into the future. Fully trusting in God's ability to draw people to Himself -John 6:44. Trusting as God reveals spiritual truth -Matt. 16:17; John 14:26; 16:13. Standing firm that God convicts about sin -John 16:8-9. Bowing down in humble submission as God convicts about righteousness and brings His own into right standing -John 16:8,10. Knowing that He is just and will bring conviction about judgment -John 16:8,11. Give us the mind of Christ and the desire to ask for the vision of God. Lord help us to receive those that are going to be needed in this next season. Bring those with technology skills and gifts of teaching. Bring those who are oral learners and who will understand the centrality of the WORD in everything. Let us have the common sense, a sanctified common sense to know the times. We are in need of different skill-sets and the need to pass on the skill-sets that are currently in place. We are asking for a great portion of desire to see the generations walk together into the future. May these coming years be known as a new phenomena and modeling of the generations serving side by side in every nation. For your glory Father we pray.
· The disciples used ordinary sanctified common sense. Let us be people of the Word, using ordinary sanctified common sense.
[*Please note: This information will be posted in the ION Blog section of the website http://orality.net/blog ]
http://ionprayer.com/2015/05/10/week-6-may-10-16-seeing-the-potential/
