Acts 1:7-8 (ESV) – [Jesus] said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
As a young Christian new to Spirit-filled churches, I was always fascinated by people who often inserted the words, “The Lord told me,” into their conversations. I did not have an experience of unmistakable divine revelation on a daily basis. I wondered if there was something wrong with me or if I needed to develop some special skill so I could hear everything from God. I used to agonize in listening prayer for some major decisions, and I often heard nothing at all.
Those questions stayed with me as I entered into full time ministry, and seventeen years ago I began an in depth study of how the apostle Paul made decisions as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles to see if God gave him special divine guidance in all of the decisions he made. I have returned to that subject many times since for my own personal decision-making and to help others make better decisions. When I began teaching the graduate course, The Shape of Practical Theology, on my arrival at Southeastern University, I saw what I discovered in that first study should form a practical theology for Holy Spirit-filled Christians. Several encouraged me to take the Story Shaping model I developed for that course into a book that could help anyone make better decisions. With help from colleagues and friends and the incredible team at Zondervan, my first book from a major publisher, How to Make Big Decisions Wisely: A Biblical and Scientific Guide to Healthier Habits, Less Stress, a Better Career, and Much More, comes out February 25, 2020.
My personal devotional study through the Bible has returned to the Book of Acts, and I thought it would be helpful for me to take a fresh look again in my reading and reflection on the Greek text. There are always new and fresh insights when we come to the scriptures with an open heart. As I find inspiring thoughts related to biblical decision-making, I will write a few for PowerWords that I pray will be inspirational and helpful for you, as well.
It only took a few verses into Acts to see the core concept I discovered seventeen years ago spoken by Jesus himself. The disciples wanted to know if one of the key hopes of the nation of Israel was about to happen. Look at his response: “It is not for you to know…” Jesus’ words here confirm that he will not tell us everything. If he did not answer the question asked by the disciples he’d spent every day of the previous three years with, should we expect him to tell us everything we want to know?
Yet, Jesus did tell them something that would happen. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jesus gave them what many Christians call the Great Commission with an incredible promise of power and effectiveness. Eleven confused young men on a hill outside Jerusalem never could have guessed on their own that a worldwide church with a billion-and-a-half people would emerge in fulfillment of Jesus’ words that day. He gave them specific divine guidance a few verses earlier in telling them to not leave Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit and the prophetic promise in Verse 8 describing what would happen.
I believe God still works the same way today. He often will let us know what he wants us to do and what will happen, but he does not always speak clearly and specifically. We can and must make most of our decisions on our own, but let’s be ready to listen when he speaks.
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