Transitions

This morning in our youth Sunday School class I shared some insights on transitions and just thought I'd share them with you.

Acts 1:9-26
As Jesus ascended to heaven, we can learn a lot about what his disciples did in His physical absence.

1. They came together. With many of the Jewish sects or religions that were popping during the time of Christ's ministry even up to today, when the leader of a group is gone, the followers often scatter. But we see initially that rather than scattering, Christ's follower came together in His absence.
-They did not return to their former lives, but took what had been taught to them and applied it - going to the upper room in obedience.
-If they had scattered and returned to their old lives of fishing, tax collecting, or something like that, that would have made the previous three years with Christ completely pointless and meaningless.
-Those times with Christ only took meaning as they applied them to their lives.

2. They depended upon the power of God through prayer. Rather than slacking off spiritually in Christ's absence, they took things to another level. Spending days in the upper room seeking the Holy Spirit.
-When a leader leaves us, it is very easy to become complacent spiritually. But rather than slacking off, we need to take things to the next level. Spend more time in prayer and Bible study.
-As we depend on the power of God, He prepares us for the next principle we see in this passage.

3. Certain disciples stepped into leadership roles they previously did not possess. In Christ's absence, certain people had to step into roles that were stretching in order for the movement to continue.
-In Acts 2, we see a multitude of people gathering outside the upper room in Jerusalem. In days and months past, Jesus would have stood before this multitude to challenge them in their faith, but with Him gone, another had to step up. That man, of course, was Peter. A man that possessed leadership qualities that even Jesus had recognized, but had never really been exercised.
-In the absence of a leader, individuals are given opportunity to step up, and usually it is in a role that is new and stretching, but the future of a movement is dependent upon these individuals like Peter, to step up.