Preparing For A Great Move Of God (Part 1) Series

PREPARING FOR A GREAT MOVE OF GOD

Acts 1:6-11

(Antioch Baptist Church – Sunday February 22nd, 2025)

Just before He ascended, Jesus had one final conversation with His Disciples. The intent of this conversation was to prepare them for the future. He told them about the pending arrival of the Holy Spirit and He explained to them that they would be empowered to be His witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria” and even to “the uttermost parts of the earth”.

Jesus had chosen these men for a specific mission, soon that mission would commence. Before long the Apostles would go out and reach the world in Jesus’ name. Though they had received such an exciting promise, there was no way that they could know what the future held for them.

God has used this ministry for His glory over the past ??? years; and the wonderful news is that God is not finished with us yet! In fact, I believe that the best days of Antioch Baptist Church are ahead of us. For us to be the Church that God would have us to be, we must operate in a way that pleases Him. Fortunately for us, we have the Book of Acts as an instruction manual for how Christ’s Church should operate.

Jesus’ final conversation with His Apostles provides us with some information that is vital to our success. I would like to examine this passage and preach on the subject “Preparing For A Great Move Of God”.

Jesus’ parting words and the subsequent response of the Apostles show us certain precautions we must take as well as some preparations we must make if we desire to be used of God in a way similar to that of the early church. We will begin in verses 6-11 and examine:

SOME IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS CONCERNING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

This passage contains four examples of things that we must not allow to deter us from our God given mission in this world. First of all we will see that:

WE MUST NOT BE DISTRACTED BY THE UNKNOWN

v6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority”.

The Disciples were clearly interested in the establishment of the Lord’s Kingdom. Added to this is the fact that Jesus has referenced the arrival of the Holy Spirit; Certainly they remembered that Joel had prophesied about of the outpouring of the Spirit in connection with the Messiah’s glorious reign. (Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.)

These men must have thought that Jesus would soon set up His Kingdom; especially since He had said that the Spirit would be given “not many days from now.” With all these things in mind, the Disciples said "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

These men were not wrong in their anticipation concerning the establishment of God’s Kingdom. In fact, we should also long for the day when our King rules and reigns over all the earth. However, Jesus did not answer this question the way His followers wanted Him to. He did not give them a specific timeline, rather He said: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Rather than focusing on the future, Jesus turned their attention to what they should do in the present. He simply declared that God had a plan for the Kingdom and there will come a day when it is established, but those details are under God’s control and He has not chosen to reveal it.

Like the Disciples, there are times when we get distracted by the future. The Bible has much to say about the end times, God’s Kingdom, and eternity. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with studying prophecy and anticipating the return of Christ. However, we cannot spend our days gazing into the clouds and looking for the signs of Christ’s return. We cannot neglect our calling. God has a perfect plan for the establishment of His Kingdom; He is in control and that is all we need to know. If we are to be the church that God would have us to be, it is important for us to believe in the things that the Bible says about the future, but not to the point of getting distracted in the present. We can trust that God’s divine timeline is far greater than anything we could ever think or imagine.