LGC - Unstoppable Part 02

Curriculum

Dive Deeper

Unstoppable (Part 2)

Henson Lim

INTRODUCTION

The Bible is filled with stories of God’s people moving boldly for the advancement of His Kingdom. But it is no secret that the Bible is also filled with situations where God’s people must first wait.

Waiting is difficult. This is more so in a modern world where you can get everything almost instantly – whether it’s cooking your food or getting search results for an enquiry on the Internet. In fact, you can now take online quizzes and get instant evaluations of your skills, personality, and even spiritual gifts.

Yet, God works differently. As we go into the Word and learn more about Him, we will discover that in order to be unstoppable in our partnership with God to advance His kingdom, we must learn to be strengthened through the process of waiting.

DISCUSSION

Think of a situation when you were promised something, but the promise took a very long time to come to pass. It could be the promise of a job offer from a prospective employer, or the promise of a friend or family member to call you.

a. Share the situation with your Lifegroup. Did you persevere? What did you do while waiting? What were the thoughts that crossed your mind during the waiting period?

b. What does this lead you to believe about God’s nature?
Jesus’ disciples were put into a similar situation after they watched Him ascend to Heaven. The following verses describe Jesus’ instruction to the disciples before His ascension.

• “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:4-5

• “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 24:49

Jesus did not give any indication of when the Holy Spirit will come to them, apart from a vague implication that it would take “not many days from now”. As we move forward to Acts 2:1-4, we learn that the Holy Spirit falls on the disciples on the day of Pentecost, which is 10 days after Jesus’ ascension.

a. If this was already fore-planned by God, why do you think Jesus did not reveal the specific number of days?

b. What promise of God’s are you waiting for today? What does your answer to part (a) tell us about how we should be waiting?
Acts 1:12-26 provides us with a glance into the events that took place during these 10 days.

a. Read verses 12-14. What did the disciples do during this period? List them out. What does this tell you about waiting?

b. Read verses 15-26.

• While the disciples were waiting, Peter called for the church to reassign Judas’ position as an apostle to another. Why did he think it so important to do so?

• How did the disciples choose the new apostle? What might this tell us about their view of God as they waited?

• What does this show you about how you can live your life as you wait on God’s promises?

• What we can trust in God to do as we wait today?
Acts 1:15 tells us that 120 disciples had gathered during this waiting period. Compare this with Paul’s report of the number of people Jesus had originally appeared to in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Based on Paul’s writing, what caused the drastic change in numbers? What warning does this give us with regard to our wait today?
With all that has been discussed, has your idea of God’s nature changed or remained the same? If it has changed, how so?

WHAT WILL YOU DO

Why doesn’t God fulfil His promise and purpose for us immediately? We can take a leaf out of the story of Israel and their deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 13:17-18). God often takes the ‘longer route’ in order to build up our endurance and character!

Want to know how to build your character during a time of waiting? Pastor Henson gives us 6 practical pointers.

1. Proof
It is exciting to receive a promise from God, and also very easy to respond positively to an altar call. The real test of faith and commitment only comes when God moves on His own time.

2. Purpose
Plant yourself with a group of Christ followers who share the common goal and purpose. We are more likely to stay faithful to the course when we journey with others.

3. Processing
Don’t be quick to move back into ‘regular programming’ of life right after that moment of promise or learning. Take the time to process with a community, and align with the Word to know what God is saying with regards to all you have received. Very often, the ’numbness’ to the promise returns because we do not take the time to process.

4. Pentecost
Only God knew and ordained the timing of the arrival of the Holy Spirit – that is, on Pentecost. Likewise, He knows and ordains the timing of His plans for your life. Choose to submit to the timing rather than run on your own.

5. Pray
When the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, they were gathered together in prayer (Acts 1:14, Acts 2:1). Continue to connect with His heart in prayer, in and out of season.

6. Examine the Core
Through prayer, Peter saw the need to restore the leadership back to God’s intended order. Likewise, let us examine the areas of our lives which need realignment and restoration back to God’s way. What is the condition of the core? Consider it in the following areas:

• Personal
• Marriage
• Family
• Church
• Work/business/school

MEMORY VERSE

”And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:4-5 NKJV

Appendix

The meaning of the number 12