The placards proclaim, ‘The end of the world is nigh!’ Despite the majority of people carrying on as though this world will continue as it is for ever, there is a general interest in topics like the ‘end times’ or the apocalypse. Humans are curious creatures; we like to know as much about the future as possible, with some turning to clairvoyants and others to try to see into the future. Prophecies about the end times have been circulating for years, with many of the dates for the end of the world already having been exceeded!

The early disciples were no different to us. In that 40-day period between the resurrection and the ascension, Jesus’s disciples asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ (Acts 1:6) They had been told about the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by the Father and were curious to know what this restoration of the kingdom would look like and when it would be.

Jesus was unequivocal in His response: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’ (Acts 1:7) This is a consistent theme in the Bible. (1 Thess 5:1-6, 2 Pet 3:1-10) We are urged to live in the light of the Second Coming of Jesus and given many pointers to what will happen when He returns (see also Acts 1:10-11), but at the same time, we do not know when this will happen. All the prophecies giving specific times and dates can be safely ignored in light of these facts, though this should not cause us to become complacent or apathetic (see Matt 25:1-13, Matt 24:1-51). God wants us to live in constant readiness. As Paul says, ‘since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.’ (1 Thess 5:8) We have just learnt a new children’s song which touches on this theme:

‘Awake or asleep,

How’re you gonna be, when Jesus comes back from heaven?

Are you gonna be ready for Him,

When Jesus comes back to earth?’ (‘Awake or Asleep,’ Garry Turner)

We are called to be awake, alert, ready. We might not know the date or the times, but we know the facts. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again!

We have already said that the book of Acts could be summarised as ‘the continuing word and deeds of Jesus by His Spirit through His apostles.’ (John Stott) In this book, we see how the Godhead (Father, Son and Spirit) work in perfect unity and harmony to fulfil God’s purposes.

This unity runs throughout the whole Bible. At creation, we see how the Spirit of God was hovering above the waters (Gen 1:2) and are told that nothing was made without Jesus (John 1:3, Col 1:16). Throughout the gospels, we see how Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19) and how He promised His disciples ‘another comforter’ (or advocate) after He left earth (John 14:16).

Jesus was conceived when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary (Matt 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35) and throughout His earthly ministry, we see the importance of the Holy Spirit: how He descended on Jesus like a dove at His baptism (Mark 1:10), how Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil (Matt 4:1), how His ministry was performed by the Spirit of God (Matt 12:28). He taught about the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus (John 3:5-8) and reminded us that we need to worship God by the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). This emphasis on truth is further affirmed when teaching the disciples about the Holy Spirit in John 14-16; Jesus says that the Spirit of truth will guide us into all the truth (John 16:13).

Jesus lived and taught while on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way, he demonstrated to us what a Spirit-filled life looks like. He did not do miracles or works because of his deity; He worked in his humanity through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we are called to do. We may feel this is impossible, but the promises of Jesus (John 14:12) and the evidence of Acts show us that this Spirit-filled, Spirit-led life is indeed possible and should be the norm for those who are following Jesus.

The first followers of Jesus were not renowned for their bravery. Peter, despite all his bluster and bravado, denied Jesus three times and when Jesus was arrested, most disciples fled. They were not expecting the resurrection, despite all that Jesus had told them previously (no wonder he called the disciples on the road to Emmaus foolish and slow to believe! (Luke 24:15)) It’s quite impossible, even as we reach the end of the gospel stories, to believe that this group of followers could turn the world upside down in a matter of thirty years.

How did this transformation happen? Obviously the appearance of the risen Lord – alive despite suffering the most agonising death imaginable – had a large part in this, but Luke makes it clear in the opening chapter of Acts that something more was still needed. Instruction from the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity and himself God) was needed (Acts 1:2); the disciples were urged to ‘wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 1:4-5)

The key verse in the whole of Acts is found in this opening chapter: ‘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.’ (Acts 1:8) Here, we have the explanation as to how this raggedy group of people, from all different walks of life, could effectively evangelise the known world at the time. They did so not because of their own power or godliness (Acts 3:12), but because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. (Acts 2)

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the Holy Spirit as the source of the power behind the signs, wonders and preaching of the apostles; the apostles proclaim Jesus to be alive and still working miracles through ordinary people by His Holy Spirit (Acts 4:10-12, 29-31). We need to grasp this fact if we are to see the signs, wonders and church growth which the early church experienced.

No amount of learning, studying, effort and hard work can make up for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We need to receive this gift from God gladly and thankfully. A gift is not earned; it is simply received with gratitude. Let us wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit and receive Him with open hands and open hearts, for He leads us into life, teaching us, guiding us, rebuking us and pointing us to Jesus. (John 16:5-15) Only as we move forward with the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit can we hope to see the church growth for which we long.

The beginning of Acts gives us a clue as to what happened in the 40 days between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension into heaven: ‘After his suffering, he presented himself to them 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.’ (Acts 1:3)

Christianity is based on historical fact: God’s intervention in history in the person of His Son, Jesus, whose life, death and resurrection form the foundation stone of our faith. (1 Cor 3:11) Christians need to be able to defend their faith and Luke’s purpose in his gospel and the book of Acts is to give them solid facts to help them do this.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are pivotal to our faith, being the fulfilment of prophecy and the vindication of all Jesus said and taught. As such, many have attempted to come up with alternative explanations:

1. that Jesus didn’t really die; he merely fainted from exhaustion and loss of blood. Everyone thought him dead, but later he was resuscitated and the disciples thought it to be a resurrection. The sceptic David Friedrich Strauss – himself no believer in the resurrection – gave the deathblow to any thought that Jesus merely revived from a swoon: ‘It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to his sufferings, could have given the disciples the impression that he was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life, an impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry. Such a resuscitation could only have weakened the impression which He had made upon them in life and in death, at the most could only have given it an elegiac voice, but could by no possibility have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm, have elevated their reverence into worship.’ [David Frederick Strauss. The Life of Jesus for the People (London: Williams and Norgate, 1879, 2nd ed.), Vol. 1, p. 412.]

2. that the body was stolen by the disciples while the guards slept (Matthew 28:1–15). The depression and cowardice of the disciples provide a hard-hitting argument against their suddenly becoming so brave and daring as to face a detachment of soldiers at the tomb and steal the body. They were in no mood to attempt anything like that!

The authorities would have loved to produce a body to refute the claims of the disciples that Jesus was risen, but the fact that they never did so is compelling evidence that there was no body to produce. The Bible gives an account of several post-resurrection appearances (see Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, 1 Cor 15), not only to one or two people but to five hundred at one time (1 Cor 15:6). We need to have the confidence to proclaim our risen Saviour as those early followers did. Peter proclaimed, ‘God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.’ (Acts 2:32) May this be our proclamation also and may we be equipped to share the gospel with confidence in its truth and historical veracity.

Are you the type of person who likes to be well-prepared or do you prefer last-minute spontaneity?! It’s interesting to me that when it comes to travel and holidays, both types are catered for. If you want to travel long distances by train, it pays to be well prepared; ‘Advance’ tickets are usually much cheaper than if you buy tickets on the day. On the other hand, holiday websites like www.lastminute.com can offer incredibly good value holidays at the last minute for those who just want to decide and go!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is the period in the Christian calendar which leads up to Easter when Christians traditionally prepare to remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, those events which are at the heart of our Christian faith. Traditionally, this 40-day period (40 fasting days and 6 Sundays) has been a time for fasting or giving something up, but it’s actually about much more than trying to lose weight or earning God’s favour through good works. In our busy schedules, God is so often squeezed out, and Lent reminds us – as Advent does before Christmas – that God deserves our attention all the time, not just on ‘feast days’.

The challenge of Lent is to stop… pause… remember… learn… act. There are many ways to do this, especially in this digital age! Below are some websites offering devotionals and other ideas to make this period of time meaningful and reflective, but truly, all that is required is a heart willing to pause and invite God in to the everyday a little more.

Lent resources

• The 40 Acts Challenge looks at simple ways of being generous and living out our fait

• Compassion (the charity we support which helps Bedline in Haiti) offers 40 free devotionals through Lent
• Church denominations often offer free devotionals (e.g. the Church of England or the Evangelical Alliance)

Moods – that temporary state of mind or feeling which determines so much of our day – are notoriously fickle. They come and go. Some days we’re in a good mood, feeling on top of the world, smiling radiantly and exuding optimism. Other days we’re morose and grumpy, irritated and easily antagonised. In between, we feel bored, anxious, fed-up, miserable, jealous, angry, stressed and even-tempered.

Moods very often determine our actions, whereas David in the Bible looks at life the other way round and decides that his actions will direct his moods – or at the very least his actions will not be influenced by them or by his circumstances. Psalm 34 was written at a difficult time when he had to pretend to be insane before Abimelek in order to save his own life. Yet David’s determination was to bless the Lord at all times and to speak out His praise. (Ps 34:1)

Praise and worship are not chance. We choose to bless God at all times. Praise does not always spontaneously happen; we don’t have to be in the right mood in order to praise God. Sometimes – more often than not, in my experience – praise is the result of a steadfast choice, not an ebullient mood.

We choose what we say and need to choose to speak objective truth and not be led by subjective feelings. Truth is truth whether we feel good or not. (‘What’s true in the light is still true in the dark,’ as Rend Collective sing in their achingly honest song, ‘Weep With Me’, a lyric which is pretty much my life motto.) It’s not hypocritical to speak truth when our hearts are breaking and our experience is presently dull and tarnished. It’s actually a sign that we are growing away from the influence of moods and are learning to bless God no matter what. It’s a sign that we’ve grown up enough to realise moods are not the barometer of our faith. Obedience is.