The Story - Chapter 28

Read Acts 1:4-9 (the beginning of chapter 28 of The Story) three times:

• First time, read through at a normal pace.
• Second, read slowly, noticing any phrases or words that stand out to you.
• Finally, read again, pausing at the phrases and words that stood out, considering why the Holy Spirit may be highlighting them for you.

Take a few moments to prayerfully consider the following:

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised… (v.4)     

• John Wesley believed in “watchful waiting” through means of grace. How might we practice a faithful kind of waiting - not passive, but prayerful and formational - as we seek the Spirit’s direction for our church today? What if our waiting is actually our preparation?

Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom…? (v.6)

• When we grow anxious about church decline or cultural resistance, do we find ourselves asking the wrong questions, like the disciples did? How can we shift from seeking control to seeking the Spirit?

Wait until you are…filled with the Holy Spirit. (v. 4-5)

• Bishop James Swanson shared “There is no transformation without formation.” How is the Spirit forming you? Are we seeking the Spirit’s power primarily to change the world - or first to change ourselves? How might we open ourselves more deeply to the Spirit’s work in perfecting us to love God and neighbor?