Quick Backdrop
Some call it the Easter drop off, the commitment fade or the spiritual let-down. If you’re connected to a church or youth ministry, you’ve just come through the Easter season, the highpoint of the year for any church. There’s probably been an increased church busyness (which can wear you down), but also a heightened focus on the events that make the Christian faith possible. Hopefully this focus has created a growth spurt for you, but too often our spiritual peaks are followed by a spiritual nosedive. Maybe it’s because we’re physically tired or perhaps because our intensity wanes. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s keep riding that Easter momentum.
Imagine yourself as one of Jesus’ apostles just a few days after that first Easter. (Of course, it wasn’t called Easter at that point.) Talk about intense: Jesus had been tried unjustly and quickly crucified. He had been miraculously resurrected. In His reappearances, He had a seeming ability to move through locked doors. Then He was whisked away through the clouds, telling His followers in one final command to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit arrived.
The What
So, knowing the impulsiveness and impatience of the apostles, do you think they did what Jesus told them to do? Let’s take a peek. The passage below records the actions of Jesus’ followers just after He was whisked into the clouds. As you read the passage, makes notes on these observations:
a. Who was in the scene?
b. What did they do? (Be as detailed as possible.)
“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (
The So What
What strikes you about the people in this scene? By the way, if you’re looking for a story within a story, check out
• What did you notice about their actions? What action seems to be most prominent?
• Linger on this phrase for a minute: They all joined together constantly in prayer.
• What insight does this phrase give you into Jesus’ followers in this scene?
• What insight does this phrase give you into being a Jesus follower today?
Seal the Deal
So here were the first immediate “acts of the apostles” (as the Book of Acts often is called) that we see in Acts 1:
1. They walked back to Jerusalem (a Sabbath day’s walk, which is a little more than a half-mile).
2. They walked upstairs to their hideaway.
3. They joined together…constantly…in prayer.
This is what they did after the first Easter. In just a few days after that moment, they changed the world. How can these actions help you maintain your Easter intensity? The apostles’ obedience to Jesus’ command set them up to be a part of one of God’s biggest movements of all time (
Maybe you’d like to imitate these acts of the apostles. In fact, you can use the three action steps from Acts 1 as a framework for three action steps of your own.
1. Walk Back to Jerusalem
Seek to walk in obedience to Jesus. Pray about your relationship with Him, and seek to resolve any areas of disobedience or areas of miss obedience—those times when God has prompted you to do something but you have ignored or resisted the prompting.
2. Walk Upstairs to the Hideaway
Make an effort toward prayer. You can establish a room like the apostles, start a prayer notebook or create something—anything—that helps you be intentional with prayer.
3. Join Together…Constantly…in Prayer
Ask friends to join with you in prayer, in constant prayer, in fact! Start a prayer Facebook page or a Twitter feed that is nothing but prayers between you and your friends that anyone can access 24/7, which is constantly.
