Acts 1:6 NLT
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
How many times have you, believing you understood scripture, formed an opinion about what you and others might do in obedience to God? And how often have such judgements proved false, meaning you did not discover God in the way or place you anticipated? This has been my experience more times than I would like! There is nothing wrong with an enquiring heart and mind. However, assuming I can fathom the appropriate answer to my enquiries is sometimes to engage in a wild goose chase.
The apostles are excited at being reunited with Jesus following the events of Easter. They may still have failed to appreciate the full relevance of that resurrection. Quickly they adjust to time with the risen Christ, their minds filled with questions about the nature of God’s kingdom. The disciples must have felt they were on the edge of entering a new and exciting time. They had already tasted of this new kingdom. Jesus had already promised that it would be experienced in part on earth, as it is in heaven. However, like us, these disciples were incapable of separating it from the social, political and economic context in which they lived. Excited, the disciples assume this new season of encounter with Jesus will birth a new Jewish kingdom. Will there be a more glorious Maccabean revolt ending the Roman occupation of Israel? Their minds are limited to their own understanding of history and theology.
Later they discover they are the frontline in a whole new mission throughout the earth. They will need to prepare for this mission. They will need to pause and discover how they might draw directly upon God’s resources to empower them. It will require a completely new way of looking towards God, at themselves and the context within which they live. A time of preparation.
QUESTION: What questions do you want to ask God? Are you maybe asking the wrong questions?
PRAYER: I pause and invite you, risen Christ, to present me with the questions you want me to explore so I can be part of bringing your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Released on 18 May 2020