At Gateway Church in Austin, we started a series looking at the early church in the book of Acts.
What if faith was never meant to be boring, but an adventure? The book of Acts is the story of ordinary people encountering an extraordinary God, and stepping into a life they never expected.
It started with an invitation. To wait. To be filled. To trust God in a new way. And that invitation became an adventure; full of courage, purpose, and impact.
And here’s the best part, that same invitation is still open to you. No matter where you’ve been
or where you’re starting, there’s a place for you in the story.
ACTS: The Invitation… and The Adventure.
Don’t just watch it…step into it.
Digging Deeper:
Message Video from Gateway North Austin:
Message Notes from Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
From Acts 1:
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.3 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. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[c]from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” – Acts 1:1-9, 12-13a, 15-17, 21, 23, 26
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us…So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias..they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
There’s something deeply uncomfortable about waiting.
We don’t like it. We resist it. We avoid it. We fill it with noise, distraction, productivity, anything to keep from sitting still. We live in a world that trains us to believe that the faster we move, the more meaningful our lives will be. Instant downloads, same-day delivery, quick answers, fast growth. If something takes too long, we assume something must be wrong.
And yet, when we open the Scriptures—especially at the birth of the Church—we find something surprising.
The story doesn’t begin with movement. It begins with waiting.
Before there is preaching, there is prayer.
Before there is mission, there is stillness.
Before there is power, there is dependence.
The Church begins not with action, but with obedience and anticipation.
Acts 1 opens with a reminder that Jesus is still at work.
Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.3 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.
Luke writes that after His resurrection, Jesus continued to teach His disciples for forty days. Forty days of appearances. Forty days of conversations. Forty days of reinforcing everything He had already said.
Think about that. Jesus had already accomplished the work of salvation. The cross was finished. The tomb was empty. And yet, he lingered.
He didn’t rush off to heaven immediately. He stayed. Why?
Because formation takes time. Because truth needs to settle deep into the heart. Because even after seeing the resurrection, the disciples still needed preparation.
And then Jesus gives them a command that must have felt confusing:
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.”
Wait. That’s it. Not strategy. Not organization. Not mobilization. Waiting?!
Imagine being in their position. You’ve just witnessed the resurrection. You’ve seen Jesus defeat death. You’re probably thinking, Now is the time. This is when we take the message to the world. This is when the movement explodes.
And Jesus says, “Not yet.” “Wait.” Because The mission of God cannot be carried out by human enthusiasm alone. It requires divine power.
Jesus ties this command to a promise.
In John 16:7, He had already told them, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.”
That must have sounded backwards. How could it be better for Jesus to leave?
How could anything be better than walking beside Him, hearing His voice, seeing His miracles? And yet Jesus says, “It’s better.” Because the Spirit wouldn’t just be with them—He would be in them.
This is the shift.
The disciples were used to following Jesus externally. Watching Him. Listening to Him. Learning from Him. But now, they would be empowered internally. There is a time to learn and to gain direction and knowledge from the external, but Jesus is shifting them to think eternally by experiencing a new dimension of life internally by God’s spirit.
Internal power > External direction
The Holy Spirit—the Promise Keeper—would come and fulfill everything God had spoken. And not only would He fulfill the promise, He would empower the people.
Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”
Notice the order. Power first. Witness second. We often reverse that.
We try to be witnesses in our own strength. We try to live boldly, speak clearly, love sacrificially—all fueled by our own effort. And then we wonder why we feel exhausted, discouraged, or ineffective.
Jesus is saying: You don’t have what you need yet. But you will. So wait!
It’s interesting that just before this promise, the disciples ask Jesus a question.
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They’re still thinking in terms of timing and strategy. They want clarity. They want a roadmap. They want to understand the plan. And Jesus gently redirects them.
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set…”
In other words, You don’t need more information. You need transformation.
“It’s not about knowing more—it’s about receiving power.”
That’s a word for us. We often think the next step in our spiritual growth is more knowledge. Another book. Another sermon. Another podcast. Another answer. All things that are not bad, and have a rightful place of pursuit.
But the early Church didn’t start with more information. They started with surrender. They started with waiting.
Because the Christian life is not powered by what we know—it’s powered by who lives within us.
The Scope of the Mission
Jesus then gives them their assignment.
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This is the unfolding map of the gospel.
Jerusalem — where they are.
Judea — the surrounding region.
Samaria — the uncomfortable, divided places.
Ends of the earth — everywhere.
It’s expansive. It’s global. It’s impossible. At least, it’s impossible without the Spirit. And that’s the point. God’s mission is always bigger than our capacity so that we are forced to depend on His power.
After saying this, Jesus ascends into heaven. Can you imagine that moment? They’re standing there, watching Him disappear into the clouds. The one they followed. The one they trusted. The one who changed everything. Gone.
And suddenly, they are in the in-between. Jesus has left. The Spirit has not yet come. And they are left with a command:
Wait
This is one of the most defining tensions of the Christian life.
We live between promise and fulfillment.
Between calling and empowerment.
Between what God has said and what we have yet seen.
And the question is: What do we do in the in-between?
Actively Wait
Acts 1:12-13 shows us.
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.
They return to Jerusalem. That may sound simple, but it’s actually significant. Jesus told them to stay. And they obeyed. Obedience in the waiting is still obedience.
Sometimes we think obedience only counts when we’re doing something big, visible, impactful. But here, obedience looks like staying put.
Not running ahead.
Not taking control.
Not forcing outcomes.
Just trusting. They go back to Jerusalem, and then we’re told something powerful:
“They all joined together constantly in prayer.”
This is not passive waiting. This is active dependence. They are not just killing time—they are seeking God. They are aligning their hearts. They are cultivating unity.
They are preparing themselves spiritually.
Actively waiting on God is never wasted. It is formation.
God Prepares Us in the Waiting
We often think the “real” work begins when something finally happens. But in Scripture, the waiting is the work. Think about it:
Abraham waited for a promise. Joseph waited in prison.
David waited to become king. Israel waited in the wilderness.
And now the disciples wait in Jerusalem.
Why does God do this?
Because Waiting reveals what or who we trust.
It exposes our impatience, our need for control, our tendency to rely on ourselves, but it also creates space for God to do something deeper. In the waiting, God prepares us for what He has prepared for us.
While they are waiting, they also make a significant decision. Judas is gone, and they recognize the need to restore the number of the twelve. So they begin the process of choosing someone to take his place. But notice their criteria.
They don’t choose based on charisma, gifting, or potential. They choose based on:
Someone who is faithful
Someone who had been with them the whole time
Someone who had witnessed the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
They nominate two: Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. And then they do something that feels strange to us. They cast lots. It’s essentially a way of saying, “God, we trust You with the outcome.”
In a world obsessed with control, they surrender the decision. And Matthias is chosen. This moment reminds us that even in the waiting, God is shaping community. He is forming a people who are aligned, surrendered, and ready.
Here’s the tension we have to wrestle with:
We want to move —>God calls us to wait.
We want to act —> God calls us to depend.
We want to build —> God calls us to receive.
Because the power we need cannot be manufactured. It must be given. You cannot strive your way into Spirit-empowered living. You cannot hustle your way into spiritual authority. You cannot discipline your way into divine power.
The Holy Spirit is not a reward for effort—He is a gift of grace.
And gifts must be received.
The disciples didn’t know exactly what would happen next.
They didn’t know when the Spirit would come. They didn’t know what it would feel like.
They didn’t know how everything would unfold. But they knew enough to wait.
And in that waiting, something was happening beneath the surface.
Their hearts were being unified. Their dependence was deepening. Their expectations were rising. They were being positioned for purpose.
And when the Spirit finally comes in Acts 2, everything changes.
Fear turns into boldness.
Confusion turns into clarity.
Ordinary people become powerful witnesses.
But none of that happens without Acts 1 without the waiting.
We live in a culture that does not understand this. Waiting feels like weakness. Stillness feels like laziness. Dependence feels like failure. But in the kingdom of God, waiting is strength.
Isaiah 40:28-31: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
So what does this mean for us?
We’re not waiting in an upper room for Pentecost. The Spirit has already been given, and yet, we still find ourselves in seasons of waiting.
Waiting for clarity. Waiting for breakthrough. Waiting for direction. Waiting for God to move.
So how do we posture ourselves for Spirit-empowered mission?
1. We slow down enough to listen.
Waiting begins with creating space. Silence. Stillness. Turning down the noise so we can become aware of God’s presence.
2. We pray with expectation.
The disciples didn’t just wait—they prayed. They believed the promise was coming. Our prayers should reflect that same expectancy.
3. We obey what we already know.
They went back to Jerusalem because Jesus told them to. We don’t need new instructions—we need faithful obedience to what God has already said.
4. We pursue unity.
They were together. Aligned. Waiting as a community. The Spirit often moves where there is unity.
5. We release control.
Casting lots was their way of saying, “God, You decide.” Waiting requires surrendering outcomes.
The title of this message is “Wait on the Wind,” because throughout Scripture, the Spirit is often described as wind. Invisible, but powerful. Uncontrollable, but purposeful. Gentle, yet unstoppable. You and I cannot manufacture the real wind.
But you can position yourself to catch it, and that’s what the disciples were doing. They were setting their sails. They were aligning their hearts. They were waiting—not passively, but expectantly. And when the wind came, they were ready.
Maybe you find yourself in a season of waiting right now.
And if you’re honest, it’s frustrating. You want clarity. You want movement. You want answers.
Let me ask you a series of “what if” questions!
But what if this season is not a delay? What if it’s preparation? What if God is doing something in you before He does something through you? What if the waiting is where He’s forming your trust, deepening your dependence, and aligning your heart with His purpose?
The invitation is not to rush ahead. The invitation is to wait.
Because Spirit-led followers don’t rush. They wait. And when they do, they discover that the wind of God always comes—right on time.
