Making Decisions | Acts 1:12-26
Luke's account of the church selecting a new apostle highlights three steps in their decision-making process for us to follow: (1) consistent devotion to prayer, (2) diligent Biblical application, and (3) an interdependent plan of action. This sermon is part 2 in "Building the Church," Bryan Craddock's series of verse-by-verse sermons on Acts 1-7.
I suspect that most people who aspire to become architects do so because they want to create stunning, artistic structures. But sooner or later they come to realize that most buildings are not very exciting. They might not ever work on a truly Avant Garde project. Even if they do, most of their effort will be spent on things like satisfying building codes, choosing materials, and routing plumbing and wiring. Those unexciting details are an important part of the job, but unrealistic expectations about the work can still leave you disillusioned.
Some people seem to have similar feelings about the Christian life. A lot of church teaching focuses exclusively on heroic choices and dramatic events in the Bible, the kind that make for exciting Sunday school lessons. So, you might assume that your personal experience should always be like that. When that does not happen, you wonder what went wrong.
Am I at fault in some way? Some people live with a sense of guilt that they are just not a very good Christian. They wonder if spiritual life might be more exciting, if they were better at it. Should I fake it ‘til I make it? A lot of people seem to do that. They put on a show with pious talk and exaggerated emotion. They may even convince themselves that it’s real. But others become disillusioned and give up. We need more realistic expectations.
The Book of Acts can help us. In it, Luke records several heroic choices and dramatic events in the building of the church. He begins with the apostles watching the risen Christ ascend to heaven. Then two angels appear with a message for them. Ten days later they are baptized with the Holy Spirit and 3,000 people are saved. But in Acts 1:12-26, Luke also gives us a glimpse of what the followers of Jesus did in the gap between those two great events.
They select a man named Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve apostles. As important as that may seem, there is no drama to the story. In fact, this is the only time that Matthias is ever mentioned in the New Testament. Luke is probably writing on a papyrus scroll, so he has limited space. Nevertheless, he still devotes 14 verses to this account, highlighting three steps in the early church’s decision-making process. So, why bother?
Some argue that he presents the story as a negative example. They say that the apostles were presumptuous and should have waited for the Lord to raise up Paul as the twelfth apostle. Others suggest that Luke is setting up a comparison between life before and after the coming of the Holy Spirit that would change everything. But we will see that they use a very similar process afterward. So, I think that Luke is showing us a positive example to follow for building the church and for growing in our spiritual lives.
Now we will never select an apostle, and we will see why that is the case in this passage. But we do make decisions constantly, together as a church and personally as individuals. Most of our choices are not very exciting, but they are still important. They say that the devil is in the details. The path to the most destructive sinful deeds is paved with countless bad decisions about seemingly small things. A famous architect once said that God is in the details, and that is certainly true. So, how can we honor him and build his church through the choices that we make?
Consistent Devotion to Prayer
Some people become obsessed with lifting weights. They go to the gym religiously because they want to be stronger and look better. In 1 Timothy 4:8, Paul acknowledges that bodily training is of some value. But he says that disciplining ourselves for godliness is far more important.
Consistent devotion to prayer is one of the key exercises for growing in our faith, and it is foundational for good decision making. In a sense, it is the opposite of weightlifting. Rather than picking up heavy burdens, we cast our cares upon the Lord (1 Pe 5:7). Instead of making us more powerful, it trains us to rely on his strength so that we learn to be content with our weakness (2 Cor 12:8-10).
As powerful as Jesus is being the Son of God, the Gospels reveal his devotion to prayer during his earthly ministry. Luke pays special attention to this in his Gospel. He tells us that Jesus prayed at his baptism (Lu 3:21), throughout his ministry (5:16); and all night before selecting the apostles (6:12). He was praying before he told them that he would be killed and rise again (9:18), when his mountaintop Transfiguration occurred (9:28), and on another occasion when the disciples asked him to teach them to pray (11:1). In Gethsemane before his arrest, he prayed with such intensity that his sweat became like great drops of blood (22:41-44).
Jesus’ devotion to prayer made a powerful impression on the apostles. Before making any other decisions after his Ascension, they start with prayer. Acts 1:12-14 tells us,
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Some of the details in this passage may explain their focus on prayer. As they come down the road from Olivet, they pass right by Gethsemane at the foot of the hill. Perhaps Peter, James, and John are reminded of the night before Jesus’ arrest. Matthew 26:41 tells us that he told them,
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Of course, they failed to do so. They kept falling asleep. Peter ended up denying Christ three times before the cock crowed. I suspect that the memory of that bitter experience compelled them all to pray with a sense of desperation. Shouldn’t we do the same? The weakness of our flesh and the persistence of temptation should drive us to pray.
They go back up into the city to a home where they are staying and meet in an upper room, probably the same place where they gathered for the Last Supper. Jesus made several powerful statements about prayer that night. John 15:7-8 tells us that he said,
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
John never uses the typical Greek words for prayer in his Gospel. As we see here, he only uses a word that means to ask. But prayer is more than coming to God with a list of requests. It is part of how we abide in him, an expression of our relationship with him. We meditate on his words and respond to him with praise and gratitude. As we do so, our hearts and minds become more aligned with his, and we end up asking for things that he wants and living for his glory. So even though Jesus had just left, the apostles felt the need to maintain their relationship with him through prayer, and we have the same need.
Some commentators try to find a reason for differences between the list of the apostles in Acts 1:13 and the one that Luke gives in chapter 6 of his Gospel. John moves from fourth place to second, switching with Andrew. Thomas moves from eighth place to sixth, ahead of Bartholomew and Matthew. We cannot explain these changes with any certainty, but the real surprise comes at the end of verse 14.
The brothers of Jesus come with Mary and the other women to pray. John 7:5 tells us that his brothers did not believe in him during his ministry. They took a mocking tone with him, challenging him to show himself to the world. Most of us would probably respond with similar skepticism if people thought that one of our siblings was the Messiah. What changed their hard hearts? 1 Corinthians 15:7 tells us that after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles, to other believers, and then to someone else named James. Matthew 13:55 lists James as one of Jesus’ brothers. So, his brothers were transformed by the truth of the Resurrection.
Perhaps that gave the group another compelling reason to pray. If God could lead them to faith, he can save anyone. So, we should all give God thanks and praise for his work in our hearts. We should plead with him to open the eyes of others who are lost.
So, good decisions flow out of a consistent devotion to prayer. People often make a decision and then ask God to bless it. But starting with prayer may point us in an entirely different direction.
How do you learn to pray? By doing it. It does not require a special formula or lofty words. Just talk to God and do it with other people. Just as the apostles heard Jesus pray, we can learn and grow by praying with others.
Diligent Biblical Application
Some museums house great works of art. Others feature impressive displays about history or science. But then there are ones that focus on industry and technology. They display machines and tools that were once very useful but are now outdated. They may not work anymore. We have moved on to bigger and better things.
A lot of people seem to think of the Bible like a museum piece. It may have been useful at some point in history, but they think that we have moved on. They consider it outdated and assume that it does not work anymore. Others might suppose that once the Spirit came, believers did not need to rely so much on Scripture. The opposite is true. The work of the Spirit is linked to and based upon the ongoing authority and relevance of the Bible for life today.
So, even as Spirit-filled believers, our decision-making should be driven by diligent biblical application. Luke gives us an example of this practice. He starts in Acts 1:15-17 by saying,
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry."
Peter takes the lead in raising this matter for the group’s consideration. But he does not speak on the basis of any inherent personal authority. He does not say, “Jesus is gone, so you have to do what I say now.” Instead, he demonstrates an explicit reliance upon the authority of Scripture.
He acknowledges that the Bible is a product of both God and man. King David wrote many of the Psalms around a thousand years earlier. They reflect the circumstances of his life and even his personal style of expression, yet the Holy Spirit was also speaking through him. So, the biblical writings continue to be authoritative and relevant.
Paul makes this point in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, by saying,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The Bible does not give explicit guidance about every situation that we encounter in life, but it gives us commands, examples, and theological truth to guide us. Peter was wrestling with how to respond to Judas’s betrayal. He probably spent three years serving alongside the man, traveling from town to town, listening to Jesus and witnessing his miracles. Imagine what he must have felt in his gut, when Judas came leading the way to arrest Jesus.
Luke also tells us the sad story of what happened to Judas after his betrayal. In verses 18-19, he says,
(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
There are some questions about whether this description contradicts Matthew 27:3-10. Matthew says that Judas felt remorse right away. He tried to return the money that the chief priests had given him. He then went off and hanged himself, which must have led to the terrible scene that Luke describes here. So, the chief priests purchased the field in Judas’ name using the blood money that they had given him.
Peter turns his mind to Scripture to process this whole sad situation. He probably did not have access to a written copy, but at the time, faithful Jews committed significant portions of Scripture to memory. As Peter considered the betrayal mentioned in some of David’s psalms, he thought of two passages that might guide their response to Judas. Acts 1:20 tells us that he said,
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "'May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it'; and "'Let another take his office.'
His first quote is from Psalm 69:25. It is one of David’s imprecatory prayers where he asks God to rescue him and punish his enemies. In our Old Testament texts the verse says, “their camp” rather than “his camp.” But that difference may not matter. Peter seems to quote it in opposition to his main point. It raises the possibility that Judas’s apostolic position should just be wiped out forever. He then quotes Psalm 109:8 to show the other side. This is another of David’s imprecatory prayers that is very similar to Psalm 69. But this time he prays for someone to take his enemy’s office, and Peter takes this as a prophetic reference to Judas that must be fulfilled.
There is a lot of debate over how the apostles interpret passages like these. As we read these two psalms, we might not see any connection to Judas. Some scholars say that the apostles give such passages a fuller meaning beyond what was originally intended. If so, then was that a unique authority granted to them, or should we all look for fuller meanings like that elsewhere in the Old Testament?
I think that our interpretation of the Bible should always seek the author’s original intent, and in this case, both psalms contain hints that they were intended as prophecies of Christ’s experience. Psalm 69:9 speaks of being consumed with zeal for God’s house as Jesus was when he cleansed the temple. In verse 21, David speaks of being given sour wine as happened to Jesus on the cross. Psalm 109 describes an unjust trial with false accusers against someone who has shown love and done good as Jesus did.
On a more practical level, don’t forget that Peter has no rabbinical training. Though he is a gruff fisherman from Galilee, he knows the Scripture well, thinks about it deeply, and allows it to guide his decisions. You could argue that he had extra help from God, but his example still challenges us. To make good decisions, we all need to practice diligent biblical application.
An Interdependent Plan of Action
Our society loves rugged individualism. People are always talking about being true to yourself. We admire those who go against the flow and make their own way. But Proverbs 18:1-2 warns us about the danger of being overly independent and self-willed. It says,
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
The portrayal of Peter in the Gospels reflects this headstrong mindset. He is quick to express his opinion and gets rebuked by Jesus for it. He insists that even if others fall away from Jesus, he will not. That makes it all the more humbling for him when he denies knowing Jesus. It left his spirit broken.
So, we find a different Peter in Acts 1. Previously, he probably would have made an independent decision and moved forward with it regardless of what anyone said or thought. Instead, he forms an interdependent plan of action that consciously relies upon other believers and upon the Lord.
This approach is already evident in how he shares those verses from the Psalms with the group. Having explained his rationale, he then enlists their help. In verses 21-22, Luke tells us that he said,
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."
Peter determines a course of action and defines the qualifications for a new apostle. As we saw in Acts 1:8, Jesus gave them the mission of serving as witnesses. So, only someone who had been present throughout Jesus’ ministry and saw him after he rose from the dead could fill that role.
Peter would have known who met those criteria. But he seeks input from the rest of the group, and they respond. Verse 23 tells us,
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
Since both men were qualified, couldn’t both become apostles? Apparently not. Jesus only selected twelve, and his choice seems to relate to the number of tribes in Israel. According to Matthew 19:28, he said that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. A decision between Joseph and Matthias had to be made, but how?
The gathering of believers entrusts the choice to the Lord. First, they pray. Verses 24-25 tell us,
And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."
They make a specific request for God’s guidance, and you might wonder why they did not start with that. Couldn’t God just reveal whomever he wanted? Perhaps, but they must have felt responsible for walking through this process. Peter searched the Scripture and made a plan, and the group helped determine who was qualified. They only made this request after that process. Then verse 26 says,
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Casting lots was the ancient equivalent of flipping a coin. We may think of it as something random, but Proverbs 16:33 says that its every decision is from the Lord. There is no such thing as chance in a world ruled by our sovereign God. But it is also worth noting that there is no other mention of believers casting lots in Acts or the New Testament Epistles. Perhaps no other situation was quite like this one where they had two equally qualified individuals to fill one role.
So, as we make decisions, whether as a congregation or as individuals, we must remember the wisdom of interdependence. On the human side, Proverbs says that there is both safety and victory in an abundance of counselors (11:14; 24:6). On the divine said, James 1:5 tells us,
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Don’t go it alone in making decisions. Rely upon the resources that God provides. In most cases, the right choice will become clear.
__________
This example in Acts challenges us to examine our decision-making process. Are we consistently devoted to prayer? Are we diligently applying the Bible? Are we looking to others for counsel and to God for wisdom?
It could be that the Lord has never factored into any of your decisions. If so, I encourage you to start seeking him. Draw near to God through faith in Christ. Learn his Word, confess your sins, and receive his forgiveness. Begin to honor him in the choices that you make. If you would like to learn more about how God shapes our decisions in everyday life, Romans 12 would be a good chapter to read.
If you are a believer, do you need to focus on one of these steps? Prayer, the Word, and fellowship with other believers are the basic disciplines of spiritual life. We need to avail ourselves of all three to make good choices. But keeping up with the process is not necessarily easy, and many of the choices we need to make are not flashy or exciting.
Perhaps you know someone who has become disillusioned with their faith as I mentioned earlier. Would you reach out to them? Would you listen without dismissing their frustrations? Would you pray for them and keep up with them? Trust the Lord to do his work in his time.
May we seek him with an honest faith!
Reflect
What process have you followed in making decisions?
How does your decision-making process need to change?
What could you do to support others in making godly decisions?