Making Decisions Based Upon God’s Word - Acts 1-2

Acts 1:21-23 (ESV Strong's)

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.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

Making Decisions Based Upon God’s Word

In the above passage we have the disciples “waiting” in Jerusalem, as they were told by Christ.   But, in the “waiting” they decided that since Judas, one of the original twelve disciples, had both betrayed Christ and gone out and committed suicide, they needed to do something.   This “need to do something” came as a result of them looking into God’s Word and reading this passage (the verses quoted just prior to this section):

Acts 1:20 (ESV Strong's)

“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.’

This verse is a combination of Psalms 69 and Psalms 109.  The reason they felt compelled to replace Judas was because they read God’s Word.  Apparently, why they were waiting they were studying God’s word.   Although originally just fishermen and tax collectors, they became great scholars of God’s Word (note how Peter digs into the Psalms 19 in Acts 2).   These men were waiting for Jesus to send the Holy Spirit, which He does in Acts 2.  But, while they were waiting they dug into God’s word and began to make decisions. Their decision were decisions based upon something they read in God’s Word.  They did not simply start making things up.  They began to formulate the norms of the Church that day: Decisions would be based upon fulfilling God’s Word.   That is a great basis of decision making.