In Dependence | Acts 1:12-26

April 20, 2026

What’s your first move when something needs to get done — do you rush to fix it, or do you pause and pray? 

In this message, “In Dependence,” from our Acts series, Adam Woods walks through Acts 1:12–26 and the ten quiet days between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Instead of charging ahead with their own plans, the followers of Jesus in that upper room in Jerusalem “all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14, NIV). Their waiting wasn’t wasting; it was deep dependence.

In this sermon from The Crossing in Milton, DE, Adam shows how everything the apostles did was bathed in prayer — from searching the Scriptures to replacing Judas and stepping into their mission. He unpacks four truths: prayer reveals our need, reflects our identity as God’s children, demonstrates our faith, and expresses humble submission to God’s will. This teaching speaks directly to people wrestling with anxiety, control, indecision, and the pressure to always “figure it out” on their own. If you’ve ever wondered how to wait on God, what to do when God feels silent, or how to grow a life of dependence on God instead of self-reliance, this message will meet you where you are.

“In Dependence” offers practical language for a prayerful life: PAUSE. PRAY. PROCEED. Before the email, the conversation, the financial decision, or the conflict at home, we’re invited to stop, turn to our Father, and then move forward in faith. For those not yet following Jesus, this sermon is an invitation to explore who Jesus is, to turn from self-rule, and to consider repentance and baptism into Christ as the beginning of a new life of dependence on Him. For believers at The Crossing and across Dover, DE and beyond, it’s a call to reorder everyday life around prayerful obedience, trusting that God leads, provides, and empowers His people just as He did in the book of Acts.

In “In Dependence,” Adam Woods from The Crossing explains that prayer was the early church’s first response, not a backup plan. Looking at Acts 1:12–26, he shows how the apostles bathed their waiting and decision-making in prayer instead of rushing ahead. Prayer reveals their need, identity, faith, and humble submission to God’s will. The sermon invites listeners today to adopt the same posture of dependence through a simple rhythm: PAUSE. PRAY. PROCEED.

This message from The Crossing in Milton, DE uses the upper room scene in Acts 1 to show that waiting on God is not wasted time when it is filled with prayer. Adam Woods highlights how the disciples waited ten days in prayer for the Holy Spirit instead of forcing their own plans. That kind of waiting deepens dependence, clarifies next steps, and trusts that God sees what we can’t. The sermon offers practical help for turning stressful moments into prayerful dependence.

Adam Woods summarizes a life of dependence on God with the picture of a stoplight: PAUSE. PRAY. PROCEED. When a decision, conflict, or worry hits, we first pause instead of reacting, then pray simple, honest prayers like “God, I need You,” and finally proceed in faith. At The Crossing, this framework is presented as a way to make prayer your first response in everyday life, not just something you do when everything falls apart. It reflects the example of the early church in Acts 1.

In this sermon, The Crossing teaches that real prayer opens our hands and lets God overrule our plans when needed. Using Peter and the apostles’ decision to replace Judas in Acts 1:15–26, Adam Woods shows that they searched Scripture, used wisdom, and then surrendered the outcome to God in prayer. This models humble submission rather than demanding control. Listeners are challenged to trust God more than themselves in decisions, finances, relationships, and mission.

The main biblical message is that followers of Jesus are called to live in dependence on God, not self-reliance. Drawing from Acts 1:12–26, Adam Woods shows that the early church did not move without prayer, because prayer revealed their need, identity, faith, and submission. The sermon encourages people to turn from “I’ll handle it” to “Father, I need You,” and to respond to Jesus in repentance, baptism, and ongoing discipleship. It’s a call for the church today to become a truly praying church.

VBS 2026 at The Crossing – RainForest Falls
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