Loving Accountability in Action

Why are we here!

Why are we here this morning? Why do we gather for Sunday school classes, and bible studies? Why do we engage and watch online? We are here because being a people of grace growing in discipleship, takes loving accountability.

Hebrews 10:23-25 tells us why we gather. We gather to motivate one another to acts of love and good deeds. We gather to encourage one another to grow in discipleship even now that we see the day of his return drawing closer.

What does loving accountability look like in action? In the early days of the church the rapidly growing church posed a threat to the religious authorities of the day. They had arrested Peter and John and threw them in jail. While on trial they could not refute what others had seen and heard, so they released them and told them not to proclaim Jesus resurrection and saving power. Where they went upon release and what they did is what loving accountability looks like in action.

How can our gathering together look like this? Whether it’s Sunday School, gathering for coffee and the gospel of John, or even engaging online, how can these be places of loving accountability in action?

Gathering with Believers

The released disciples could have gone anywhere. They could have gone fishing, to the store, gone for coffee or anywhere in Jerusalem. Peter and John as soon as they were released went to be with other believers. Why? Because they found all the aspects of Hebrews 10:23-25 here.

Surrounded by troubling and trying times they found encouragement to cling to the hope that God will keep his promises. They found mutual encouragement and accountability to continue the work of Christ through outbursts of love and good deeds. They recognized the need to gather together for loving accountability as the day of Christ return was drawing near. The early disciples recognized the importance of being with brothers and sisters in Christ and even craved it. They needed each other to continue to grow and advance the mission of God. The same is still true today, and we are even closer to the LORD’s return.

The Action Plan

Peter and John updated their brothers and sisters in christ about what the religious authorities had told them. When they heard the report, they could have conducted a committee meeting to determine how to avoid the attention of the religious authorities, they did not do this. They could have exposed the treatment of the religious authorities to the public, they did not do this. They could have decided the risk to their lives was too great and folded up shop, they did not do this. They had a spiritual action plan.

The believers gathered when they heard all that had happened, they lifted their voices together in prayer to God. Their response was to go boldly before God’s throne of grace and pray.

In this prayer they remember God’s soverignty, and his incredible power to create, reminding them of who God is and who’s mission they are carrying out. They recalled Holy Spirit inspired scripture, and all that the political authorities had done to conspire against the mission of God.

What we don’t find in their prayer requests is for God to change their situation. They don’t pray for the destruction of the religious leaders. They don’t pray for the persecutions to end. They don’t pray that God would change the mission. They prayed for two vitally important things.

They prayed for renewed strength to preach the gospel with great boldness. They prayed for God to work in miraculous ways to magnify the name of Jesus. As we see the day of the LORD’s return drawing near we need prayers like this. All our gatherings need be loving accountability in action.

Conclusion

In acts chapter two God poured out his spirit upon all flesh. The group of about 150 believers were gathered together in prayer. A rushing mighty wind blew the doors open and shook the room and they were all filled with the holy spirit.

Here we are in Acts 4 gathered in prayer again, and the Spirit is shaking things up again. Acts 4:31

Acts 4:31 NRSV

31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Our church, our communities need prayers like this.

We serve the same God the disciples served. He is as interested in spreading the gospel message of Christ today as we was in Acts 2. We have the same access to God as the early disciples. We have access to go boldly before God’s throne of grace, and ask him for boldness to preach the gospel, and for him to work mightily through our gathering together, through our outbursts of love and good deeds, and our prayers. If we want God to act like he did in the early church, we need prayers like the one in acts chapter 4. May God do for us what he did for the early church as we partner together in God’s mission.