What Now? week 4

Laying the Groundwork

Acts 1:12–14 ESV

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.

A high school girl wrote the following letter to a friend:

I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there. I looked for you, hoping to sit with you. I sat alone. A stranger, I wanted to sit near the back of the church but those rows were all packed with regular attenders. An usher took me to the front. I felt as though I was on parade.

During the singing of the hymns I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing. Between their sighs and yawns, they just stared into space. Three of the kids that I had respected on campus were whispering to one another throughout the whole service. Another girl was giggling. I really didn’t expect that in your church. The pastor’s sermon was very interesting, although some members of the choir didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. One kept smiling at someone in the congregation. There were several people who left and then came back during the sermon. I thought, “How rude!” I could hear the constant shuffling of feet and doors opening and closing.

The pastor spoke about the reality of faith. The message got to me and I made up my mind to speak to someone about it after the service. But utter chaos reigned after the benediction. I said good morning to one couple, but their response was less than cordial. I looked for some teens with whom I could discuss the sermon, but they were all huddled in a corner talking about the newest music group.

My parents don’t go to church. I came alone yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and feel some love. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church. I won’t be back.

Source: Author unknown

The apostles returned the half-mile to the city and went to a specific room.

1. This was notable obedience. Jesus told them to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4), and that is exactly what they did. They didn’t forget the sermon right after they heard it, and they actually did what Jesus told them to do, even though He was no longer physically present with them. Normally second-story rooms were large in first-century Jerusalem, so they offered a likely meeting place. We must avoid making a holy shrine of this or any place. It could have been the same room in which they met for the Last Supper, or the one in which the events of John 20 occurred; the specific location is of no concern. Mystical fantasies arise when we designate special locations as unusually touched by God. Remember the Samaritan woman’s argument about worshiping in Samaria or Jerusalem? Jesus regarded place unimportant; only heart attitude mattered.

Acts 1:15 tells us that there were about 120 present. This included the eleven disciples (the twelve minus Judas); along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, the brothers of Jesus (such as James and Jude), the women who followed Jesus, and others.

The brothers of Jesus never seemed to be supportive of His ministry before His death and resurrection (John 7:5, Mark 3:21). After encountering the resurrected Jesus, they were changed into true followers of Jesus.

Calvin translates with the women as with their wives, a reference to the wives of the apostles. This is the same list of disciples we find in Luke 6, but not in the same order. We see no superstars here, only ordinary people. How crucial in our day to resist a celebrity Christianity. All believers form the church and must function in response to the Lord’s command. The outstanding thing about these men is that they were not outstanding. God chose ordinary men to do an extraordinary task. They not only prayed, but they prayed together and they prayed constantly. Luke characteristically reminds us that women were included along with the disciples and Jesus’ physical brothers. This is the last New Testament mention of Mary the mother of Jesus. His half brothers, born after the virgin birth of Jesus, have already appeared in Luke’s Gospel (8:19–21).

These all continued with one accord:

2. This is notable unity. When we saw the disciples in the Gospels, it seemed that they always fought and bickered. What had changed? Peter still had the history of denying the Lord; Matthew was still a tax collector; Simon was still a zealot. Their differences were still there, but the resurrected Jesus in their hearts was greater than any difference.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication:

3. This was notable prayer. They all prayed, and they continued in prayer and supplication. The idea of supplication is a sense of desperation and earnestness in prayer.

Already, we see three important steps in making godly decisions: The disciples were in obedience, they were in fellowship, and they were in prayer.

Did the group pray for the Holy Spirit to come? Probably not, since Jesus had already said that would happen. Perhaps the important thing here is not the content of their prayers but the fact and nature of their praying. A crucial moment filled with expectation and wonder was also a moment of prayer.