The Lord
said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)
The
Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.
Acts #1 Prayer In The
Upper Room:
Acts 1:12-14
(NKJV) 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which
is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. 13 And when they had entered, they
went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and
Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus
and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with
one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with His brothers.
Luke’s Gospel describes the return of Jesus’
followers to Jerusalem as being “with great joy” Luke
24:52 (NLT) 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with
great joy. It was only “a Sabbath day’s walk” about a thousand yards;
from the Mount of Olives back to the city. There, in a large upstairs room, the
eleven apostles were staying. This may have been the same upper room of the
Last Supper and of the resurrection appearances.
Luke draws attention to five things here.
1.
They all joined “together” (“with one accord,”
KJV). What a contrast this was to the jealousy exhibited before the Cross,
where each wanted to be the greatest (Matt. 20:24).
As was mentioned before, Jesus dealt with them all
after the Resurrection, and especially Peter (John 21). Now all were restored
and re-commissioned, harboring no conflict or jealousy. All were with one mind
united together. “Together” or “one accord” (“with one mind,” NASB) in the
Greek is “with one purpose,” and is one of Luke’s favorite words. Being united
in one accord with one purpose is surely still an important key to getting
God’s work done. This is what Christian fellowship is all about.
2.
“They all joined … constantly in prayer.” This
included faithfulness to the temple at the morning and evening hours of prayer
(Acts 2:15 indicates 9 a.m. and
3:1 indicates 3 p.m.) and also
persistence in the Upper Room, which was their “headquarters.” They kept an
atmosphere of prayer and, as Luke 24:53 shows, united prayer and joyful praise
with expectation of the outpouring of the Spirit were their chief occupation
during these days (see also Luke 11:9–13; 18:1; they were asking for the
promised gift of the Spirit). United prayer and praise with expectation that
God will fulfill His promise was common in Acts and is still important if we
want to see fresh outpourings of the Spirit. (This does not rule out the fact
that times of divine visitation in the providence of God may surprise us, as in
the case of Cornelius and his household; Acts 10.)
3.
The women joined with them in prayer with the same
steadfastness. Actually, the women were present all along, supporting Jesus and
His ministry (Matt. 27:55; Mark 15:41; Luke 8:2–3; 23:49, 55; 24:1–11). In
those days, if one man was present the masculine pronoun was used for the mixed
group. Even when Peter called them “brothers” (v. 16) this included the women.
The Jews understood this. But Luke wanted Theophilus (and other Gentiles) to
know the women were present and praying, so he mentioned them specifically.
They included Mary Magdalene, Salome, Joanna, Mary and Martha of Bethany, John
Mark’s mother, Susanna, and others who had followed Jesus, supported Him
financially (Luke 8:1–3), and witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection
(Luke 23:49, 54–56; 24:1–10).
4.
Mary the mother of Jesus is given special mention.
She was present because John was fulfilling Jesus’ request to take care of her.
She was not there as a leader, but simply joined the others in humble prayer
and in waiting for the promise of the Father. We can be sure she received the
Spirit even though this is the last time she is mentioned in Acts. Some
traditions say she died in Jerusalem. Others say she went with John to Ephesus
and died there.
5.
The brothers of Jesus were present, though prior to
the Cross they did not believe on Him (Mark 3:21; John 7:5). Jesus, however,
made a special appearance to the eldest of His brothers, James (1 Cor. 15:7).
Both James and Jude became leaders in the Jerusalem church (see Acts 12:17;
15:13; 21:18; Gal. 2:9; James 1:1; Jude 1). Now these brothers were joined in
one accord with the others and waiting for the promise of the Father as well.[1]
This is a beautiful insight into the spirit of these early believers
laying out for future believers the vital importance for unity and
prayerfulness in one’s life.
