2. Strength of the Infant Church

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Hymns: RHC 423 Follow, I Will Follow Thee 30 When This Passing World Is Done 426 Wherever He Leads I Go 

Acts 1:12-15 (KJV)

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. 13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother 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 brethren. 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

Spiritual Strength of the Infant Church

OUTLINE

  • Coming to Pray (v12-13a)
  • Comrades in Prayer (13b)
  • Continuing in Prayer (v14-15)

INTRODUCTION

Leonard Ravenhill in the classic on Revival entitled “Why Revival Tarries” wrote, “The Cinderella of the church today is the prayer meeting. This handmaid of the Lord unloved and unwooed because she is not dripping with the pearls of intellectualism, nor glamorous with the silks of philosophy; neither is she enchanting with the tiara of psychology. She wears the homespun of sincerity and humility and so is not afraid to kneel!”

He says, “…prayer is conditioned by one thing alone that that is spirituality…no man is greater than his prayer life…the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers but few agonizers…the highest ministry of all human offices is open to all is the ministry of prayer. This is a ministry of prayer…But the spiritual adolescents say, “I’ll not go tonight, it’s only the prayer meeting. Satan from past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to light against God’s people praying.”

Dear friends, to be much for God, we must be much with God. Prayer is to the believer what capital is to the business man. God is not prodigal with His power. It’s because we do not seek Him, we have no power, no power to live a victorious Christian life, no vision and no passion! A sinning man will stop praying and a praying man will stop sinning. God wants us to be bankrupt and beggared before Him to plead for His blessing and unction without which we maintain merely a life in the flesh.

The infant church in Jerusalem in her prayer life has much to impart to a local church like ours.

Three thoughts:

  • Coming to Pray (v12-13a)
  • Comrades in Prayer (13b)
  • Continuing in Prayer (v14-15)

(1) Coming to Pray (v12-13a)

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. 13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room…

Members of the infant church witnessed the ascension of Jesus Christ from the Mount of Olives. It was a specular event to see our Lord ascending and a cloud received Him out of sight. If you are Christ’s disciples who walked with the Master for 3 ½ years in His ministry on earth, the parting must be hard.

Just like the departure of a parent who has taken care of you since you are a baby, unable to help yourself. You are nourished with milk from the mother’s breast. You are fed with the formula milk that the father or mother has to prepare every three hours. Singing to you, talking to you, bringing you up to the physical and spiritual stature that you are today. I speak perhaps of a spiritual mentor, someone who has seen to your needs, taught you about life, blessed you with healing physical and spiritual through the power of the gospel. That parting is tearful.

What more, this is the Son of God. The One who imparted to you – eternal life! The One who healed you or a member of your family. You recall Jesus always at Bethany when he goes to Jerusalem. There was the family of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Lazarus died, Jesus wept. He was four days late. But what did Jesus do? He came and He cause Lazarus to be resurrected from the dead. If you are Mary and Martha, would you be very grateful to this Man Jesus who did the impossible! He restored the joy in the family when they were filled with sorrow.

Jesus had already before His departure commanded through the Holy Spirit, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem. That are to be assembled together. 

We observe from our text that the disciples of Jesus returned to Jerusalem. It was a Sabbath day’s journey. This Jewish expression referred to a distance of about 800 metres to 1.2 kilometres. 2-3 rounds of the stadium. This is the distance between the Temple and the Mount of Olives. I recalled, during a trip to the Holy Land, we stayed at Mount Scopus just overlooking the Mount of Olives it took 15-20 minutes to walk to the Temple Mount.

The group met together in an upstairs room of a private home in Jerusalem called The Upper Room. Quite a sizable room that could accommodate 120 people. 

It is roughly 10 days between Jesus’ ascension and the Holy Spirit filling the disciples. The disciples devoted themselves to prayer. They met together in a private room where they spend long hours together calling on the Lord.

The disciples were obedient to the Master’s instruction. They could not see why they were called to do what they were doing but they were obedient to the Master’s instruction. I would surmise they were a frightened lot. The Master was treated cruelly as a criminal and crucified by the Roman authorities with the support of the Jewish establishment. 

This is the infant church is its form and structure. We see that this is the foremost activity of the infant church. They came together to prayer. They needed guidance. God has to direct show them the way. As one pastor puts it, “When we work, we work, when we pray, God works.”

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

Verse 4-5 is a description of the congregation or gathering of the disciples of Christ in Jerusalem for prayer waiting for the instruction through the guiding energy of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit is received by concerted corporate and personal prayer. The disciples were told to be waiting upon the Lord in believing prayer!

We see here the process of rounding the flock of God and keeping them together. Jesus was in the midst of them. 

The word for the phrase “being assembled together” is the opposite of the word “to scatter”. 

John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The Apostles whom Jesus had chosen and trained during His time on earth, met their Lord in His resurrection body, instructed them to gather the sheep together. The “passive” nature of the sheep is conveyed here, they had to be gathered and they had to be instructed not to depart, wander off, but held together by prayer.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church, the Great Shepherd of the sheep gathered the core leadership of His flock at the Mount of Olives to witness His ascension, the nucleus of the infant church, were assembled together, where Jesus presented Himself alive attested to His resurrection life to give them the Great Commission (Acts 1:8).

There was an appointed season of united prayer to receive divine directions from the throne of grace where our Lord is, seated at the right hand of God. Surely, the disciples were at a loss with the ascension of their leader to heaven but their Lord, the Holy One of Israel, did not leave them without instruction for their guidance, they were to wait in prayer, as the prophet Isaiah aptly recorded in

Isaiah 48:14, 17 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear…Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. This power is mine, Jesus said and I will give you that power by being with you in Matthew 28:20, “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

So, the co-labouring with God began with prayer. It is the promise taught in Acts 1:4.  

David prayed in Psalm 32:8-9, 11 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee…11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Members of the infant church persevered in prayer, seeking the Lord’s will, receiving His guidance and blessing to move. We see how prayer plays a significant role in the story of the infant church. The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions (Acts 1:15-26) and for courage to witness for Christ (Acts 4:23-31).

(2) Comrades in Prayer (v13b)

…where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 

There were 11 names listed here, the eleven disciples of Christ without Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ. 

These were the men Jesus called and chosen to be Apostles at the onset of Christ’s ministry. These would be the men whom God will use to begin the church.

There is a story to each man and their relation to Christ. Their Master’s last command to them was to tarry and prayer. They obeyed.

Luke 6:12-18 (KJV) And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

Peter, James and John and Andrew were fishermen who Jesus called. 

John 1:35-51 (KJV) Again the next day after John (the Baptizer) stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael (Bartholomew), and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

John 21:2 (KJV) There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Matthew 10:3 (KJV) Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Mark 3:18 (KJV) And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

Matthew or Levi, was a tax-collector who “left all, rose up, and followed” (Luke 5:8) Him. 

There is silence in Scripture concerning James, who is the son of Alpheus. His name was preserved but no other information was revealed of this Apostle.

There is James the son of Zebedee, whose parents were Zebedee and Salome, who lived on the shores of Galilee. They were fishermen. His mother’s name was Mary, surnamed Salome, who was most likely a relative of Mary, the mother of the Lord. According to Jewish custom near relations were called by the names of brothers and sisters. Thus James may have been a near relation to Jesus Himself.

Matthew 27:56 (KJV) Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children. 

Mark 15:40 (KJV) There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 

John 19:25 (KJV) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 

Matthew 10:4 (KJV) Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.  

Mark 3:18 (KJV) And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

Simon the Canaanite is also called Simon the Zealot. Simon was an enthusiastic patriot, probably a Jewish nationalist party, having a zeal for the law and gives their live for the Covenant (1 Mac. 2:50).

Luke 6:15 (KJV) Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

(3) Continuing in Prayer (v14-15)

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) 

We see here as one pastor puts it “a beautiful assembly of humble people”. 

The key phrase there is “with one accord”. It is described 6 times in Acts 1:14, 2:1, 44, 46, 4:26, 5:12, 15:25.

There was among these believers’ wonderful unity that bound them together, the kind of unity Christians need today.

Galatians 3:28 (KJV) 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 133:1-3 (KJV) 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

The promise is of God. Our duty is to wait patiently until He comes, like a child for his father to come home when told to do so. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

This corporate waiting is by united and earnest prayer (supplication). A prayer meeting at which members are inwardly at odds with one another, is powerless. It is electricity short circuited. When it is earnestly pursued with one accord, with one mind and heart, “it availeth much” (James 5:16). “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6). Women play a vital role in prayer as seen in verse 14.

CONCLUSION

  • Coming to Pray (v12-13a)
  • Comrades in Prayer (13b)
  • Continuing in Prayer (v14-15)

May Christ’s church today imbibes the good spiritual habits of the infant church for His glory. Amen.