"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."
Acts 1:14
In a world that is saturated with communication devices and mechanisms, God’s prescribed manner of reaching out to Him is surprisingly simple: prayer. To some, the notion of prayer seems too trite or archaic. Many wonder how a silent, presumably one-sided, conversation with the invisible God could ever offer any spiritual nourishment or benefit. But to believers, the very ones who have chosen to open their hearts to the inexplicable, yet plausible, potency of prayer, a faith-filled life yields incredible solace and assurance.
Just prior to my wedding ceremony, my soon-to-be father-in-law asked that my groomsmen, ushers, and the officiating pastor gather around me as I knelt down for a time of prayer. While I had witnessed this type of prostrate prayer observance at church deacon ordination services, I had never personally participated in such an event. It was a most welcomed diversion from the fretful tension that had seized my mind a few minutes before the wedding, when the enormity of becoming a husband, and its associated responsibilities, rapidly engulfed me.
One by one, the men standing around me laid their hands on my shoulders and back. My future father-in-law instructed everyone present to beseech God on my behalf. He encouraged them to ask God to make me an honorable man. To fashion me into a tender husband. To help me live a life characterized by integrity. As I slowly fell to my knees, numerous emotions began to rush through my restless spirit. The anxiety of humbly cherishing a marital relationship. The fear of making mistakes and hurting those I care about most, especially my spouse. The uncertainty of knowing what challenges could eventually affect my marriage.
Those concerns circulated through my thoughts right up until the moment the men embracing me began to pray. Instantly, I found myself letting go of the insecurities and worries I was holding onto. I felt a surge of hope. Because of the enunciation of encouragement, my restless spirit found rest. I was overwhelmed with a source of strength and peace. The burden of timidity that was weighing my heart down was overcome by the sweet sensation of stillness. An overpowering movement of God’s Spirit became so apparent. On the verge of tears, I absorbed the significance of the moment, as well as the emboldening presence of God. I was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to receive such a blessing.
Just when I assumed the prayer time had concluded, I felt another hand grasp my shoulder. The mysterious participant quickly offered up additional supplication. As he did, I was spiritually injected with an even greater amount of encouragement. I almost doubled over because I was so astonished by the stirring within my soul. When the prayer time ended, a few unspoken minutes passed. An admiration for what had transpired hung in the air. After handshakes and hugs were exchanged, I discovered the identity of the late, anonymous participant. It was the pastor of the church where our wedding ceremony was being held.
During college, I had become a member of the pastor’s congregation. He was a dynamic, passionate communicator of God’s Word. I respected him immensely. Because a part-time music ministry position called me away from his church, it had been awhile since the pastor and I had seen each other. Although he had no official role in the ceremony, the pastor wanted to render a word of encouragement before the wedding started. He walked into the preparation room expecting to find me casually conversing with my groomsmen. Instead, he found me besieged in a prayer circle. Without hesitation, he entered into the time of petition on my behalf. Looking back, I probably would have forgotten the pastor’s pre-wedding pep-talk had he been able to give it to me. But his spontaneous willingness to build me up, take me to the heavenly Father in prayer, and usher in an affirmation of the Holy Spirit will stay with me forever.
As the book of Acts unfolds there is a sense of hopefulness. The eleven remaining disciples had seen a resurrected Jesus on a number of occasions within a forty-day period. Death held no sway over their Lord. Jesus was alive and engaged in the lives of His followers. But within that communion there was a litany of unanswered questions. The disciples were given little more than inspirational sermonettes before Jesus ascended to heaven, at least the way Scripture reads. Christ’s marching orders, so-to-speak, were startlingly vague. The disciples were not given detailed instructions as to what their specific message should be. They were not provided an administrative outline pertinent to running an effective ministry. They were not offered a manual for how to develop spiritual, let alone numeric, growth. Jesus essentially issued them a mandate to wait for, and rely upon, the Holy Spirit (Joh. 14:25-27). He told the disciples to trust that God, via the Holy Spirit, would give them what they needed, when they needed it.
It is important to take the time to highlight the distinction between the terms “apostle” and “disciple”. The word “disciple” has a Latin root. Its original meaning describes one who is a pupil or learner. The four gospel accounts confirm the eleven disciples were students of Christ. They often referred to Jesus as their great Teacher (Joh.13:13). Today, we associate disciples with modern-day followers of Christ. But in Acts 1:2 the eleven disciples were called apostles. The Greek word apostolos, from which the English word apostle originates, means “one sent”. Apostles were endowed with special gifts from Jesus, gifts that enabled them to perform signs and wonders for the world to behold. Like missionaries, the apostles went abroad to present the gospel to non-believers. Like missionaries, the apostles participated in social work, caring for widows, orphans, and the poor. But unlike missionaries, the apostles were able to heal infirmities and exorcise demons (Mr. 6:13).
The term apostle was not used with frequency in the gospel accounts (Mt. 10:2, Mr. 6:30, Lk. 9:10, and Lk. 11:49). Not until Acts do we find the position or influence of the apostles fully realized. Charged to mirror the example Jesus had provided them, the apostles were Christ’s hand-picked ambassadors and representatives. He gave them the power and the authority to lead the newborn church, as well as provide the church body compelling tutelage. The apostles did not establish religious offices or posts in an effort to memorialize themselves, or generate the perception that they were irreplaceable. This point is proven by the fact that there is no mention of Christ’s original apostles past Acts 16 (another apostle, Paul, became the focus for the final chapters of Acts). Evidently, Jesus’ apostles answered the call to usher in a missionary work and preserve the Savior’s legacy without pursuing fame or fortune, which further verifies the purity of their passion and the integrity of their evangelistic aim.
At Jesus’ request in Acts 1:4, the apostles awaited the promised arrival of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. The location had to have caused some, or most, of the apostles some apprehension initially. After all, Jerusalem was where Jesus was arrested, tortured, and led to a gruesome death outside the city limits. But in a remarkable form of symmetry that only God could devise, the place that marked the ending of Jesus’ ministry was God’s chosen setting to begin the church’s ministry. Although surrounded by enemies of the faith, God found shelter, safety, and a hiding place for His believers. The apostles were joined by Jesus’ mother, brothers, and several unnamed female disciples, roughly one hundred and twenty believers in all. They huddled together in a room daily. The primary religious exercise they entered into during this time was prayer. Acts 1:14 indicates the prayers of Christ’s followers were unremitting. They did not know God’s master plan, which compelled them to pray to the Master. Eagerly. Earnestly. Expectantly. Endlessly.
This Scriptural account alludes to a unity that existed within this fellowship. There was no quarrel. No strife. No debate as to who was considered the greatest disciple. Just an abiding dependence upon God for supernatural involvement. What kept them from bickering or emotionally wounding one another? The common desire to draw near to God through supplication. Certainly, the eleven apostles, Peter, James and John in particular, had to be reminded of how often Jesus communed with God through prayer during His earthly ministry. Just before He underwent the events that culminated with His crucifixion, Christ prayed for His disciples and all future believers (Joh. 17). Jesus had spent much time praying for mankind; now mankind was praying to Him.
Many evaluations and critiques have been written throughout the years concerning the appropriate style and symmetry of prayer. Acts 1:14 reveals that the focus should not be on the structure of our supplication, but rather on the spirit of our supplication. Are we praying to honor God, or are we praying to honor ourselves? The pioneer believers cried out to God through humble and broken spirits. They prayed to God because they desperately longed for holy guidance. They sought God so they would know how to represent and present the gospel, a gospel that was burning deep within their souls.
There are three key elements of the disciples’ prayerful spirit worth considering. One, the disciples’ prayers were personal. They articulated unique, original thoughts that reflected a collective desire to glorify God. Through petition, they laid down their troubles. They asked for spiritual strength. They asked how to carry the cause of Christ to others. Their faith-based deeds confirmed they had praise-filled hearts. They were candid, direct, and dedicated in their mission to seek God, even in the midst of uncertainty.
Two, the disciples’ prayers were passionate. The need to seek divine direction was so prevalent the earliest believers prayed hour after hour, day after day. They did not perform this ritual for show or spectacle. They privately gathered because of their devotion to Jesus. They immersed themselves in a constant state of prayer because they were committed in their aspiration to know God’s will and obediently follow it. Rather than allowing prayer to become a knee-jerk, reflexive reaction, they made it a steadfast, unrelenting action. It was not an afterthought; it was their primary thought.
Three, the disciples’ prayers were persistent. The gravity of this truth is critical when you consider their collective circumstance. The believers’ allegiance to Christ made them adversaries of many religious leaders, leaders who had significant influence with the Jewish people, and the Roman government to a degree. At best, this would bring about mockery and ridicule. At worst, it would bring about torture and execution. To say these were dire times is an understatement. But that is what made the believers’ unshakable commitment to pray to God that much more remarkable. They did not run away from the situation; they reached out to God. They did not exhibit a cowardly spirit; they exhibited a courageous spirit. Above all, they trusted in their Savior: Jesus Christ.
Prayer is the most transparent indicator of a believer’s confidence in God’s supremacy. It conveys a desire to have intimate fellowship with God. It exhibits an enduring faith in God’s ability to carry one through hardships. Prayerful communication has tremendous power for the receptive heart willing to submit to it.
The prayerful state identified in Acts 1 was further displayed by the apostles when they initiated the process of filling the apostolic void that Judas Iscariot’s death (by suicide) had brought about. Peter led the charge to appoint a new apostle, emblematically continuing what Jesus inaugurated when He commissioned twelve disciples. Jesus provided a model in which He sent out apostles two by two (Mr. 6:7). Therefore, eleven apostles would have prevented this pattern from continuing. Peter demanded that the replacement apostle be a person who had been with them from the onset of Christ’s ministry, when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. This condition served to ensure that the person who superseded Judas Iscariot had faithfully observed everything the eleven apostles had and could personally corroborate that Jesus lived, died, and rose again.
Two candidates were proposed: Joseph (Barsabbas) and Matthias. The apostles prayed that God would choose which individual He desired to add to the apostolic fraternity. After the apostles prayed, they cast lots, which was a common method for seeking the Lord’s will before the Holy Spirit was given (Pr. 18:18). The lot fell on Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 1 reminds believers that even in a chaotic, disappointing world, we can know God’s peace through prayer. Our souls grow restless and often hang on the brink of collapse, but God, the immortal Rock of hope, reigns victoriously. He never tires nor falters. The disciples recognized this. They possessed a passionate prayer life, clinging to the belief that God would supply their needs spiritually and physically. Petition was their cornerstone discipline. Through their example we discover that an uncovered heart combined with unending prayer can yield an unbroken spirit.
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