Continually United in Prayer

Acts 1:1

All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples banded with a little group of women and Jesus’s brothers. They had all seen Jesus minister and had sat under His teaching.  In addition, they had personally experienced His death and His resurrection as they watched Him ascend into heaven to return to the Father. Each had received the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Just how was this group of about 20 people supposed to change the world?

I’m sure they had questions, too. Who would believe them? How were they to reach everyone? Would they die for their convictions? I’m sure they felt the burden of a huge responsibility. They began their great task by continually uniting in prayer.

With such a small group of people compared to the Jewish religious system of the day, one would think they would soon die out. Just as the grave could not hold Jesus, neither the Jews nor other governing authorities could stop the early church. God sent His Holy Spirit to them, and Peter was able to draw 3,000 to Christ in his first sermon! Apparently, Jewish religiosity and traditions were not meeting the needs of people who were hungry for God. One encounter with the Holy Spirit led them to Christ!

Today we hear that Christianity is on the decline. False gods and demonic religions abound, and it is not popular to offend any of them. The media attacks Christian values and deems them immoral while government leaders try to force their own version of morality upon us.  Yet, those who are seeking real answers are not satisfied. Just how can we reach them as Peter did? 

This verse reveals the key to sharing the gospel effectively: they were all continually united in prayer. We must remember that it was the release of the Holy Spirit that led 3,000 to Christ and not Peter. Members of the early church simply prayed, and God went to work. He gave Peter the opportunity to speak, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the people.

If we are ever going to be effective in making disciples of all nations, we must begin with prayer. We pray and seek God, then He opens a door of opportunity. As we move in obedience to share the word, He moves in power with the Holy Spirit. Without Him in our plans, our efforts are futile. With Him, however, we are unstoppable!

Join me in prayer for world-wide revival. Pray that God would make us effective in His kingdom and that we are successful in bringing His kingdom to our world. The devil would have you think Christianity is dying so you would lose hope and quit trying. Christianity, however, is based upon a resurrection! You can’t kill something that has the divine power to rise again! If we continually unite in prayer, what could God do with us and through us? Let’s find out!

Have a blessed day!