A Prayer Meeting worth Repeating!
Collin Wimberly
Acts 1:12-26
INTRODUCTION: Dr. Jim Shaddix, pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Denver Col. Recently addressed what I believe is and will continue to be on the great concerns for Baptist churches and the SBC for the rest of my ministry. ''Why are we losing so many of our young Baptists? Why are they leaving our denominations and our churches?
Listen to what he says: ''Our young people are not running to something; they are running away from something. Our children are not running from a lifeless style and form; they are running from a lifeless Christianity. We have got to sit up and take notice.'' That stopped me dead in my tracks. The more I thought about it, the more I agree. We have become so professional and so predictable. We too often have a form of religion that lacks any real substance or power.
In this passage of Scripture we see a church that is vibrant and healthy. This fellowship of believers is anything but lifeless. This prayer meeting in the upper room is a glimpse into the very heart of this church. What we see is a group of believers in Christ, bound together in fellowship and immersed in prayer. There is something real, something authentic here. There is something incredibly attractive about the simplicity of this group of believers, something that all too often is missing in our churches today.
This passage is one of the first summaries of Acts, one of the passages that describe the life and activity of the early church.
I) THEY WERE ENCOURAGED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP -
- A Sabbath's day journey-About one ½ to ¾ of a mile. The longest walk a person could take on the Sabbath. Imagine the conversation that must have been. I imagine that not even seeing Jesus risen from the dead had prepared them for this day. Jesus was lifted up into heaven amid clouds of Shekeniah glory! Angels had appeared on the scene, instructing them that Jesus would one day return as he left! They were ...
Collin Wimberly
Acts 1:12-26
INTRODUCTION: Dr. Jim Shaddix, pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Denver Col. Recently addressed what I believe is and will continue to be on the great concerns for Baptist churches and the SBC for the rest of my ministry. ''Why are we losing so many of our young Baptists? Why are they leaving our denominations and our churches?
Listen to what he says: ''Our young people are not running to something; they are running away from something. Our children are not running from a lifeless style and form; they are running from a lifeless Christianity. We have got to sit up and take notice.'' That stopped me dead in my tracks. The more I thought about it, the more I agree. We have become so professional and so predictable. We too often have a form of religion that lacks any real substance or power.
In this passage of Scripture we see a church that is vibrant and healthy. This fellowship of believers is anything but lifeless. This prayer meeting in the upper room is a glimpse into the very heart of this church. What we see is a group of believers in Christ, bound together in fellowship and immersed in prayer. There is something real, something authentic here. There is something incredibly attractive about the simplicity of this group of believers, something that all too often is missing in our churches today.
This passage is one of the first summaries of Acts, one of the passages that describe the life and activity of the early church.
I) THEY WERE ENCOURAGED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP -
- A Sabbath's day journey-About one ½ to ¾ of a mile. The longest walk a person could take on the Sabbath. Imagine the conversation that must have been. I imagine that not even seeing Jesus risen from the dead had prepared them for this day. Jesus was lifted up into heaven amid clouds of Shekeniah glory! Angels had appeared on the scene, instructing them that Jesus would one day return as he left! They were ...
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