THE CHURCH, UNITED AND EMPOWERED (3 OF 56)
Scripture: Acts 1:12-26
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The Church, United and Empowered (3 of 56)
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 1:12-26
Read Acts 1:12-26
Between the ascension of Christ and Pentecost, the Church has to wait. They are waiting for the promised Spirit who will be poured out upon them in enabling power. Even so, the Church demonstrates in its waiting that it understands itself to be the body of Christ, and it does so in fascinating ways.
The Church was united in prayerful expectation.
First, the Church binds itself together in the unity of prayerful expectation. They know something is about to happen in and among them, so they come together and call on the name of God.
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
They return from Jerusalem, the eleven disciples and ''the women'' and Jesus' brothers. They return, and they ''devote'' themselves to prayer. What a beautiful, sweet picture of gospel fellowship, these men and woman joined together in prayer. I cannot help but note that they are not praying to Mary, but they are praying with Mary, together, to the Father.
This unity crossed gender barriers and also crossed the barriers of at least some of their earlier denials. We see this in the presence of Jesus' brothers. Suffice it to say that, despite the protests of most within the Roman Catholic Church, there is no reason to see these ''brothers'' as anything other than biological brothers. This has been denied by many who want to maintain the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity. Even so, the text here and in the ...
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 1:12-26
Read Acts 1:12-26
Between the ascension of Christ and Pentecost, the Church has to wait. They are waiting for the promised Spirit who will be poured out upon them in enabling power. Even so, the Church demonstrates in its waiting that it understands itself to be the body of Christ, and it does so in fascinating ways.
The Church was united in prayerful expectation.
First, the Church binds itself together in the unity of prayerful expectation. They know something is about to happen in and among them, so they come together and call on the name of God.
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
They return from Jerusalem, the eleven disciples and ''the women'' and Jesus' brothers. They return, and they ''devote'' themselves to prayer. What a beautiful, sweet picture of gospel fellowship, these men and woman joined together in prayer. I cannot help but note that they are not praying to Mary, but they are praying with Mary, together, to the Father.
This unity crossed gender barriers and also crossed the barriers of at least some of their earlier denials. We see this in the presence of Jesus' brothers. Suffice it to say that, despite the protests of most within the Roman Catholic Church, there is no reason to see these ''brothers'' as anything other than biological brothers. This has been denied by many who want to maintain the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity. Even so, the text here and in the ...
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