A Praying Church
Acts 2:42
by Jon Quinn
I
N THE DAYS FOLLOWING
His resurrection, Jesus affirmed
that the eagerly anticipated, though often misunderstood,
Kingdom of God was about to arrive on the scene. According to
our Lord’s parting instructions, the apostles were to wait in
Jerusalem for the promise; and so, along with 120 other
disciples, they remained in the city (Luke 24:44–49; Acts 1).
During the ten day wait, these disciples were with one mind
“continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14).
Certainly, the Kingdom was given a high priority in these
prayers. It had been the main topic of their final conversation
with Jesus. They could remember that in Jesus’ “model prayer”
He had put Kingdom matters first, right after His opening
address to the Father (Matthew 6:6–9). Will they be worthy of
their mission? How will God turn their weakness into strength?
How will the rest of Jerusalem react? Disciples everywhere need
to realize the priority of the kingdom in both their prayers and
their lives.
The Kingdom Arrives
As one considers the growing Jerusalem church in the days
immediately following the powerful display on Pentecost, he
again sees the words “continual devotion” used with reference to
the prayers of the saints (Acts 2:42). These were happy people
filled with gratitude for their salvation, praise for their Lord’s
greatness and awareness of their dependence upon the Father. It
was not long until their need for divine protection and care
became all too apparent. Peter and John were arrested and
threatened not to speak any more about Jesus. The two apostles
then returned to the brethren and reported what had taken
place, and an audible, public prayer was spoken which can be
found in Acts 4:24–31. The prayer begins by addressing God in
the most reverent of terms; He is the Lord who made “the
heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.” Next
comes an acknowledgement that the Gentiles, people, kings and
rulers would take their stand against the Christ (Psalms 2:1–2).
Recent events are seen as fulfillment of this prophecy and all was
according to divine plan. A three-fold request is then made. First,
“take note of their threats.” Notice that it was left completely up
to God as to how to handle the situation. They know that He will
take whatever action is called for and trust Him to do so. Second
comes a request for boldness of speech in the face of what will
be growing opposition. The final request is that God will continue
to confirm His word with “signs and wonders” as it was being
delivered through the apostles. It was a very practical, timely
prayer dealing with the circumstances they were facing.
Certainly our own prayers need to be fresh and deal with
present-day realities rather than the “canned” all-purpose variety
said by rote.
The Kingdom Continues
In the midst of increasing persecution, the church at
Jerusalem continued to grow and pray. Problems arose in the
body which were dealt with and prayer was included in the
remedy. One problem was that some of the widowed sisters were
being overlooked in the matter of benevolence, so the apostles
gave instructions for the church to select seven men “of good
reputation” to see that the problem was corrected. When the
seven were chosen, the apostles appointed them only after
prayer to the Father (Acts 6:1–6). Again, we would do well to
consider the same course as we deal with our own problems and
make our own appointments today. We also notice that the
apostles sought to devote themselves to two primary tasks:
prayer and ministry of the word.
One of the seven, Stephen, became the first disciple to die for
the Faith. His final words formed a short prayer of two requests:
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not lay this sin to
their charge” (Acts 7:59–60).
In the persecution that followed, the disciples were scattered
from Jerusalem, leaving only the apostles behind. The twelve
continued their work and converted still more to Jesus. They
seemed intent on remaining in the city as long as possible,
though all knew it would not be long. Always on their minds was
that they were living in the generation that would see the utter
destruction of Jerusalem. As the persecution mounted, they
clearly saw that the time of which Daniel had spoken was
drawing nearer. We can imagine them praying for their city and
neighbors. And, trusting in God, they were constantly looking for
the signs and praying that God would make their flight as easy as
possible. Jesus had told His disciples to “pray that your flight
may not be in winter, or on a Sabbath” when the gates would be
closed (Matthew 24:1–22).
James, the first apostle to die in the hope of eternal life, was
executed by order of Herod. The king intended to do the same to
Peter. The church, however, fervently prayed for the imprisoned
apostle who was miraculously delivered. He found some of the
Jerusalem disciples gathered in a private home for the purpose of
prayer (Acts 12:1–17). That evening, the prayers of the saints
changed from ones of humble supplication to those of happy
gratitude. Come what may, they would remain true to the Lord.
Conclusion
The church at Jerusalem was certainly a praying church, led
by men who had spent three years with a praying Savior. Though
we live in a different century, the need for prayer is not
diminished. We, like they, are pilgrims headed for home. Apart
from prayer, we cannot complete the journey.
