Acts 1:12-26 ‘When God wants to do something special in the world, he first gets people to start praying’ (Matthew Henry).

Alongside mission prayer is a major theme in Acts.  Prayer is mentioned thirty-one times in this book.  If we want to be an effective outward-looking church then we need to be a people of prayer.  In this evening’s passage we see God’s people united in prayer.

1.  Let’s pray together for God’s blessing (12-14)

The historian of revival, J. Edwin Orr wrote, ‘no great spiritual awakening has begun anywhere in the world apart from united prayer—Christians persistently praying for revival.’  That can be demonstrated in these verses.  This is just prior to Pentecost and God has moved his people to pray.  They all joined together constantly in prayer.  ‘When God wants to do something special in the world, he first gets people to start praying.’

Last year we were celebrating the 150 year anniversary of the Ulster revival.  When people talk of that event they rightly remember the prayer meeting that preceded it in Kells.  Something similar took place around that same time in America.

In 1857 a quiet 46 year-old businessman, Jeremiah Lanphier, felt led to start a noon-time weekly prayer meeting in New York City, in which business people could meet for prayer.  On the first day he prayed alone for half an hour.  But by the end of the hour six men from at least four denominational backgrounds had joined him.  Twenty came the next week and forty the week after.  Soon they decided to meet daily, and the group swelled to over one hundred.  Pastors who came started morning meetings in their own churches.  Soon similar meetings were being held all over America.  Within six months there were more than ten thousand meeting daily in New York City alone.  This was the start of what is now termed ‘The Great Awakening’ in North America.  It is estimated that during a two-year period, two million (out of a population of thirty million) were led to Christ.

‘When God wants to do something special in the world, he first gets people to start praying.’  So let’s make the prayer meetings of this church a priority.  I realise that with children and travel to work many can’t make the meeting on Friday mornings at seven.  I have neglected this meeting myself.  But wouldn’t it be great to see the numbers swell there this year.  Similarly for some people it is not possible to be at the prayer meeting before our morning meeting on a Sunday but if you can come it would be great to see you there.  The proposed plan for the year is that we would have a united prayer and Bible study on a Tuesday evening—maybe you would try to make it a priority to attend.  I know that some of you meet informally to pray together, can I encourage you to keep that up.  In the book ‘Forgotten God’ Francis Chan speaks of a friend of his whose company you can not be in for too long before he is praying for you.  Of course we all need to cultivate our own personal prayer times, and I would ask you to pray for this witness of the church as you do.  Finally, there is the prayer meeting that I think should be amongst the most important events in this village—when the churches unite together on occasion in prayer.  What might happen if God’s people in this place were crying out together for him to transform our witness?

We read that they were together in prayer.  We also read that they were together constantly in prayer.  That means that they were resolute and persistent in their prayer.  They were going to pray until they got their answer.  George Mueller gives us an example of such prevailing prayer.  In November 1844 he began to pray for the conversion of five individuals.  He prayed every day for them.  After eighteen months of such praying the first of the five was converted.  Five years later the second became a Christian.  After another six years the third turned to Christ.  In a sermon Mueller said that he had been praying for the remaining two for thirty-six years but they still remained unconverted.  One of these remaining two became a Christian before Mueller’s death and the other a few years later.  May God give us a burden to pray for individual people, and may we respond to this challenge by persisting in prayer for them.

2. Let’s pray together for God’s guidance (15-26)

In those days Peter stood up among the believers and spoke about Judas.  Note how he understands Scripture.  Quoting from the Psalms Peter speaks of the Holy Spirit speaking through the mouth of David.  The human author may be King David but God is the divine author.  From the Psalms Peter saw that Judas was to be replaced.  The suitable candidate had to have been with Jesus from the time of John’s baptism of Jesus until the resurrection.  Two men were proposed, Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias.  They prayed, and feeling the need for God’s direct guidance the cast lots.  The lot feel on Matthias.

This passage may make us feel awkward.  Should we be making our decisions today by casting lots?  Bible commentators are quick to point out that this took place before the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Now we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us.  There are no further references to decisions been made by this means after Pentecost!  One writer says that we have ‘been given God’s Word, and His Holy Spirit resides in us, so we do not rely on merely rolling dice.’

But there are some things that we can learn from this incident in how we are to seek God’s guidance as a church.  Firstly, they were guided in the actions by God’s word.   Secondly, note how they made their decisions with prayer.  They had proposed two men and then they prayed.  In the decisions that lie ahead for us as a church may we never be left with the uncomfortable feeling that we did not properly pray things through.

Conclusion

Finally, a couple of thoughts about this passage!

Firstly, please take home with you this central lesson.  ‘When God wants to do something special in the world, he first gets people to start praying.’

Secondly, there is a difference between their situation and ours.  They had been told to wait until the Holy Spirit came before stepping out in mission.  We live after the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has come.  We have been equipped for that mission.  So let’s not put off mission until we have a new building or we feel better equipped.  God has given us who we need to be his witnesses.

‘When God wants to do something special in the world, he first gets people to start praying.’  May God move us to pray and do mighty things in our through our witness. 

Copyright note:

Unless otherwise stated all Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission