Acts 2:1-2 (NKJV) 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Yesterday we began looking at the Book of Acts with this question in mind: What does it take to have a book of Acts ministry in today’s world. I believe we need a manifestation of the power of God. We studied the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14 for a time in our church. This gave us Paul’s theoretical ideas about the gifts but I felt that looking into the book of Acts would give us insight into their practical application. I was right, but not in the way I expected to be.
In today’s verse, we see many that they were all in one place and in one accord. The question I want to ask you is who were they? We know there were about 120 people that obeyed Jesus command to go to Jerusalem and wait for his instructions. However, if you take the time to look, you will find that there were actually 500 people invited to be there. What happened to the 380 people who chose not to come?
We do not really know what happened to them. I would guess that at least some of them came later. They may have repented for their disobedience and eventually fulfilled their destiny in the Lord. Some probably fell away and never did what God wanted them to do. Some probably became good Christians who lived a good life but never really made a difference for the Kingdom of God. The one thing that we do know about the 380 is that they were not in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost.
We really do not know much the 120 who were there. We know about the apostles. We know that Mary the mother of Jesus and a number of the other women were there. Nevertheless, I doubt many of us can name 20 of the people who were in that room. That means that over 100 of these people never did anything that warranted mention in the historical record. The one thing we do know about them is that they were in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell.
Think about the task facing these people. Their leader had been arrested and executed as a criminal. The charges were false and the execution unjust but it had happened nonetheless. They were essentially fugitives themselves. They had no idea what would happen to them. The Jewish council saw them as a threat. The Romans saw them as rabble-rousers. They did not know if the soldiers who crucified Jesus would break into the upper room and take them all prisoner as well.
These people were not the “cream of the crop” so to speak. They were ordinary people just like you and me. They were given an extraordinary assignment by the Holy Spirit. We read about it in the Matthew 28.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Their assignment was to take this message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Can you imagine the burden that this must have put on them? They are responsible for the whole world. There are only 120 of them. 380 of their original number did not even show up. They are outlaws. They have little or no education. Their leader is gone. How are they going to carry out a mission that includes the whole world?
The answer had to be that they had no idea. They could not preach the Gospel to the whole world. What they could do was obey the Lord, be in Jerusalem when Jesus told them to be there and wait to receive the promise Jesus had given them. The decision to do that required they risk everything and be willing to do whatever was required of them to carry out this great commission.
I want you to keep in mind that we know the end of the story. We know that the Holy Spirit is going to manifest as a rushing mighty wind. We know that a fire is going to also manifest in the room and that this fire is going to set upon them and go into them. We know that the Holy Spirit himself is going to fill them to overflowing and that they are going to speak with other tongues as this same Spirit gives them he words to say. We know that thousands of people are going to be outside their window and hear them. We know that God is going to do a great miracle and that Peter is going to speak a great message, which will lead to three thousand people being added to the church. We know that but they did not.
They waited in the upper room about ten days. They did not know what they were waiting for. They did not have any particular manifestation of the spirit occurring in the room where they prayed. They just prayed and studied the scriptures. I am sure that every day seemed to be the same as the last. Nothing seemed to be happening yet still they waited. One day, a day that seemed no different from the rest, everything changed.
As I was reading about these first believers, I realized that our day is not very different from theirs. Over the history of the church, there have been days when the future of the church was in doubt due to the conditions in the world. In those times, God requires people who will choose to be a vessel for what he wants to do. Sometimes these people become famous historical characters. Peter will be forever identified as the man who preached the first message of the church age. However, there were 120 in that room. We do not know most of them but they were there.
I believe God is asking some of us to play the same role they played. What was their function in God’s plan? They were called to open a door for the rest of the world and for the church. There are others that we know better than that 120. Paul was not there. Timothy was not there. Many great Christians were not there. However, if the 120 had not been obedient to become the door that allowed the entry of the ministry of the Holy Spirit into the world, I do not know if there would have been a Paul or any other of the great Christians of history.
In truth, I am sure that God would have found somebody to be that open door. He always does. However, 380 had better things to do. Maybe they were just afraid to come to Jerusalem at such a dangerous time. I can understand that. Maybe they were just not that interested in seeing the mission fulfilled. 120 said yes to the invitation. They did not know what they were getting themselves into, but they said yes. They became an open door to a completely new era of God’s dealing with man.
I believe we need a new move of God today. I believe that a great move of God is coming to our earth. If I does not, I do not know if the church can survive. I do know that without a move of God the world is heading towards very bad days. I pray it does not take that to cause us to come to the Lord and cry out for help.
Someone has to open the door. It has been that way for every move of God that has every come to the earth. Someone had to be the first to say, “I will do whatever it takes to see the world touched for Jesus.” Someone has to be willing to take the risk of ridicule and worse so that others can follow. The door openers often get no credit. They remain unknown to all but the Lord. I believe what it takes to have a book of Acts ministry in our day is a people who will say, “I will be the door. I don’t care if I am known but I will stand for what you want to do and the way you want to do it.” God will have such a people. Will it be us?
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