Acts 1:12-14 (NKJV) 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
As we have studied the first chapter of the Book of Acts the past two weeks, we have found that the reason they had the kind of ministry they did was due to the kind of people they were. This is not to say that they were in some way exceptional in ways that we cannot be today. On the contrary, as I went through Acts I found that they were no different from us.
They had similar struggles. They heard from God the same way we do. They had to deal with the realities of everyday life just like us. What we do see is that they had certain priorities and certain things in place that we must also have if we want the kind of ministry they had. It is possible. It simply requires some discipline and dedication.
The very first chapter of this book gives us many insights into who they were and what they believed. This week we have been looking at the section of scripture above and we have found a number of things to which we need to pay attention. First, they obeyed the command Jesus gave them to wait in Jerusalem. If we want a Book of Acts ministry we must cultivate obedience. Second, we see that they prayed.
Prayer is communication with God. In order to minister as they did we must have the kind of communication they had. They spoke to God but they also allowed him to speak to them and they listened. They spoke creative words that he gave them in their prayer time. They studied the word of God so that when it was time to deliver the first message of the church age Peter had the scripture God wanted to reveal in his mind. They heard the direction of the Holy Spirit as they went to the temple to pray so that they were able to minister to the lame man at the gate. Prayer is absolutely necessary for Book of Acts ministry.
There is one more thing I want to share with you from this section of scripture. The bible says that they were in one accord in the upper room. We cannot have Book of Acts ministry if we do not have unity in the body of Christ. They were not in the upper room arguing about who was in charge. They were not discussing doctrinal differences. They were not arguing about what they should do. They were in one accord.
The word accord means to be of one mind. They were all of one mind or one opinion. That opinion was that the most important thing in their lives was the preaching of the kingdom of God. They knew that God had called them to something great. They agreed that they needed to do what was necessary to see that mission accomplished in the earth. Everything else was secondary to that goal.
There is a great deal of talk about unity in the church. I have spent time in countries where the Christian population is by far the minority in the land. In India, the Hindus and Moslems make up some 98% of the population. That leaves just 2% of the 1 billion people in that country as Christians. Yet the same doctrinal differences occur there as here. I often wonder how they expect to win a nation when they cannot even love one another.
The source of unity in the Book of Acts is not that they were all the same. Even though they were all Jewish, they came from very different backgrounds. Some were of the party called “zealots” which could be called Hebrew nationalists. Matthew was a tax collector, people the zealots hated. We do not know exactly what doctrinal positions they held but we do know that there were many opinions about many things in Israel at that time. It is reasonable to assume that, with the varied backgrounds represented by the disciples, many of those points of view might have been represented amongst the 120 people there on the day of Pentecost. Yet the statement in verse 14 is clear. They were in one accord in the upper room.
What was the source of their unity? I would submit to you that they did have a few things in common. They were under a common threat. That is certainly part of what drove them to unity, but my experience in places like India tells me that was not the key thing. We have already pointed out that they were committed to the same goal. They had received a commission from Jesus and that commission meant more to them than anything else. There was one other thing they had in common and I think it is safe to say that this was probably the most important factor in their unity. They had all been with Jesus.
I do not believe unity starts with a meeting of church leaders. I do not believe we will ever come to unity by drafting statements of faith or doctrinal agreement. We must recognize that the whole church will never agree on every point of doctrine. Too many sincere people love God but, for many reasons, see things differently. Some things are not really important. Some things are very important and we may never come to agreement on those things until we get to heaven. It does no good to argue about them.
What can we do to cultivate the kind of unity that will result in Acts ministry? I believe we must start in a much more basic place than doctrinal purity. I believe we each need to “be with Jesus.” That is what set them apart. I cannot create unity with people I do not agree with. I cannot compromise what I believe in order to try to come to an artificial agreement. I can spend time with the Jesus that is in them as well. I can build my relationship with Him. I can agree that the mission of winning the lost is more important than a doctrine.
It must be said that there is a difference in nominal Christianity and those who are born again. Christianity is a relationship founded on a supernatural encounter with God. Paul said that anyone who is in Christ is a “new creature.” This implies that to be in Christ requires a fundamental change in the individual. This change cannot occur by inheritance. It cannot occur by joining or even growing up in a church. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” If a person is not born , they are not a Christian. They may be affiliated with the Christian religion. They may be an official in a Christian denomination, but by Jesus’ own definition, they are not a Christian if they are not born again. There can be no unity with those who are not Christians.
However, if we are born again, whether we are charismatic, evangelical or Pentecostal we should be able to come into agreement over one thing. Jesus is Lord and people need to receive salvation by accepting the death burial and resurrection of Jesus as the payment for their sins. To receive salvation fully, they must also accept Jesus as the absolute Lord and ruler of their lives. Everything else is secondary.
I have to believe that the more we are with the Jesus of the Bible the more we will allow those things which join us together take precedence over the things that divide us. I also believe that we cannot be concerned about unity in the whole church until we concentrate on unity in the family and in the local church. The people in the Book of Acts loved each other. They were joined by a common experience and a common vision. They wanted to obey Jesus and reach the world with his message of love and acceptance.
Take a look around you today. Who are you at odds with? Is there anything you have done that hinders being in one accord with those in your home or your church? If so repent and make things right. You cannot change others or how they react to you, but you can change yourself. Let us begin to think about the commission Jesus gave us. Let us make that more important in our lives and we will see unity begin to be established. When we do, we will see more of a Book of Acts ministry in our day.
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