Acts1: 13,14 – 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.These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
The Lord has led our church into a season of prayer at the beginning of this new year, we are praying together at the church for an hour twice a day. These prayer meetings seem to be gathering momentum as His people are seeking after Him in prayer and worship. This is how the church started as recorded in Acts 1, the believers were gathering together seeking the Lord in prayer and worship (Luke 24 mentions the worship part) and as they continued in prayer after ten days they were overwhelmed with the outpouring of God’s Spirit. Here is something Matthew Henry said about this.
“They continued in prayer. It is said in Lk 24:53, ‘They were praising and blessing God’; here, They continued in prayer and supplication. Praise for the promise is a proper way to seek its fulfillment, and praise for former mercies a proper way to seek further mercy.”
As I read this passage in Acts I became drawn to the word ‘continued’, they ‘continued in prayer’. Continued is the word proskartero and is defined in the Christian Word Study Bible.
“continued – proskarterṓ – to endure. To tarry, remain somewhere (Mark 3:9); to continue steadfastly with someone (Acts 8:13); to cleave faithfully to someone (Acts 10:7); referring to those who continually insist on something or stay close to someone (Acts 2:46; Rom. 13:6); used metaphorically of steadfastness and faithfulness in the outgoings of the Christian life, especially in prayer.”
So as I thought about this passage it began to dawn on me, the disciples began a lifestyle of continuing together in prayer. It wasn’t as if they had that one ten day prayer meeting, received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and went on their lives in ministry. Waiting in prayer became their lifestyle, this was the source of the power in the church. They would drink in His presence in private and corporate prayer and worship and then they would find a place to pour out the word and Spirit. This is the ebb and flow of the Christian life, waiting in prayer for His power then ministering to the hurting world we live in.
