Acts 1:12-14: Together in the upper room

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Intro: Remember, the focus of this study in Acts is to ask What does the text say? Who are we? What are we supposed to be doing?

1)     The disciples obeyed Jesus’ command

A)   1:4 – “he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father”

B)    1:12 – “Then they returned to Jerusalem…”

2)     The disciples were all physically together

A)   Claim: “You don’t need to go to church in order to be a Christian” (see slides)

B)    cf.

1)     Lk. 24:50-53 – They “were continually I the temple blessing God”

(a)   They were OUT THERE doing their work

2)     Acts 1:12-15

C)    V. 14b – “together with…”

1)     Humble leadership: the Apostles, minus Judas (v. 13)

(a)   Humble leadership – Peter, recently in Luke (Lk. 22:54 – denial)

(b)   Matthew (tax collector) and Simon (zealot) put differences aside to be together

(c)   They are just as lost and confused as everyone else (cf. Matt. 13:10 – why parables? They don’t know, but, KEY, they come to Jesus for answers…they WANT to know)

2)     The women

(a)   Lk. 8:1-3 - followers

(b)   Lk. 23:26-27 – on the way to the cross

(c)   Lk. 23:49 – dying on the cross

(d)   Lk. 23:55-56 – burial and preparation

(e)   Lk. 24:1, 9-10 (also vv. 22-23) – first resurrection witnesses (noun & verb)

3)     Jesus’ brothers

(a)   Mk. 6:3 – Jesus’ brothers (4 named): James, Joses, Judas, Simon (plus sisters)

(b)   Jn. 7:5 – “For not even his brothers believed in him.”

(i)    In John’s Gospel this is around 6 months before Jesus was killed

(c)   We don’t know why, or how his brothers came to believe, but I assume it had to do with the resurrection

(i)    1 Cor. 15:7 – we at least know that Jesus appeared to James

(d)   What a weird dynamic (church and physical family gets weird in a hurry)

(i)    You are one of the 12 Apostles – you are NOT Jesus’ physical family, but you have chosen to follow him for around 3 years

(ii)  You watched as Jesus was rejected by his own family

(iii)          And now, that same family are believers sitting in the same room as you

(iv) And it worked

D)   Main thought: Where would any of these people have rather been?

1)     Jesus died. Was raised. Ascended to heaven. Judas’ betrayal and suicide.

2)     This is where they all WANTED to be…with each other.

E)    Every common objection is in this text

1)     I’m a Christian. I don’t need to go to church. Yes, you do.

2)     I preach and tell all my friends about Jesus in public and private. Great. You still need to come together with the family of God’s people.

3)     It wasn’t just a gathering of “the good ones” (i.e. Apostles) – everybody was there together

(a)   Women who used to be possessed by demons

(b)   Peter, who denied Jesus just over a month ago

(c)   Even possibly weird family / non-family relationships

4)     I hang out with my women friends / ladies Bible studies / go to all the showers, etc. - that’s good enough. No it’s not. You need to be together with the whole church family.

5)     I get together with my family and that’s good enough (Jesus’ brothers). Nope. They were with the bigger group of disciples.

6)     POINT: What are we supposed to be doing? *Everyone was together*

3)     v. 14 – “all these with one accord”

A)   This word is used 11x in the NT (all in Acts except Rom. 15:16)

1)     e.g. 2:46 (together); 5:12 (together)

2)     Witherington – It “…appears to be one of his [Luke’s] favorite terms to describe the spiritual unity of believers…”

B)    It’s one thing to be all physically together in the same place, and a completely different thing to be all together and on the same page. (KEY: Eph. 4:1-6)

4)     What were they doing together?

A)   Waiting together in uncertainty

1)     1:4 – wait in Jerusalem

2)     We don’t know what we’re doing, or what we’re waiting for, or what’s going to happen when it comes…but we’re all together waiting in uncertainty together

B)    v. 14 – Devoting themselves to prayer together

1)     Not, “they were praying” but “they were DEVOTING themselves to prayer”

2)     Prayer shows up 31 times in Luke-Acts. It is a major part of what we’re supposed to be doing as God’s people

(a)   BDAG – to persist in something

(i)    Busy oneself with

(ii)  Hold fast to, continue in, persevere in

C)   v. 15 – Studying the Scriptures together

1)     1:15-16 – Peter talking about the Scriptures

2)     NOTE: The Holy Spirit had not yet come. It wasn’t the time for full revelation, but they were still opening their Bibles together and trying to understand God’s plan

3)     More later – 2:42

D)   These are the things we are supposed to be doing.

5)     v. 15 – “the company of persons was in all about 120”

A)   Wilkins – “Whatever the case, it reminds us of how few disciples there were in those first days and of how much they were able to accomplish with the empowering of the Spirit.”[1]

[1] Michael J. Wilkins. Gospels and Acts - NIVAC (Kindle Locations 76320-76321). Kindle Edition