Title Acts (4) Darakbang Prayer Meeting (1:12-14)
Contents
- There are many times when a character or behavior that you are not familiar with in normal times appears in an emergency or difficult situation. So, there is a saying, “The image of a person shown in a moment of crisis is the real person.
- So are we. When things are going well and life is easy, a person who is so gentle can suddenly change his personality or attitude at the moment. It would be a universal human aspect.
- When we worship and praise, it can seem that we have more faith than anyone else in the world. But “can the present belief be exercised in every moment?” It is a problem to do Even in moments of real hardship and crisis, do you have peace of mind and unwavering faith?
- So, true faith is exercised in the midst of suffering. So, God allows suffering to those who truly love him. God asks, “Do you have faith that is more precious than gold?” It is a test of “Are you truly a child of God?” We must pass this test every moment.
- David said, “Suffering is good for me!” (Psalm 119:71) Because through suffering, we learn the word of God.
- In today's text, Jesus is receiving great training from his disciples, in the midst of suffering. With the test papers in front of them, they gathered in one place.
12 And the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Olive Garden, which was near Jerusalem, and was a suitable way for the Sabbath.
13 They went in and went up to the upper room where they were staying.
- Now, Jesus' disciples returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.
And they all gathered in one attic.
- Attic: This is the second-floor attic located on the hill of Zion, 100 meters from the gate of Zion, the old city of Jerusalem.
1) It was the attic in the house of John Mark, where Jesus and his disciples often met.
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was called Mark, where many people were gathering and praying. All of them were far from obedient.
- By the way, the Bible clearly records that these people gathered in the attic. You can simply say that the disciples have gathered, but I do not hesitate to mention the names of the disciples.
=> Darakbang's gathering is by no means a gathering of handsome people. It was not a group of people who boasted that they had good faith. A person who had no power. It is a gathering of people who denied the Lord and left the Lord.
=> However, they are now gathered together in the attic. He was lowered to the point of denying himself. Only those who deny themselves obey the Word!!
- If you argue with the Word of God, nothing happens. There is no greater faith than obedience!! There is no action greater than obedience!!
- I don't want to move.
- In the Old Testament, there were people who made mistakes after moving as they wished.
He told them to go to the land God had directed them to. When I went there, there was a famine. So Abraham made a decision on his own without hearing God's voice or praying. Let's escape to Egypt for a while!! It was a very cool idea, and it seemed like a very reasonable idea. So, when he took his wife and went to Egypt for a short time, how shameful was he? He almost died, didn't he?
The righteous Noah of our time!! The man who built the ark for 100 years!! Drunk and making mistakes
A person after God's own heart, a person who has committed both murder and adultery.
- Even God's people make a big mistake if they don't obey the Word for a moment!!
- In fact, the people gathered in the Darakbang are people who have seen Jesus directly, have seen the cross, have seen the Resurrection, and have seen the Ascension. These are people who have heard the words of Jesus. But, what else do you need? What could be greater than meeting Jesus in person?
- Thinking about it rationally, I don't think I needed anything more.
- There are times when we do too. This is enough to know the Bible, have attended church for a long time, and know Jesus better than anyone else. What else do you need? My thoughts are the thoughts of the Lord, and the way I am going is the way the Lord has gone. What else do I need? - So, I think it's a waste of time and sometimes a waste of money.
- But even in that moment, we must listen to the word of the Lord toward us. Don't judge by my thoughts. You must have an obedient faith.
<Example of Philip> Acts 8:5 et seq....
- Philip went into the city of Samaria and preached the gospel. Many were saved.
There was great joy in that city.
- However, that joy is short-lived, and in verse 26, the Lord tells us to go out on the road that goes down to Gaza. It was an uninhabited wilderness.
- If it were us, what would we do at this time? Can you obey? Can we leave our present good environment and move on to a bad one? No matter how much you think, can you follow a situation that is difficult to comprehend with common sense?
- However, there is no mistake in the words of the Lord. Obedience brings greater blessings.
- When Philip obeyed and went out into the wilderness, he met an eunuch who was in charge of the treasury of Gandage, the queen of Ethiopia, and preached the gospel to him and baptized him. He played a major role in the evangelization of North Africa.
- We want our Jueun Church to handle this kind of work. We want each and every member of our Jueun Church to have faith in obeying the Lord's word. I will obey only words! Rather, we want to have obedience in action. Even if I don't want to do it, even if it's hard, even if I don't have the time or money, when the Lord speaks, I want to be willing to obey.
2. Let's pour our hearts into family evangelism and family salvation!
14 With the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus...
- Noteworthy words: “Jesus’ brothers” => Jesus’ brothers attended the prayer meeting in the upper room. This is an amazing event!!
- Jesus' father, Joseph, seems to have already passed away. The mother Mary mysteriously does not appear again after the last mention of her name in Acts 1.
- The peculiar fact is that they are the brothers of Jesus. These brethren were unbelievers that Jesus preached for three years. They were people who thought Jesus was crazy.
21 When Jesus' relatives heard it, they came out to arrest him, saying, "He's crazy."
5 For even his brothers did not believe in Jesus.
- However, there is no exact record of when and how they came to believe.
- They must have been shocked as they watched the scene where Jesus died on the cross. - As soon as we confirmed the fact that Jesus was resurrected, we did not hesitate to believe that faith became a person. - Among the brothers, James later became an elder of the church in Jerusalem, and his name remains as a sacrifice for martyrdom.
- There are precious truths we can learn from Jesus' family.
“It is very difficult to evangelize families!”
- Even Jesus took three years to save his family. A word about the difficulties of family evangelism!!
34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 I have come to bring a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 A man's enemies are the members of his household.
- However, nothing is more precious than saving a family.
- How great is the grace to be able to pass down the legacy of faith to three or four generations?
3 In my supplications day and night without ceasing, I think of you and give thanks to God, who has served since my forefathers with a pure conscience.
4 I long to see you for the sake of your tears, so that my joy may be full.
5 This is because you think that you have faith that is not lying within you. This faith was first in your maternal grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is also in you.
- If you have inherited a legacy of faith, you must not miss it. It must be passed on to the next generation. The best legacy for children is the legacy of faith. What will you pass on as you run the marathon of faith? You must hand over the baton of the cross.
- If I have not inherited the legacy of faith, I must become the father of faith.
- With 100 days in mind, Bible reading and united prayer meeting are in progress!
Let's attend! Decide and attend! So let's pray for the salvation of our family!!
- He never turns away from the prayers of the soul that cry out to God!!
3. Let them know how important united prayer is.
14 ... They were of the same mind and devoted themselves to prayer.
- In order to receive what the Lord promised, the disciples united and prayed with all their heart!!
- The Darakbang Prayer Meeting was the cradle where the first church was formed.
= Unite prayer is the life, authority, and power of the church.
The word of Jesus, the promise of united prayer!!
19 Again I tell you the truth, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them.
- Our Jueun Church should also gather and pray together. Prayer alone is precious, but when the church gathers together to pray, it should not be missed.
- In order to build Jueun Church on the rock of faith, the Lord wants us to gather together and pray in unity. In this time of united prayer, the office holders want to take the lead. District leaders want to take the lead. Teachers also want to join forces.
- We want all members of Jooun Church to discover the will of the Lord for our church, our family, and us personally through this united prayer meeting. So, I want to be able to experience the history of praying and receiving answers for family salvation and church building.
- The Lord wants the knees of prayer to be strong. Spiritually sleeping souls, dead souls
When the spirit of prayer is poured out, you can wake up. You can survive!!
- Satan tempts those who pray. Pray, but tempt them to do it in moderation. He tempts them not to go to pray because they catch a cold when it's cold. Let's meet the busy work of the world. Urgent things may happen. My body hurts too. It may be difficult for your child.
- However, those who pray are never controlled by circumstances or conditions.
- If you don't pray, everything seems to be going well, but there are no spiritual fruits. The more you work, the more you fight.
- However, the church that gathers to pray and the members who pray together can experience the work of peace and blessings from the Lord.
“There are many people in the church who are good in administration, but few who mourn; many who donate but few pray; many who are discouraged, but few who pray. A secular Christian ceases to pray, but he who prays ceases to do secular things.”
- I want the Darakbang prayer meeting in today's text to take place in our Jueun Church. We want it to happen in our homes, in our lives.
- You cannot do anything until you pray. God's work cannot happen.
- We want our Jueun Church to become Mark's Darakbang so that we can all experience the work and blessings of the Holy Spirit from the Lord.(*)