Unity Before Revival

“The early church was married to POVERTY, PRISONS, AND PERSECUTIONS. Today the church is married to PROSPERITY, PERSONALITY, AND POPULARITY.”

-AW TOZER

The very first church gathering mentioned in the NT, after Jesus had ascended to the right hand of the Father, was right here in The Upper Room. Verse 13 describes that they went into the upper room.

You have to understand that they early Christians did not have Church buildings to worship in like we do today.

Up to about the 3rd century there is no evidence of the existence of church buildings for the purpose of worship, all references point toward private houses for this. In Rome several of the oldest churches appear to have been built on the sites of houses used for Christian worship.

The Christians of a city would be gathered into different “house churches” with a city “bishop” overseeing the different house churches.

Let’s look at what it takes to be in the type of unity that brings about revival.

I.         OBEDIENT CHURCH (WAITED IN JERUSALEM AS JESUS COMMANDED THEM)

After the Resurrection, the disciples are walking on the Emmaus Road Jesus (drew near), Jesus then appears to his disciples, The Ascension, but before the ascension he tells them to wait in Jerusalem.

They had wait before they could receive the power!

II.        PRAYING CHURCH (GATHERED TOGETHER IN THE UPPER ROOM)

Prayer is what holds the armor together. It’s the most important part of the Church. If we aren’t praying then we might as well shut the doors of the Church!

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

III.      BROKEN CHURCH (THEY ALL FAILED, LIED TO, DOUBTED, FORSAKEN CHRIST AT SOME POINT)

Peter himself failed over and over and over again but yet he was the one that Jesus has chosen to lead his Church.

Matt. 14:22 – Peter fails to continue to walk on water because he had taken his eyes off of Christ. He started to doubt.

Mark 9:33 – Peter argues with the other disciples about who is the greatest. Whos number 1.

Matt. 26:74 – Peter denies Jesus in public with cursing and swearing. He wept bitterly.

John 21 – Peter is completely overwhelmed by His failures, His sin, his own weakness, and decides to go back and do what he was doing before, fishing. He goes back to doing what he knows, what he feels he can do…What does Jesus say to Him…

Now remember there were 6 of the apostles with Peter and they went with him and Peter’s decision to go back to fishing affected half of the disciples. Now they weren’t having any luck, they weren’t catching anything.

Jesus shows up and says…. Remember they didn’t know that it was Jesus standing there.

Jesus asks Peter the same question 3 times:

1-           Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?…Feed My Lambs

2-          Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?….Feed my sheep

3-          Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?….Feed my sheep

Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.

Jesus words to Peter after all this….Follow Me.

IV.        PROFESSING CHURCH (THEY ALL DEMONSTRATED HUMILITY AND SOUGHT GOD)

Peter stood up in the midst of all of them..No one was pointing out each others past failures. I think they all had been humbled and broken.

Peter is about to preach to all 120 men and women in that Upper Room and it then leads into his Sermon at Pentecost in chapter 2.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I don’t believe that there was anybody that knew more about being humbled than Peter.

V.        UNIFIED CHURCH (THEY WERE ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE)

They knew the mission, they knew what the mission was to take the gospel to whole world. They didn’t dwell on past failures, they simply said lets take the message of Jesus Christ crucified to the entire world!

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

VI.      HOLY GHOST FILLED CHURCH (AND THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST

The miracle was in the fact that they all HEARD them speak in their own language. The Holy Spirit filled this place and its people!

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

How bad do we want Revival?! These things must come first and they all come with a price. With a sacrifice! What are you willing to give up to see your town flipped upside with the Gospel?!

Think about it…Then Pray about it!