Chapter Fifteen:
THE PRAYER OF THE
EARLY CHURCH: THE GREAT SYMPHONY OF WORSHIP
Acts 4:23-31
The great prayer of the early church in Acts 4:23-31 moves across the
whole realm of worship. This prayer is like
a mighty symphony of worship that flows in harmonious worship and is brought to
a glorious finale as the building shakes under the power of the Holy Spirit. The night before this prayer was prayed;
Peter and John spent the night in prison because of the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. They had been led by the Holy
Spirit to go to the temple at the time of prayer. Under the guidance of the anointing of the
Holy Spirit they raised a lame man who immediately arose from paralysis to the
realm of worship. He went into the
temple 'walking and leaping, and praising God', and everyone saw him, (Acts 3:8-9). It caused a great multitude to
believe on the Lord Jesus, and brought Peter and John into the realm of
worshipping by suffering shame for the name of Jesus.
The Jewish leaders resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit and because of this they persecuted the Apostles. They held Peter and John in contempt asking 'By what power, or by what name, have you done this?' (Acts 4:7). They looked down upon the disciples of Jesus as ignorant and unlearned. Yet when Peter and John spoke the Jewish leaders had to recognise that the same boldness that characterised the person of Jesus was upon them. They were worshippers of Jesus and they had become like Him. Peter and John boldly witnessed to the One they loved and said, 'we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard', (Acts 4:20). Peter and John left the Sanhedrin and joined the believers who had obviously been praying for them through the night and were waiting for news of what had happened to them. The news they heard caused them to glorify the Lord through the most wonderful prayer of worship. We do not know who prayed, they were a united body, anointed of the Holy Spirit. The words belonged to all of them. This prayer is a great symphony moving across all the levels of worship.
The disciples enter into worship.
The prayer begins with praise as the disciples worship God because of who He is. Worship always begins with praise and
thanksgiving, '...they lifted up their voice to God with
one accord, and said, Lord, You are God, who has made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and all that in them is:' (Acts 4:24).
They move straight to the highest level of worship
The disciples move straight from
praise to the highest level of worship and worship God because of His eternal
plan and purpose. They worship in the
knowledge that earthly rulers have sought in their pride to destroy the Lord's
anointed, but all their evil actions can only fulfil the purpose of God. They recognise that this is exactly what
David described in the second Psalm and they glorify God because they are
united with Christ in His eternal purpose. 'Who by the mouth of thy servant David has
said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine
vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered
together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You have anointed, both
Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were
gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
before to be done.' (Acts 4:25-28).
They recognise that they are united with Christ in His
humiliation
The worship then moves to the level
of declaring their unity with Christ in His sufferings. The disciples make mention of the threats
that were made against them. The religious leaders were resisting the anointing
of the Holy Spirit. They identify
themselves with His sufferings, and they glory in the privilege of suffering
shame for the name of Jesus. They are
hated not because of who they are, but because they represent the Lord they
worship. They are like Christ in His
suffering and shame, and they want to be like Him in the power of the Holy
Spirit. 'And now, Lord, behold their threatenings:' (Acts 4:29)
They are worshippers with their lives on the altar of
sacrifice
The disciples now worship on the
level of a surrendered life. They lay their
lives together on the altar of sacrifice.
They have no concern for their own safety or interests. They cheerfully give their lives as a living
sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering.
They want to be worshippers who can speak without fear about the One
they love even more than their own lives; they are worshipping witnesses to the
Lord Jesus Christ, '…and
grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,' (Acts 4:29)
Worshippers under the leadership of the Holy Spirit's
anointing
The prayer then moves to the anointing. They recognise that they are unable to do
anything in their own strength; they need the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. They are weak in themselves, but
mighty in the power of God. 'By stretching forth Your
hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy
servant Jesus.' (Acts 4:30)
The Holy Spirit's finale
The Holy Spirit ends the prayer with
a mighty finale. God Himself joined in
with this great prayer of worship. It is
a great symphony of worship composed by the Holy Spirit and lifted up through
the body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit
adds one final part and brings in the great Hallelujah chorus by shaking the
building and they are all filled with the Holy Spirit. 'And
when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God
with boldness.' (Acts 4:31).
The Holy Spirit moved in power not just in shaking the building but in
empowering the disciples to speak with boldness. They moved in authority because they were
under the authority of the Holy Spirit. Their
prayer was effective because they worshipped in the Holy Spirit. Effectual
prayer must always come out of worship in the Holy Spirit. Prayer is exciting when the Holy Spirit is
moving among us. It can be hard to get people
to come to prayer meetings. This can be because there is a lack of commitment
but sometimes people are committed to being at the prayer meeting without being
concerned for the moving of the Holy Spirit. God will not move just because we are
committed to the prayer meeting. We need
to worship through prayer. When our
prayer meetings become the place of worshipful prayer in the Holy Spirit then
we will see God move mightily in power through the body of Christ.