Worship
Course: The Higher Calling to Worship
Lesson Sixteen:
Lesson
Title: The prayer of the early church: The
great symphony of worship
Text: Acts
Introduction: 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. But 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
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.
Main Points:
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)
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)
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
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.
'…and grant unto thy servants, that with all
boldness they may speak thy word,' (Acts
The prayer
then moves to the level of 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. They desire to worship
in the anointing.
'By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and
that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy servant Jesus.' (Acts
The Holy
Spirit then 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 spake the word of God with boldness.' (Acts
The Holy Spirit moved in power not just in
shaking the building but in empowering the disciples of Christ to speak with
boldness. The disciples moved in
authority because they were under the authority of the Holy Spirit.
Effectual prayer must always come out of
worship in the Holy Spirit. We will see
prayers answered to the extent that we worship.
It can be hard to get believers to come to prayer meetings. Sometimes people attend prayer meetings
regularly but their commitment is in attending the prayer meeting. This is good but 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.