The Holy Spirit Promised
While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise.
Acts 1:4a CSB
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 CSB
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.
Pretty EXCITING AND AWESOME STUFF!
Luke begins ACTS with Christ Jesus taken up into heaven, then ‘two men in white’ (we know they are angels) ask:
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11 NASB
AWESOME! JESUS ascending..
AND angels…
What could possibly be next?
Ten days of the Apostles we may have missed
As Christians, now that we have begun Luke’s prologue in Acts and read his account of the AWEsome ascension of Jesus into the clouds, we can hardly wait for the powerful bestowing of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.
BUT WAIT! Like you I was ready to read ahead to the anointing of the Apostles by the Holy Spirit and the beginning of their ‘acts,’ Then I thought about those TEN DAYS (more than a week) between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost. (I had always merged these two amazing events together in the historical timeline I conceived in my mind.)
Of course the eleven Apostles would have rather fled to their homes from the relatively remote Mount of Olives just a stone’s throw from the walls of Jerusalem; but now the Lord Jesus has commanded them to wait.
So what happened while the eleven Apostles waited?
Luke tells us (and we may have matter-of-factly dismissed it).
Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem..
Luke records those present:
- 11 Apostles (by name)
- ‘the women’
- Mary, the mother of Jesus (the last mention of Mary by Luke)
- Jesus’ brothers (Jude & James, but not named here)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying, that is, Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Acts 1:14 KJV
ὁμοθυμαδόν – ‘with one accord’
We will soon see this again in Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles, so lets take a quick look at his description of this gathering.
ὁμοθυμαδόν
- with one mind, with one accord, with one passion
A unique Greek word, used 10 of its 12 New Testament occurrences in the Book of Acts, helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to “rush along” and “in unison”. The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ’s church.
Outline of Biblical Usage – G3661 – BlueLetterBible.org
Christ Ascends
WAIT in Jerusalem
& then Pentecost
Our glance at this scene in a first century upper room in Jerusalem will look different from famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance or an illustration from our Children’s’ Bible.
We observe eleven Jewish men (the Apostles), a large group of women (some wives of the Apostles) plus more followers and witnesses to the risen Christ Jesus, including our Lord’s mother and brothers.
All these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer.. (Acts 1:14a NASB)
A Crowded upper room: Christians ALL with one accord
The Apostle Peter is about to speak to those present.
But as we have noted of these past ten days, MANY have gathered in this upper room in Jerusalem.
These men and women from many places throughout the Empire had witnessed the cruel crucifixion of Jesus. Yet now they have obediently returned to the same Jerusalem which had crucified their now-risen and ascended Christ Jesus.
Jesus’s promise has not yet been fulfilled; so as commanded, they ALL WAIT.
At this time Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters
(a group of about 120 people was there together),
and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David..
Acts 1:15-16a NASB
One Hundred Twenty (120) with one accord (all together)
The Apostle Peter addresses well over a hundred men and women in this room.
And ALL have been together praying with one accord. (See all the instances Luke uses this to describe these saints of the early Christian Church.)
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord G3661 in one place.
Acts 2:1 KJV – Strong’s G3661 linked
Is your Christian gathering of 120 like this?
Here is how the first century Church ‘acted:’
- And they, continuing daily with one accord G3661 in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart
- ..they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, G3661 and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
- And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord G3661 in Solomon’s porch.
But I’m getting ahead of myself in Luke’s ACTS of the Apostles (and others).
NEXT: Peter’s speech to the 120
To be continued...
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