The first chapters of Acts are remarkable in many ways.
The risen Lord Jesus reaffirms to the apostles his teaching on the kingdom of God (1:3). He promises the Holy Spirit, who will empower them for the work of testifying about Christ from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Then he ascends to heaven (1:4-8).
Having been given this kingdom-expanding task, the apostles and other disciples get to work by praying.
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14)
Even after Pentecost, where the Spirit was poured out and 3000 people followed Jesus, the believers continue to devote themselves to prayer:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
The two descriptors of their prayer life stand out to me – constant and devoted.
Prayer was their powerhouse. Relentless was their calling out to God in prayer, that he would expand his through them.
At Oak Flats Anglican, we want to see the kingdom grow and we do pray for it.
But let’s be constant and devoted in our prayer life for the expansion of the kingdom. God-willing, we may see many come to Christ under his hand and through our proclamation of Christ.
– Sam Pursell