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by Dennis Wheeler
Could there possibly have been a more unified group than the disciples after Jesus' ascension? (Acts 1:6-11)
Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were pretty much a ragtag bunch. Most of them really had no clue what Jesus was up to and they spent a great deal of time squabbling among themselves. In the Gospels, we catch glimpses of tiffs and even jealously among them. But then in the book of Acts - there is none of that! They present a strong, cohesive, unifed front to new converts, to dissenters, and to their opposition. No doubt the presence of the Holy Spirit had a lot to do with this change! But there's no escaping the fact that prayer was a factor too.
Remember Jesus' prayer in John 17 - just before His death? His overriding request was that they would be 'one.' And it must be more than a coincidence that in this record of the early church, in the very first chapter, we are told that they 'joined together constantly in prayer."
Praying together, even if you're not specifically praying for unity, can't help but create unity. Have you ever tried praying with someone you're mad at? It's almost impossible! Either you'll get the anger over with first, or you'll be finished with it by the time you're done praying. You see - sin just can't stand up in the presence of the Lord. And coming before Him jointly unites us in our common love for Him, making all other issues fade in their significance.
Why not spend some time this week praying for 'unity' for His church and let's work for a unified, strong cohesive body of believers!
He serves as the Senior Pastor with southwest Virginia church... a loving church family in Abingdon.
He and his wife Sharon have been married for over 27 years and are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, one son-in-law, and two precious grandchildren, the second arrived arrived on the scene in September 2004!!
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