You shall receive power 2
By Ivan Ho 20 Aug 2017
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:1 NKJV
This was the first house church meeting after the ascension of Jesus. About 120 disciples of Jesus gathered together in one place at the instruction of the Lord.
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Luke 24:49 NKJV
Set time
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, meaning that the disciples gathered at a set time. The coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by the Father happened at a predetermined time. The prophet Joel had prophesied about the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh, and Jesus had foretold when the Holy Spirit would come.
“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:5 NKJV
God already knew in advance when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would happen. We need to wait on God, and understand His timing to see the fulfillment of the Father’s promise. All the disciples who followed the instruction of Jesus received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
One accord
The disciples were all with one accord in one place. It was an in house meeting only for the disciples who have been spending time with Jesus. They were mature followers of Jesus who have been trained and formed by the Lord. This is a prerequisite to achieving unity of faith.
It is in contrary to the idea of unity as accepting everyone regardless of their beliefs. If there was anyone present who did not have the same kingdom mindset, it would not be possible to be in one accord.
With one accord means they were all with one mind. They were all followers of Jesus with one mind, one faith, one Lord, one spirit, one purpose. There was no mixture of beliefs, no mixture of faiths, no mixture of mindsets, no self agenda, no self ambition, no self motives.
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and 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 brothers.
Acts 1:12-14 NKJV
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 NKJV
They all gathered in one place because the Lord Jesus told them to stay together to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, which was the first most important corporate church gathering after Jesus was taken up to heaven. It was not a social gathering nor a gathering of people with mixed beliefs and mindsets. For 3 1/2 years, these 120 men and women have been hearing the same voice and receiving the same input from the same Master. There was absolute unity of faith and purpose in their hearts and minds.
One place
When the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were not all over the place, trying to seek God in their own time on their own terms. The 120 were not clones but they all carried the same DNA. When believers carrying the same DNA gather together in one place, something powerful is about to take place. The corporate gathering created an atmosphere conducive for the Holy Spirit to come.
There is a time and a place for certain predetermined events ordained by God to happen. However, when a person is unsettled, trying to ‘run after the anointing’, being led by events instead of by the voice of God, he will not be in the right place to receive from God. Imagine those who were not waiting in the upper room, or left before the Holy Spirit came, they would have missed the day of their breakthrough.
One purpose
“But tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” was the instruction from Jesus to His disciples.
Have you been to a gathering wondering what was going to happen, not knowing what to expect, or wonder why you were there in the first place? This was not the case when the disciples gathered in the upper room. They did not had to look at each other and wonder: ” Hey why are we here?”
They all fully expected the coming of the Holy Spirit because the Father has made the promise and the Son has given His word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.