I. Their Devotion
A. You will see this theme throughout the book of acts.
B. Why did they pray at this time?
1. It was how Jesus taught them to do.
2. It was a natural response to their circumstances.
3. It was needful to understand the will of God.
C. How did they pray?
1. Together
2. Devoted to prayer
3. In one Spirit
D. Why did they pray?
1. They had just seen Jesus’ ascension.
2. They were instructed to wait for the comforter.
3. They had a decision to make.
II. Their Decision
A. This was a very specific number of people.
B. Likely made up of:
1. 120 people which the Jews required to make up a counsel
2. Likely made up of converts of Jesus and His disciples, the disciples themselves, and the 72 that Jesus sent out in Luke 10.
3. This completed the counsel to affect the business that was about to occur.
C. Replacing Judas
1. There were very specific qualifications
2. He had to have been a man
3. He had to have been with them from the beginning
4. He had to have been an eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus
5. It appears there were only two who qualified
D. “They prayed”
1. It is important at times for everyone in the room to all engage in prayer together
2. Other times it is needful for one to stand up and pray on behalf of the group.
3. Either way prayer is always needed for ministry.
E. Casting lots
1. This was a common practice throughout the OT
2. It is never condemned in scripture
3. It is not too dissimilar to taking a vote.
Conclusion:
Prayer together is the biblical prescriptive as well as descriptive to Kingdom work.
The focus here was the very same Kingdom Jesus preached.
