Acts 1:13-14 (KJV)
And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother 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.
This passage means much more to me than ever before in the over 40 years I’ve read it, preached from it, and taught it.
I recently had the privilege of staying in a home in the Middle East that functioned much like this. On our trip to the United Arab Emirates, we visited several house churches where each room of the house was the lodging of different members of the church.
The first home we visited appeared to consist of at least four what I imagined were apartments. The pastor referred to the families in these separate apartments as “neighbors.” As far as I understood, these were indeed separate apartments divided out of one larger home called a villa. The purpose of sharing the villa in this way, as I understood in the first home, was for security in their worship. They used a large room in the pastor’s apartment for their worship space. By having the entire villa rented by members of the church, they ran less risk of neighbors reporting to the government that worship services (technically illegal) were being conducted there.
As we continued our tour through the country, we visited several similar situations—mostly in villas, but one in an apartment complex. Each room was inhabited by a different family, all members of the church that met in the apartment. The large room used for worship had soundproofing on the walls, floor, and ceiling to make it less likely that neighbors would complain. It also became apparent that sharing the space helped save money, as these places were quite expensive. One apartment, I learned, ran the equivalent of $3,000 a month in U.S. dollars.
My wife and I stayed the night in the last of these house churches we visited. Every room except one was occupied by a different family. The villa was two stories, had multiple bedrooms (one reserved for visiting preachers), and at least two bathrooms per floor. The bathrooms were designated for men and women. One large room was set aside as their worship space.
Just before leaving, the pastor and his wife invited us to see their room. This preacher, whose ministry is vast, has lived for more than two decades in a single room. It contains a bed, office equipment, and all of their belongings—everything—in one room.
I cannot help but imagine Acts 1:13 this way: They all dwell there, each with their own small living space. Peter was married, so perhaps his was a bit more private. We know women were there too. They would not have had the washroom facilities we saw in the UAE, but those details would have been accommodated according to the culture and conditions of the day.
Americans are so private—often spoiled and selfish—that we don’t even want a neighbor in sight. These believers live close, tight-knit, and deeply committed to the Lord and to one another.
#OneAccord #UpperRoomFaith #HouseChurchCourage #PrayerUnderPressure #ActsChurchToday
The Upper Room Is Still Alive: Living Acts 1 in a Modern World
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