Gateway to Faith

A Biblical Microcosm

“Then they returned from Jerusalem….and all these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer, along with {the} women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” NASB

Are you familiar with the term Microcosm?  The definition is: anything regarded as a representative, miniature version of a larger complex reality. Here are some potential examples of microcosm.

Every journey starts with a single step
Small beginnings lead to great endings
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Think big but act small

I think of this section in Acts 1 as a microcosm. It seems small but it represents something HUGE.  Twelve men, disciples of Jesus, had just experienced the most profound of events the world has ever, and will ever see.  Can you put yourself in that place for a moment. Stunned, blown away. You can’t even believe that you got to be there and experience a centuries old prophetic event. An event that has profound historical implications for all mankind, for all eternity!  

And now these twelve along with Jesus’ Mother, brothers (who must have finally gotten it) and some other women have just watched the Son of God come back to life, perform extraordinary miracles and ascend up to heaven, heralding that his work, for now, is done on earth but that he will eventually return.  

It’s hard to understand all the emotions that they must have been feeling. With that in mind, I want to focus on the immediate action they took following this because I think it is so key to the Christian faith, as we are to follow in their footsteps.

They all, together, went back to the upper room. Remember the upper room? And there, Scripture records, they continually devoted themselves, with one mind, to prayer. Continually…with one mind….prayed.  Look at our world and how hard is it to get people on the same page, for anything!  The dissension in our society is prolifically abundant. 

What would you have done if you would have just experienced all this?  Gone home, gone to bed and sleep for a week just to recover from the emotion of it all?  Gotten on Facebook to share your pictures? Thought, “well, it’s over, time to get back to my job or life that I gave up.” No. They stayed together, continually. They were of one mind. How did that happen? Especially when they had to have been so full of emotion from their experiences. And they focused on prayer…continually. What were they praying about? What were they talking about? How were they coping with the enormity?

Their actions had to come from the leading of the Holy Spirit, through their obedience to what Jesus told them to do. Their actions certainly weren’t propagated from man made emotions. Something seemingly simple but has huge implications as we will soon see in the coming passages. Staying together and praying was, I believe, the most counterintuitive, brilliant thing they could have done.

That is the importance of being led by Jesus and not acting on all the various emotions. And, perhaps, that is what prayer does for us. Regulate those emotional instincts and obedience fights against the flighty decisions we could make. They were told to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them. And that they did. Then, somehow, they were all of one mind. The greek terms indicates “one passion.”  This one passion, sticking together and power of prayer, as you will see, turns the world upside down. 

The counter, as we often see in the world and even in Christianity, is each to his own. Doing what is best in our own eyes or for our own good. Jump from one church to another when our feelings are hurt or we can’t come to agreement. And where has that led? Being united is not necessarily easy and may take a lot of work. But somehow, in this moment, these believers focus was not themselves. They were focused with one mind to do what Jesus taught them. Jesus prayed in John 17 that they would be “one” and here, they certainly were.

These followers of Christ show us a microcosm, today’s churches, today’s believers should take to mind, take to heart, to perhaps, turn our world upside down.