In the early 1920s, architect Frank Lloyd Wright was building the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. As the design neared completion, the hotel directors questioned a key feature— a reflecting pool in its central courtyard. They asked, "Why not eliminate the pool and save 40,000 yen?" But Mr. Wright stood firm. That pool, he said, wasn’t just decoration. It was the building’s last line of defense in case of a major earthquake and the fires that often followed. Despite pressure, Wright refused to compromise. In the end, the pool stayed. And two years later, when the Great Kanto Earthquake devastated Tokyo, that very pool helped save the hotel from being engulfed by fire.[1]
Wright knew something we often forget: when making important decisions, shortcuts can be costly. There are foundational principles that cannot be compromised, no matter how tempting the alternative may seem. Today, we turn to the Book of Acts. We’ll see how the early church made important decisions under pressure. Jesus’ disciples had gone through a lot. Perhaps one of their strongest feelings was “loss” or “grief.” They had lost their Master in the most scandalous way – crucifixion. Temporarily, their sorrow was comforted when the risen Christ appeared to them. But now, he was gone again. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus gave them an instruction: “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.” Yet perhaps they felt lost, unsure what to do next. In addition, they had just experienced betrayal and defection by someone who had once been very close to them. Such pain can leave us embittered. Under Peter’s leadership, the early church handled these challenges and crises wisely. Let’s learn from them.
Scripture
As Jesus’ disciples navigate their next steps, discerning God’s will and making decisions, they applied four fundamental principles: scripture, community, prayer, and surrender.
First, they began with the Scripture. They accessed where they were and where they should be headed based on God’s Word (vv. 15-20). Peter interpreted the Psalms (Ps 69:25; 109:8), saying, “Friends, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas…” Peter and the congregation began to see Judas’ betrayal, not as a random human act, but through the lens of God’s sovereignty. Then they realized it was necessary to replace Judas’ place. In the Old Testament, the twelve tribes represented Israel, and in the New Testament, the twelve apostles represent the “new” Israel – the church. After Judas’ betrayal, the circle of the Twelve had been broken. Replacing Judas was essential groundwork to restore that circle and prepare for the new community, born of the Holy Spirit. Peter and the congregation received this guidance from the Scripture: “Let another take his position of overseer.” (Acts 1:20; cf. Psalm 109:8). So they proceeded accordingly.
Community
Second, they discerned God’s will in community. Verse 15 tells us “Together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons.” Bible teacher Howard Marshall suggests that the reason why the number is mentioned here, because under Jewish law, 120 men were required to form a community with its own council.[2] In other words, there were numerous enough to establish a new community. Their decisions would be valid and representative.
Peter then suggested the qualifications for apostleship: “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us” (vv. 21-22). The key qualification was this: someone who had belonged to the community from the beginning – a “faithful witness”. Then, the two names – Joseph and Matthias – were proposed by the whole community. That’s why we have an Administrative Council in our church. That’s why our Dream Team is so important as we discern together.
Prayer
Third, they prayed. “Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place”” (vv. 24-25).
Luke and Acts are full of references to prayer. In fact, “prayer” is mentioned 31 times in Acts. We see prayer comes before every major decision or crisis in life of Jesus and the early church. Before making any decision, the most important part is to prepare our hearts. Prayer gets our hearts ready and in tune with God. Jesus spent the night in prayer before choosing his twelve apostles. So now the disciples followed his example. So they prayed and prayed. Verse 14 says, “All there were constantly devoting themselves to prayer together…” Their prayer was united. Their prayer was persistent.
In 1844, George Müller began praying daily for five friends to come to Christ. He wrote, “I prayed every day without one single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land or on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be.” After 18 months, one was saved. Five years later, another. Six years after that, a third. But the last two showed no change. Still, Müller prayed—every single day—for over 36 years. One came to faith just before Müller died. The fifth? A few years after his death. Müller didn’t live to see all his prayers answered, but he never stopped trusting that God would.[3]
Often great prayer movements start with a few individuals who have a burden to pray. They keep on praying until revival comes. That’s how our “730 prayer” movement began. It’s not a temporary special church program. We will follow the early church’s example. Let us keep on praying until the blessing comes.
Surrender
So how did the early church prepare the ground before making important decisions? Peter began with the Scripture. The whole community participated in the discerning process and proposed the two names. Then, they all prayed – united and persistent.
Finally, they cast lots. And the lot fell on Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles. There was no intrinsic or magical power in casting lots. No! But it was a traditional way of surrendering to God’s will in the Old Testament Judaism. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Specifically, in this case, the believers had found two equally qualified candidates. But qualifications alone were not enough. Only God knows the hearts of people, so they asked for God’s help. This is the last time in the New Testament we see casting lots to determine God’s will, because now the Holy Spirit has been given to us.
The key is surrendering to God’s will wholeheartedly. In Jeremiah 42, the remnant of Judah came to see Jeremiah and asked for God’s guidance, saying, “Let the Lord your God show us where we should go and what we should do… Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God.” So Jeremiah prayed, and after ten days, the Word came to him: “If you remain in this land, you will live. But if you go to the land of Egypt, there you shall die.” But the people replied to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie!” They had already decided to go to Egypt, even before asking. They simply wanted affirmation. They were not truly willing to listen or surrender to God’s will. So they perished in Egypt.
Jesus once said, “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own” (John 7:17). In other words, if someone says, “God, show me your will—and I’ll think about whether I want to do it,” God may not reveal His will. That heart is already set on its own way. But to those who come like an empty, clean vessel, God will teach His way.
Hoisting Sails
Revival is the sovereign work of God. We cannot make it happen. A sailor has no control over the wind. But a good sailor knows the wind and how to set the sails when the wind blows. We cannot make wind blow, but we can hoist our sails to catch it.
Let us hoist our sails each day by beginning with the Scripture. Let us never cease to pray – alone and together – until God sends the wind of revival. Let us join the early church in singing wholeheartedly:
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee, my blessed Savior
I surrender all
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[1] Edward Tenner, How Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel Survived a 1923 Earthquake (April 1, 2011), https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/how-tokyos-imperial-hotel-survived-a-1923-earthquake/73306/
[2] John Scott, The Message of Acts (The Bible Speaks Today Series) . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition. Location 826 of 8328.
[3] Ajith Fernando, Acts (The NIV Application Commentary Book 5) (p. 34). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.
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