July 9 Devotion: Removing Hinderances for the Lost

Acts 2:1 - “ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

This text demonstrates one of the few times in history where we can definitively say that the entire body of a local church was attuned to the Will of God and each member was fully committed to the work that God had commissioned them to perform. 120 people were in the upper room and they prayed diligently until all were in one accord.

Through prayer they had honed their will to align with the Will of God. No one had any other concern that awaiting the arrival of the Holy Spirit and fully surrendering themselves to the ministry. Through both private prayer and corporate prayer as the local church, they allowed God to prepare them for the day of Pentecost and the commencement of the great commission. 

They, like we were later instructed in the epistles, had the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. They sacrificed self and embraced Christ and his instruction. All were equally devoted and sanctified to the work of the church. On the day of Pentecost and those days shortly after, this body of believers soon gained the reputation of turning the world upside down with the gospel.

But what really was happening during their days of prayer? They were praying for the promised Comforter to arrive, but God was removing the obstacles in each believer that would have prevented the gospel from being received. He shaped their perspective, He pruned their flesh, and He patterned their desires to match that of God’s (that none should perish and that all should come to repentance). 

For the past several weeks, our pastor has preached heavily on Salvation. My confidence in the man of God and the providence of God leave me without a doubt that the reason salvation is being preached so heavily is because the lost have been in attendance at those services. Yet, none have walked an aisle to place their faith in Christ.

Is not our Lord the same yesterday, today and forever? Without a doubt. Has our God’s arm shortened that it cannot reach sinners? Of course not. Has the gospel lost its potency or has the blood of Jesus lost its power to cleanse sin? We know the Bible promises that neither could happen without the entire Word of God being false.

So why then, after powerful preaching week after week have the lost not been redeemed? Could it possibly be that the saved in attendance were not in one accord? Could it be that we have neglected our own vineyards and we have become stumbling blocks to those lost souls that have been in attendance? Heaven help, if that is the case. 

I beg the church to devote extra time, effort and dedication in your personal prayer closets so that we can stand before the Judgement seat and not be ashamed of our entrance into the house of God. The same unity is still possible, because the same God that united the 120 in the upper room still rules and reigns on high.

Ask the Lord if there is anything in your heart, flesh or spirit that has been a hindrance to those lost souls. Repent of being contrary to the Will of God. Ask Him to unite your will with His Will. If we do that, nothing about the church members will remain to prevent the Gospel from finding good soil to take root in the hearts of the lost.

Your fellowservant in Christ,

Bro. Jordan Foster