“If Jesus commanded you to go to a prayer meeting, would you go?” This was a question often posed by Armin Gesswein, founder of Revival Prayer Fellowship in the early 1950’s.

I think that most of us would say that if Jesus COMMANDED us to go to a prayer meeting, we would immediately ask, “Where will it be and what time does it begin?”
Interestingly enough the last command given by Jesus, was not what is commonly known as the great commission, which is found at the end of Matthew 28, but rather it was in the first chapter of Acts.

Acts 1:4 (NASB)
4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;

The Greek word Jesus used for command was a military term. Jesus was literally giving them an order that He was binding them to. Then a few verses later, we find what they were doing in the upper room.

Acts 1:12-14 (NASB)
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

“Pentecost didn’t come through a preaching service; Pentecost came to a prayer service. From Pentecost to Patmos, God never departs from the pattern.” – Armin Gesswein

The power of the gospel comes through prayer. Christ’s last command becomes our first responsibility. Are you ready to obey?

Always praying for the glory of God,