Act One

The Appointed Church (v.8)

The disciples had an appointment to keep. They were told to meet Jesus in Jerusalem. First things first. The Book of Acts begins with the believers gathering around the risen Christ. He taught them. He took them to the Mt. of Olives and ascended into heaven right before their eyes. They were instructed to wait to be endued with power from on high (Lk. 24:49). They were told to “tarry.” The early church kept that appointment. What happened in that upper room in Jerusalem transformed timid disciples into dynamic and determined witnesses. They gathered in an appointed place. The upper room was the cradle that indeed would rock the world. It is up to each believer and “lover of God,” (Theophilus) to find a meeting place where not only other disciples gather, but where Christ is in the midst. Just where that upper room was we do not know. That is not the important thing. A church on the move does not invest too deeply in real estate. Beautiful buildings give us a comfortable place to meet and worship, but sometimes can be too comfortable. Beautiful buildings also give us an air of respectability. Building tabernacles on mountain tops of transfiguration was never God’s will. When we do we may be caretakers of religious real estate forgetting that the church is never a building, but a body of believers. Massive Cathedrals were man’s, not God’s idea. We would do well to remember that our Lord lived simply and humbly. Builders beware. Just about the time the stained glass windows are being unpacked and the saints are settling in, God is likely to be on the move. The important thing is to keep our appointment to meet with the resurrected Savior first. We should, as He said “tarry.” We must “tarry” long enough each morning to be ready for the coming day. It is important to keep our divine appointment with the risen Christ to be instructed by Him. In appointed places and times He will teach us, and appoint us and prepare us before He sends us into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.