Without John 21, there would not have been Acts 1. If man’s heart is not touched by the Lord, he will not be able to tell the Lord, “O Lord, I love You.” The Lord brought Peter, James, John, and the rest of the disciples to a point where they were touched by His love and saw His glory. Then what did they do? They left their relatives and possessions behind and went up to the upper room in Jerusalem. They suffered much persecution and hardship there, but they were not afraid. Their going up to the upper room signifies that they had forsaken everything of the earth. What did they do in the upper room? They wanted only the Lord, not the world or anything of the earth. They forsook everything, including their possessions, families, relatives, positions, and reputations, and trampled all these things under their feet.

They prayed in the upper room day after day, praying again and again, continuing steadfastly for ten days. They did not seek after the things of the earth but only after the things of the heavens; they cared not for man but for God alone. This was their unique goal. They prayed until one day the Holy Spirit came upon them; they prayed until one day the “supply wire” found the “return wire,” that is, until God found man. At that time, the “electricity” was transmitted, and the Spirit came. As a result, first three thousand and then five thousand people were saved. From where did these three thousand and five thousand saved ones come? They came from prayer, from the love for the Lord. Without the love for the Lord, there would not have been any forsaking. Without the forsaking, there would not have been any prayer. Without the prayer, there would not have been the descending of the Holy Spirit. Without the descending of the Holy Spirit, there would not have been any power. Without the power, there would not have been any work. And without the work, no one would have been saved.

Without these one hundred and twenty people loving the Lord and emptying the world from their hearts, God would have had no way to work. However, due to the Lord’s drawing, they emptied the world out from their being and their hearts. The world had no place in them, the world could not usurp them, the world had no power over them, and the world had been emptied out of them. These people not only loved God, but they were emptied of the world, and they turned their entire being away from the earth completely. Previously their fishing boats, their fishing nets, and their fishing companions had been lovely to them, and their hearts had been directed toward the world, their possessions, their occupations, and their families. One day, however, the Lord came to ask them, “Do you love Me more than these?” The Lord’s word turned their hearts around. Their hearts were turned to such an extent that one day they simply gave up everything-the earth, the sea, the boat, the net, and the fish. Instead, they just wanted the Lord, the things of the heavens, and God. When they went up to the upper room in Jerusalem, their whole being and all of their hearts were turned toward the Lord. They prayed until the day the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them. The filling of the Holy Spirit was the power. May we all see that without prayer, there will not be the filling of the Holy Spirit; without the filling of the Holy Spirit, there will be no power; and without the power, the work will not be effective. All these things come from prayer.

Where does prayer come from? Prayer comes from our love for the Lord. Without a heart that loves the Lord, there will be no prayer. Hence, we need to hear the Lord speaking to us, “Do you love Me more than these?” Not only do we need to hear His voice, but we also need to answer, “O Lord, You know that I love You.” We need to pass through this before we can arrive at Acts. First there was the prayer in Acts 1, and then there was the descending of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. I hope that all the saints will sense and see the Lord’s sweetness and beauty. May the Lord draw us that we may love Him and be touched by Him, so that our heart may be turned right-side up toward the heavens.

Time is very short; the day of the Lord’s coming is drawing near. When we see the changes in the world, should we not pray? We need to love the Lord and turn our hearts to Him while we still have today. From this day on, we need to pray and ask the Lord to turn all our hearts around so that we who belong to God would be those who love God.
Home | First | Prev | Next