Prayer Group That Met in Solomon's Colonnade

Acts5:12,13 "And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people."

Notice the word 'dared' in that description of the early church prayer group? I was wondering what did the people find in this prayer group that made them scared to join them even though they thought highly of the group?

I speculate that the prayer group that met in Solomon's Colonnade was at a different plateau in their praying. I belive that this prayer group did not pray for board exams and fine weather rather they must have interceded for men and wrestled with the devil (like Epaphras did). They must have praised God for being counted worthy to suffer. This must have baffled the onlookers. Their prayers must have been with power unlike the usual prayer meetings that we attend. They must have put their whole lives behind their prayers. They must have got exhausted after their prayers. Their prayers must have been without the flowery words and eloquence that we like, rather it must have been with groanings and unintelligible utterances (like that of Hanah's). Their prayers must have created havoc in hell. They must NOT have prayed for finances. They must NOT have prayed for church buildings. They must have prayed for men. They must have prayed for courage. They must have prayed for the resurrection power. Oh how foolish our prayer meetings look in the light of this one?

I believe that the prayers made by this group was out of the world. They must have learnt it from the Lord himself as some of them witnessed the Lord's Gethsemane prayer. Mere men must have been so afraid to join them. The very sight must have given them a complex.

Or it could be that 'their righteousness reflected the world's corruptness' as somebody put it. I belive that these God-consumed men were so out-of-the-world. So otherworldly that the worldly men wouldn't dare join them.

Can that be said of our prayer groups? Can that be said of my prayer group? No!

A Man Consumed by God

If you were thinking that there is no ‘human sacrifice’ done in the 21st century, you are wrong. There is human sacrifice done these days. Yes, Christianity advocates human sacrifice. Paul in his letter (Rom12:1) to the Roman Church writes thus “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…”.

There’s not much written about the events in Stephen’s life. But there’s one event that finds its place in the book of Acts. Its his death. Paul for his exhortation in Romans12:1 must have been inspired primarily by Christ’s sacrificial death and I strongly believe that this inspiration must have been seconded by the haunting memories of a death he witnessed some days before he was met by God on the road to Damascus. Yes, Stephen’s death must have inspired Paul when he wrote his letter to the Roman Church. This young man Stephen, knowing that he may not come out alive from that preaching assignment, placed himself on the altar as the sacrifice. God answers by fire. The same God who consumed the drenched sacrifice on Elijah’s altar on Mount Carmel, answered by fire this time too. That’s why I belive Stephen’s face shone like an angel’s. This is New Testament theology demonstrated. In the olden days God consumed the animal sacrifice as a proof of his existence (IKings18:36,37). Today he consumes human lives and shows the world the proof of his existence. Stephen was a man consumed by God.

The sacrifice on the altar is helpless and dead. It cannot move from the altar. When it is brought to the altar it is killed. When Paul said “offer your bodies as living sacrifices..” he must have meant this, that we ought to be come to the altar helpless and dead. He goes on in the next verse (Rom12:2) to say “ be dead to the ways of the world”. He begins (Rom12:1) by saying “ by God’s mercies…”. You cannot do it on your own because you are helpless. You cannot thrive in the ways of the world because you are dead to it. This is the kind of ‘Living’ sacrifice every Christian ought to be. When God consumes a sacrifice, the world will know it (as they did on Mount Carmel). When God consumes a man, the world will know it as they did on that trial as Stephen stood to deliver his last sermon (Acts6:15).