Twelve men were chosen by God. They walked with Jesus for three and a half years. And then Jesus died.During those three and a half years, they were used by God. They saw miracles and healings and were taught by Jesus. So you would think that their connection to Jesus would have been enough. But when it came down to trials or temptations, or even when they were met with the opposition of the Roman guards, they were not able to stand with Jesus.
They abandoned Him. They denied Him and went back to the world.
During their time with Jesus, they struggled, fighting over position. They wanted to call fire down on sinners. They even allowed the devil to talk through them and try to convince Jesus that He didn't need to go to the cross. They fought amongst each other and were very carnal.
But something radical happened to these men after Jesus died.
They were instructed to go to the upper room to pray. They spent ten days in the upper room, praying, fasting, and waiting on the promise.
When the Holy Spirit came, He filled that room, and He filled them. And they were never the same. They were changed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
These men who abandoned Jesus, denied Him, and were carnal became powerhouses for the Lord.
And I find something very interesting.
The journey in the wilderness for the children of Israel should have been a 11 day journey. But it took them forty years.
And for many Christians now, the same thing is happening. What is supposed to take them a few years takes them decades because they're missing out on the upper room experience for their lives.
And there was a difference between the children of Israel and Moses.
Moses would go up and be with God. And they were so afraid they wouldn't even approach the mountain. They didn't have an intimate relationship with God like Moses did. They only learned about God secondhand.
Many people still do that today. They don't read their Bibles. They only learn about God through other people's experiences.
Some people are content to stand at the foot of the mountain when God is calling them higher, into His presence, where they can behold His glory as Moses did.
And some are content to stand at the foot of the cross, admiring what Christ did for them, without realizing that He has called them to pick up their own cross, die to themselves, and follow Him.
We were never called to be spectators of His glory or merely admirers of His sacrifice. We were called to be transformed by His presence and conformed to His likeness.
And while Moses was on the mountain receiving God's commandments, the Israelites became impatient. Instead of waiting on God, they made a golden calf and began worshiping it, eating, drinking, and celebrating. Their unbelief and impatience led them right back into idolatry.
God had delivered them out of Egypt, but Egypt was still in them! They were physically free, but their hearts were still in bondage.
The Israelites continued disobeying God's commands, complaining, wishing they could go back to their lives as slaves, and rebelling against Moses.
And unfortunately, that generation died in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land because of their unbelief and disobedience.
And here's something sadder still. Moses never went into the Promised Land because he allowed his frustration with the people to lead him into disobedience to God.
Fast forward to the upper room again.
These men and women spent ten days in that upper room. And not only did they enter the promise of God for their lives, they became revival.
The very man who Scripture says denied Jesus three times became the man who started the revival.
And I see something here in modern application.
Those who spend time in prayer until the Holy Spirit falls on them and continue until they're filled with the Holy Spirit are people who are able to successfully walk out their Christian lives.
And every revival that ever existed started with a group of people who prayed until their fears were gone, until the carnality was gone, until they looked like Jesus.
And I believe that if it worked for the early disciples, it would still work for us today.
**I believe the church needs an upper room experience again.**