“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:14)
After the ascension of Jesus, the disciples, in obedience to Jesus’ command, stayed together in fellowship and prayer. The Lord had told them to wait until they would be endued with power and wisdom by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would tell them how to proceed and would present them with opportunities to preach the gospel. He would also give them wisdom, courage, and authority to do this. So the disciples all stayed together and waited for they really did not know at this point how to carry out the Lord’s command to spread the gospel and baptize all nations in the name of Jesus.
Many believers feel the same thing. They do not carry out the Lord’s commission because they do not know how to start or what to do. Our reluctance to carry out this command is a big reason why our world is filled with such violence and disrespect. Sometimes Christians and churches substitute worldly methods to attract people to church activities in the hopes that somehow those unsaved folks can hear the gospel. They do not share the gospel because they do not know what to say or how to approach people. Or else they do not want to offend others by pointing out their need for a savior or do not want to denigrate the religious beliefs of their neighbors. This is especially true here in the United States where the constitution mandates that we value and respect the rights of others to worship and live as they desire and to express their opinions freely. But the truth of the gospel is true for all people of all cultures, faiths, and ethnicities, whether or not they want to hear or accept it. And we believers are called to spread that Good News of salvation in Jesus alone.
Unlike the disciples, however, we believers today do not have to wait around. The Holy Spirit has been granted to us when we were endowed with faith at Baptism or when we were born again. We do not have to wait but we do have to pray. We do have to fellowship with other believers. Together with them we do have to study the word of God so we may discern His will and wisdom. Then we too may go forth to make disciples of all men without fear with a voice motivated by the Holy Spirit Himself.