John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
This passage of scripture shows us for the first time how the disciples of Christ had put away their differences, and were huddled together for fear of the Jews. Prior to this, there at times arose a dispute among them of who should be the greatest in the new kingdom, and although Judas was now history, being the main one who usually brought up the conversation of strife for the highest place, yet in all of the disciples there was a secret desire for position, and this was sometimes the cause of bickering amongst themselves. On one occasion when Judas was no where in sight, James and John came with their mother privately, desiring of Christ that the two of them be established in the highest offices of the kingdom of God next to Himself, a petition which showed the carnal state of their hearts at that time.
But now, since they had beheld firsthand what the devil through wicked men had done to their Master, and how they themselves had been threatened, they were now fearful for their lives, and they sought the refuge and comfort of one another in the face of a common danger. This scenario is often repeated in the animal kingdom when there are wildfires raging, and the lives of animals, from the most ferocious to the most docile, are threatened by the common danger. At times like these where the focus is survival and escape from imminent doom, these animals are to be seen running together, or standing shoulder to shoulder, with no manifestation of any animosity towards each other, because a common fear, removes the desire to strive against each other, and squelches the natural urge to do lunch. Let's read:
Genesis 7:7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
In our day there is much bickering and divisiveness within Christian circles on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the ordination of women as pastors, to the issue of gay marriage being sanctioned and conducted by the clergy. Then again, there is the issue of God's law of Ten commandments, and Sunday versus Sabbath worship. All of these issues and sticking points tend to the same end as was the issue of seeking the highest place, as it occurred with the disciples of Christ in days of old, and like the animals of the forest when facing wildfires, we too will shed our disunity and argumentative attitudes, when we are faced with the common danger of the mark of the beast.
However, it is not the will of God that we should wait until that time to ask for the latter rain, for it will be bestowed on every true believer who has followed Christ in the path of humility, self-forgetfulness, and obedience. Furthermore, instead of arguing for the highest place and expending our energies on other matters of little consequence in the greater scheme of things, we should be putting forth well-directed efforts from day to day, to take the triumphs of the Cross to a dying world.
Let us therefore avoid the snare of disunity, if a particular issue does not affect one's salvation, and instead, may we be willing and humble enough to be led by The Spirit of God so that He can empower us to do exploits for Christ. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which demonstrates the attitude we should now be cultivating, and may God bless us with those showers of blessing we so urgently stand in need of. Let's read:
Acts 3:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!