Finding Boldness Through Prayer Part 1
Acts 4:23-35
Churches
in America have operated for centuries without interference or fear of
persecution. However, that seems to be changing as Biblical truths conflict
with secular values. What is our
response to be? Around the globe,
persecuted believers have found their greatest weapon is prayer.
The enemy
wants God's People silenced in every possible way.
The Bible and
its authority have been rejected as being bigoted and culturally irrelevant
to the present generation.
It is
difficult to stand and profess what the Bible says is right without
others feeling you are condemning or demeaning them.
The sad truth
of the church today is that it has failed to stay on mission with the Great
Commission when under attack!
The gospel
has never been and will never be “politically correct”.
The church is
supernatural in its origin and should be supernatural in its operation.
What is not supernatural will be superficial.
God’s Process
of Emboldening Disciples
I. God’s Deliverance Is Proclaimed v23-24a
·
When you are really in trouble you don’t rise
up to fight, you fall to your knees to pray.
·
Under pressure, they formed a prayer meeting; we
form a committee.
·
Fact of ministry today is that the most difficult position
to get the church into is on its knees.
·
People are willing to go, teach, preach, sing or do
most anything before they will spend time in earnest prayer.
II. God’s Sovereignty is Confessed v24-28
·
The word for "Lord"
in this verse is "despot"
- one who rules with absolute authority.
God's Sovereignty is seen in:
·
Creation of all things v 24
·
Control of all things v 27-28
·
The world is bigger than our nation and what is
happening in the interactions of the world is God’s bigger plan for mankind.
III. Man’s Servanthood is Understood v29-30
·
The Greek word for “servant”
is "bondslave" – one
purchased for life.
·
There is submission involved in this to the circumstances,
not merely for release from the pressures.
·
Their prayer was not for safety, but for boldness.
