Scripture of the Day:

Acts 4:23

“On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.”

When Believers Pray

In Acts chapter 4, we read an account of a company of believers in the Early Church who lifted their voices in united prayer and received an immediate sign their prayers were answered.

Peter and John had healed the cripple man at the gate of the Temple called “Beautiful.” This offended the hierarchy at the Temple and they had Peter and John arrested.

When they were questioned by the Pharisees, and it was determined that nothing could be done against them because the miraculous healing was now public knowledge, they threatened Peter and John and to never teach anymore in the Name of Jesus.

In verse 19 and 20, Peter replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge yourselves. As for us, we cannot but speak about the things we have seen and things we have heard.” AMEN!

After they were threatened again, they were released and our scripture today says, they immediately went back to their own company and told them what happened.

It is good to be with friends and like minded believers when you are in trouble and having a hard go of it. It is also good to be around those of like precious faith in troubling times, too. Amen!

If this would happen today (and it is, believe me, it is AND it will become more prevalent in today’s society as well with this cancel culture now running the government)… if Paul and Silas would go running back to most church pastors today, things would be different from the Church in the Book of Acts.

Most churches would form a special committee and research whether Peter and John had, indeed, broken some local ordinance. They may even try to make an appointment with the local officials to work out some kind of arrangement where they could pray for sick folks inside the church and not out in public or some other such thing.

These Pharisees were religious. They just did not accept that Jesus was the Messiah.  These leaders believed in the same God. They believed in the Power of Prayer. They believed God could heal someone miraculously. They just did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. Amen!

The believers in that home church did not pray for the destruction of the Temple or for something bad to happen to the leadership. No. Not at all. They prayed that God would give THEM BOLDNESS!

Boldness to continue preaching in the Name of Jesus! Amen!

Then, look at what happened. I’ll just mention it here and we will look closer at it tomorrow…

Verse 31: “And when they had prayed… the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God with BOLDNESS.”

Amen!

Two things I want to point out here and then we will close…

Just like with Paul and Silas – this place was SHAKEN. Amen! No other reports of buildings damaged or any major earthquakes, etc. JUST WHERE THEY WERE PRAYING. Amen!

AND – their prayers were answered!  The Holy Spirit imparted to them BOLDNESS to keep on preaching! Amen! Glory to God!

We need to pray like that too. We need BOLD preachers today! We need BOLD BELIEVER’s today! Amen!

Let’s pray for BOLDNESS to be imparted to us by the Holy Spirit.

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

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