In this sermon, Pastor Scott preached from Acts 4:23-31. In this passage, we see how the early church responded to opposition through prayer, boldness, and… Read More
“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:23-24, 29-31
5 Challenging Realities of a Praying Church in Acts 4:
1. A praying church embraces community with Jesus followers
“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God…” Acts 4:23-24a
“They didn't deny their need for their community. They recognized the reason God gave His people one another, and they made a beeline for their brothers and sisters in Christ.” Chuck Swindoll
“…pray without ceasing...” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“…Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’” Acts 4:24b-26
5 Challenging Realities of a Praying Church in Acts 4:
2. A praying church believes the Scriptures
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16
“Your Bible is unlike anything else in your life. Your Bible has been put together and preserved for you as an irreplaceable tool of God's grace in your life…You will not be spiritually healthy if you aren't being shaped by God's word. The Bible is the soil in which your Christian life is rooted and grows.” Paul David Tripp
5 Challenging Realities of a Praying Church in Acts 4:
3. A praying church trusts the sovereignty of God
“… for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” Acts 4:27-28
“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.” Psalm 119:90-91
The way you pray reveals what you believe about God
To know that nothing happens in God’s world apart from God’s will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.” J.I. Packer
5 Challenging Realities of a Praying Church in Acts 4:
4. A praying church prays with expectation
“‘And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’” Acts 4:29-30
“‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you…If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.’" John 15:18, 20e
“‘I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.’” John 16:33
“… while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:30
If God answered every prayer that you prayed last week, how would the world be different?
“Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men of power... It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life, It brings God. There is no power like that of prevailing prayer.” Samuel Chadwick
5 Challenging Realities of a Praying Church in Acts 4:
5. A praying church experiences the Spirit’s power
“Indwelt by the Spirit”
Speaks of capacity
“Filled with the Spirit”
Speak of control
“Indwelt by the Spirit”
Happens once at salvation (Rom. 8:9)
“Filled with the Spirit”
Happens continually in relationship
“Indwelt by the Spirit”
Cannot be lost (John 14:16)
“Filled with the Spirit”
Can be quenched (1 Thess. 5:19)
“Indwelt by the Spirit”
Results in eternal guarantee
“Filled with the Spirit”
Results in empowerment for mission (Acts 1:8)
Before you call a church your home, there are some questions you deserve to have answered. Questions like: What do we believe? Where are we going? How are we going to get there? Discovering Hope is an important step in getting to know our church family.
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