Momentum - Week 6
In today’s passage of scripture, we get to see how church leaders lived for Jesus when their lives were threatened. We get to see if the church leaders really believed what they said they believe.
When I was a sophomore in High School – I lived under a threat from a football player named Mario. Mario was a beast. He was a star on the basketball court and the football field. He worked out in the weight room at school all the time – and my guess is he could bench press a school bus.
Mario was dating my next-door neighbor. She and I were the same age – her brother and I were great friends – so I was always over at their house. Being a goof ball – playing basketball – Playing Atari, talking – and hanging out. Mario did not like that I spent so much time over at their house. So what did he do? He threatened me.
One day in High School, he grabbed me, shoved me against the wall, and told me to never go over to her house again. With tears in my eyes – I told him he could do whatever he wants to me – they were my friends – my family – and I am not going to stay away from them. So for the next year, he would run into me with his shoulder when we would pass in the hall. I tried to avoid him, if I saw him way down the crowded hall, sometimes I would duck into a classroom or bathroom so he wouldn’t see me. Finally – after their relationship ended the following year – he eased up.
If you haven’t been with us the last few weeks – let me give a quick recap.
Peter and John were on their way into the temple and they healed a man who had been crippled since birth.
The man celebrated so hard people came running to see what happened.
Peter shared the good news of Jesus with those that came to hear… and at thousands of people surrendered their lives to Jesus.
But right before thousands of people surrendered their lives to Jesus, the religious leaders had Peter and John arrested for healing the man, and for preaching about Jesus.
Acts 4:3-4 (NLT2)
They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.
The Jewish leaders were NOT followers of Jesus. They taught the Jewish people that they should obey all the laws found in the Old Testament if they wanted to go to Heaven.
After Peter preached this message of hope, the Jewish leaders huddled together, arrested Peter and John, and decided to tell Peter and John, “We are going to let you go – But you better stop this teaching about Jesus – OR ELSE.”
Let’s take a look to see how Peter and John responded to the threats against them.
Acts 4:16-22 (NLT2)
“What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” 21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
Peter and John weren’t exactly sure what the religious leaders were going to do to them if they continued to tell others about Jesus.
The Jewish leaders – were the same people who had falsely accused Jesus of crimes, bribed Judas, and persuaded the Roman authorities to brutally and publicly beat and whip Jesus, crucify him, and murder him – had just threatened them.
They did not know what the Jewish leaders were going to do to them – but If the Jewish leaders were willing to kill Jesus – then certainly they would be willing to kill them too.
Acts 4:23-31 (NLT2)
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against his Messiah.’ 27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
They responded to the threat on their lives, by going back to other followers of Jesus and told them what had happened.
And look what happened as soon as they heard – this group of believers – PRAYED together. They didn’t panic. They didn’t protest. They didn’t grab their daggers and pitchforks to lead a revolution. Verse 24 tells us that they lifted their voices together to God…
Now skip v. 31. We read that after they prayed, they continued to speak the Word of God with BOLDNESS.
When we feel intimidated, frustrated, weak or threatened, we can learn from their example that:
MOMENTUM CONTINUES
THROUGH BOLD PRAYER
Jesus told them to go and tell others about Jesus. They did. Lives were being changed. People were charing everything they had, caring for one another, and living transparently. And now, they were being threatened. But instead of instead of ducking into a bathroom, like I did with Mario, they PRAYED BOLDLY. And their prayer was answered immediately. The ground was shaken. They were filled with the BOLD power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. AND they continued to SPEAK the WORD of GOD with BOLDNESS.
I have a CONFESSION. Too OFTEN. WAY too OFTEN. MY PRAYERS are not BOLD.
The reason my prayers are not BOLD – is because I never share my deep concerns with others. I keep my deep concerns to myself instead of inviting others to join with me in prayer. But that is not what Peter and John did. The very first thing that Peter and John did was to go find other followers of Jesus, tell them what happened, and they ALL joined together in prayer.
So – if like me, you want to continue the Momentum of the work of God in your life…
SHARE YOUR STRUGGLES AND INVITE OTHERS TO PRAY WITH YOU
If you want momentum to continue in your life, share your struggles and pray with others.
When was the last time you asked somebody to pray for you over something specific, and then, right then, you both stopped and prayed together?
The first time I did that was in 1999. I was serving at a church in Nashville, TN. We were filing in to the worship center through the doors, and a grandmother of one of my students told me she had cancer on her tongue and was terrified that her tongue was going to be removed. I stopped right then, cradled her head in my hands, and prayed that God would destroy the cancer and spare her tongue. He did.
At another church, our Children’s Pastor was told that his pregnant wife was going to lose their baby because there was not enough amniotic fluid inside the womb. As a church, we prayed boldly for God to increase the fluid, and now their Facebook page is filled with photographs of little Lilly running around and bossing her two older brothers.
But – I do not invite other people into my prayer life. I often pray for others – but I keep my requests and my needs to myself. The fact is, I pray boldly for others but I won’t let others pray boldly for me. I don’t tell them that I am gravely concerned about our finances and invite them to pray boldly to God and ask Him to provide. I don’t tell them that I am worried that Kristy is working too much and ask them to pray boldly that she would experience refreshing energy and rest. I don’t tell them that I am worried about not spending personal time with the Lord as much as I used too and ask them to pray boldly against burn-out and that my time with the Lord would be refreshing. What about you?
What needs do you have that you hide from others? Is it a diagnosis? Is it your marriage? Is it your job? Are you having an affair and terrified to confess it other followers of Jesus and invite them to pray with you? Are you addicted to alcohol, drugs or pornography and scared to invite others to pray with you? Our prayer team is here after the last song every weekend – and they would be honored to bring your requests to God WITH you.
And as you begin to open your life up and pray with others…
ANCHOR YOUR PRAYERS IN THE BIBLE, NOT FEELINGS
As these believers joined together – they used scripture to shape and guide their prayers.
Acts 4:25-26 (NLT2)
you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against his Messiah.’ “And now God hear their threats and give us great boldness in preaching your word.”
The power in the ASK of their prayer came AS they anchored their prayer in God’s word.
I have a few verses I have memorized that I fall back on for certain prayers. When I personally feel discouraged, overwhelmed, inadequate, I begin to mediate and pray on:
Philippians 1:6 (NLT2)
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
As I pray, I am reminded of God’s promise that He is never going to stop working in my heart. That’s one reason why I love the song, WAYMAKER. Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God that is who you are. Even when I don’t see it, you’re working. Even when I don’t feel it, you’re working. You never stop, you never stop working. You never stop, you never stop working.
When we anchor our prayers in scripture, not in feelings, we are pressing into the heart of God. Our feelings can be wrong, but God’s word is always true. So if you anchor your prayers in scripture, you will experience the life-changing, overwhelming presence of the Spirit of God, moving in your life, and building momentum.