We will begin today’s sermon and devotional with Acts 3 because it’s a background to the Believers prayer in Acts 4.
The Apostles had been instructed by Jesus to preach the Gospel to every creature and he will be with them to the ends of the earth.
Aside from this instruction, the Apostles had the habit of prayer so we will find Peter and John going to the temple to pray when a crippled man for over 40 years reached out to them for alms and in Acts 3 vs 6, the famous statement of faith was made:
“But Peter said “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I will give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, get up and walk!
The lesson here is this: We have something that the world needs and that is salvation, we have been given the name of Jesus, never again should you look at yourself as an empty vessel, the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 4:7:
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
Suddenly, the cripple man jumped up and everyone was filled with joy, then Peter started sharing the Gospel with the crowd.
His message was simple: Jesus whom you rejected and killed, God has raised from the dead, and faith in his name has made this man whole today.
Peter also said that the Old Testament prophets like Moses, Abraham, and Samuel prophesied about Christ, and through Christ all the families on earth will be blessed.
RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONFRONTING PETER AND JOHN
Jesus didn’t lay down his life to give us religion but a relationship with the Father. The religious leaders confronted Peter and John for preaching that through Jesus, there is a resurrection of the dead.
They were arrested and put in prison. The next day, the council of all rulers, elders, and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem and asked them by what power or in whose name this miracle was done.
Peter answered and said: This man was healed by the powerful name of Jesus, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
Peter quoted the law to the religious leaders so they know this has always been the plan of God even if they were blinded by self-righteousness and dead works.
The religious leaders also noticed the boldness of Peter and John, acknowledging that they had been with Jesus.
With Jesus on our inside, we can’t be ordinary. Jesus told the disciples you will receive power when the holy ghost comes on you and you will be my witness in Judea, Samaria, and other parts of the earth.
The miracle was outstanding and visible to the blind, afraid of a riot, the religious leaders threatened the Apostles to stop preaching about the risen Christ.
When Peter and John were freed, they went to other believers and lifted up their voices in prayer using the bible as a basis for the supernatural, in which they quoted:
Psalms 2 vs 1 – 2: Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
You see why it is important to have a knowledge of the word of God? So, you can use it in prayer, for this is how a believer should pray.
So, from Acts 4 vs 23 to 30, the Apostles asked God to grant them great boldness in preaching the word with miracles accompanying them.
The Apostles knew they would be faced with opposition and attacks but they needed supernatural boldness, not human courage to face this work.
The truth is that the gospel can’t be preached without the power of God and one sign of it is Boldness.
I remember a few years ago I was eager to share the gospel, I would pray with this scripture at night and in the morning set out to go and preach to a crowd of 100 to 250 persons at a go, normally am a shy person but as I engaged the supernatural ability of God’s word in Prayer, the Holy Spirit empowered me.
The believers also prayed that miracles, signs, and wonders be done through the name of Jesus, this agrees with the scripture in Mark 16 vs 17 and 18 that says:
“And these signs shall follow them that believe, in my name shall they cast out devil; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS IN THE BIBLE
The following scriptures contain Prayers for the believer and encouragement from Apostle Paul telling the believers to pray so they may preach the word with boldness as they ought to:
Acts 9:27-28 (KJV) “But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.”
Ephesians 6:19-20 (KJV) “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Colossians 4:3-4 (KJV) “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
Proverbs 28:1 (KJV) “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Ephesians 3:12 (KJV) “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
1 John 4:17 (KJV) “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
Philippians 1:20 (KJV) “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”
Hebrews 10 vs 19 (KJV) Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.2 Timothy 1 vs 7 (KJV)For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
My passion lies in reaching out to young adults in communities and schools, witnessing the transformative power of faith in their lives.
This blog extends my ministry, sharing insights, encouraging believers, and exploring Christ's teachings in daily life.
Welcome, Brother James.
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