* Today, Christian business owners are being threatened by an agenda to silence.
* They want total compliance with a secular agenda void of God.
* So what do we do?
* The disciples found themselves in the same boat.
* They were being persecuted, and Peter and John specifically were threatened that if they didn’t stop speaking in Christ’s name they would be punished.
* So how did they respond?
* Four Ways:
* 1) They focused on the power of God, not the size of their problem (vs 23-24).
* When you do this the problem becomes extremely small compared to the ossum power of the Almighty.
* 2) They drew strength from Scripture (vs 25-26).
* The stories of the Bible will be a great encouragement to you as you read.
* “Encourage” means to “make courageous.”
* 3) They saw God’s hand at work in the midst of it (vs 27-28).
* They looked beyond the problem to God being on the throne and in charge of what took place.
* They knew what the devil meant for evil God means for good.
* 4) They refused to bow before men (vs 29-30).
* They had no intention of stopping what they were doing, whatever the cost.
* They were willing to sacrifice everything, even their lives.
* So how did God respond? Verse 31 - the whole place was shaken!
* He answered their prayer and gave them the boldness they sought!
* Matthew Henry - “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, more than ever; by which they were not only encouraged, but enabled to speak the word of God with boldness, and not to be afraid of the proud and haughty looks of men.”
Acts 4:31 (6/18/20)
4 Steps to Boldness
June 18, 2020 • Benham Brothers
Acts 1:4-5 (6/20/19)
June 20, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* Luke wrote acts as a continuation of his gospel. * Acts bridges the gap the gospels and Romans. * It shows how the church sprang up and how the gospel began to spread. * Wiersbe - “The Book of Acts is also the account of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. The Gospel of Luke records what Jesus “began both to do and teach” in His human body, and the Book of Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do and teach through His spiritual body, the church.” * Jesus had already given them the charge to go into all the world to make disciples, yet He tells them to wait to do it. * First, they needed to be clothed in power. * They had to stay in Jerusalem in order to get it. * At this point Jerusalem was the most dangerous place on earth for a Christ follower. * They could’ve been killed like Jesus was. * They also could’ve easily said, “Let’s hurry and go fulfill our calling.” * But they waited and showed us a great principle - Power is often a result of pace! * So they had to do two things - wait (move at God’s pace) and resist (the fear of being killed). * Power is the ability to do something. Authority is the right to do it. * Christ had given them authority, now they had to wait on the power. * While they waited, they resisted the enemy (fear).
Acts 1:6-8 (6/5/14)
June 5, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Jesus had now risen from the dead and was giving His last instructions before He ascended to Heaven. The disciples asked if now was the time He would restore the Kingdom back to Israel. They were under Roman bondage and they thought He was going to restore the kingdom. Jesus was going to do that, but He wasn't going to do it from the outside-in, He was going to do it from the inside-out. Observe: 1) Jesus didn't deny the physical restoration of Israel, but He knew that if spiritual restoration took place first then physical restoration would be the natural outpouring of that. He was going to restore the kingdom from the inside-out. Jesus is more interested in changing a person than a persons' behavior because He knows behavior will follow naturally when a person is changed on the inside. 2) Before Jesus made the nation of Israel "right" He needed to make people "right," so He was going to actually come and live "inside" of people to do this. Jesus changed their identities - He "made" them brand new. 3) He gave them their mission - to simply be His witnesses! That's it - just tell the world what He's done and how He lives inside of people. Testimonies are so powerful because they cannot be debated - you can't debate someone's experience. Internal transformation must precede External Transformation. https://dl-http://web.dropbox.com/get/podcasts%20-%202014
Acts 1:15-22 (6/16/16)
June 16, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• Can you imagine the conversation amongst the disciples about Judas after Jesus died? • But then Jesus shows up and confirms their deepest hopes of His resurrection. • They weren’t focused on Judas anymore, but Jesus. • Then Christ gives them new marching orders and ascends to Heaven. • These disciples were no longer a band of buddies with no purpose, but now a band of brothers united to honor their king. • But what about Judas’s spot? • Notice how Peter handled the situation - he pointed to Scripture. • He was able to see God at work even in the situation with Judas’ betrayal. • Notice: • 1) There was an obvious situation that need to be dealt with. • 2) Peter went to the Scripture and found a passage. • 3) Peter applied the truth of God’s Word to the situation. • 4) He then made the proper application. • In doing this he kept his emotions from taking the lead. • This is how to properly handle any situation you find yourself in.