Jim Brunner Ministries, Tucson AZ: Kenya, Ematsayi Mission, Kumasi Bible School, Caribbean Outreach. Christian Support Needed.

May 1

Arrows of the Almighty

Believers Pray Boldly

“...let it be known to you and all, … that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole!” (Acts 4:10)   The disciples were in the Temple courts when the crippled man was healed. Because of their boldness Peter and John were put in prison by the priest and questioned the next day, “By what power, or what name did you do this?” (v. 7).
   Peter was only a fisherman from Galilee yet with a Spirit-empowered boldness He stood and proclaimed that salvation is found only through the resurrection of Jesus (vv. 8–12). Not knowing how to handle the situation because the cripple was healed, and many witnessed the healing, they ordered Peter and John not to speak about Jesus any longer. To that Peter and John replied with great courage that they could not stop speaking about Jesus and what they had “seen and heard” (v. 20).
   After being let go, Peter and John returned to the other disciples and prayed for more boldness. It’s important to remember that they did not pray for safety but rather for the Lord “to enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (v. 29). The Lord answered their prayer as they were all immediately “filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (v. 31).
   The early believers went out with great boldness and proclaimed the simple message of Jesus, the resurrected Christ. God honored their prayer as John ended up being exiled to an island. Peter was murdered in Rome. Multiplied believers were killed at the hands of the Romans, oftentimes in cruel and humiliating ways. Yet in the face of such severe opposition, the numbers of believers grew proclaiming, Jesus is Lord! Their message was not a teaching but an event— the resurrection of Jesus— and they couldn’t stop talking about it. Neither can we!