Unless the believers in the church today have
their spiritual strength replenished repeatedly by the Spirit they will not be
able to overcome the increasing power of spiritual wickedness threatening them
today. The church cannot cope with the menacing threat of worldliness except
the company of believers pray for power to meet the insidious threat. The
company of believers cannot withstand the subversive teachings of modern
Liberalism unless they pray for strength to contend for the faith once
delivered to the saints.
It will require much prayer to prevail against
the creeping paralysis resulting from meaningless programs and pointless plays
promoted by the worldly-minded leaders in the church. Unless the company of
believers today are girded with the power of the Holy Spirit they will not be
able to cope with the crisis confronting them in this day of formality and
unbelief. God did not answer their impassioned prayer in the hour of crisis by
miraculously changing the attitude of the determined opposition. He did not
remove the threat which endangered them, neither did He destroy the
ring-leaders responsible for the persecution of the church. It is interesting
to note that the company of believers did not ask the Lord to change the
attitude of their enemies. They accepted the fact that such persecution had
been foreseen and foretold.
"...Thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people
imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were
gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ." -- Acts 4: 25.
(Psalm 2:1-3)
The Lord would have us understand that suffering
persecution for His sake is the price to be paid in blood and tears for the
unspeakable pleasure of serving Him in the holy way of life.
Our young people should be impressed with the
fact that they cannot expect the Lord to change the attitude of their unsaved
friends and associates. When once the young converts discover this truth they
will not find it difficult to overcome the hardships of life. Pastors find it
difficult to get the young people established in the faith because they
apparently believe that God should change their environment in answer to
prayer. It is apparently difficult for them to understand that a change in
their surroundings is not the solution of their spiritual problem. It is
likewise true that a change in the moral conditions which environ the church
today is not the solution of its spiritual problem.
The company of believers found the solution of
their problem when they lifted up their voice with one accord in prayer to God.
The answer they received enabled them to cope with the rising tide of spiritual
wickedness in high places. The Lord fortified them with a spiritual power that
no combination of evil forces could withstand successfully.
The embattled believers were praying with an
unwavering faith when they said, "Lord, thou art God." The indisputable fact of
God was the basis of the unshakable confidence which inspired them to pray. It
is remarkable how impotent and insignificant the feeble efforts of wicked men
appear when we realize that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble. (Psalm 46:1.)
The imperishable Word declares,
"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" -- Psa.
118:6
God gave us a certified promise when He said, "I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee." The Lord has never deserted His faithful people in the time of
conflict. We need to have this blessed truth imbedded in our consciousness,
impressed on our minds, and indelibly inscribed in our hearts by the hand of
God. When once we grasp the fact of God it is not difficult to
pray.
God's everlasting kingdom will never be destroyed
by the combined forces of the ungodly. Almighty God is never in jeopardy. He
has no fear of mortal man. He shall remain immutable in purpose and invincible
in power for evermore.
Consider what the praying company said about
God's enemies,
"For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both
Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were
gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
before to be done." -- Acts 4:27, 28
The conscienceless Herod, and the cowardly Pontius Pilate are dead, and their
vicious opposition to Christ is dead and buried in the sepulcher of the ages.
The aggressive agnosticism and sneering atheism that ran rampant less than a
century ago has ceased to occupy a prominent place in the world today. The
vicious Liberalism which afflicts the church today will soon be dead, buried
together with modern infidels who have advocated its pernicious views.
Perhaps the sands have been washed in the
footprints of the Stranger of Galilee, but the world has not forgotten that He
lived, loved, and labored to save lost humanity from eternal death. The
countless centuries which have hurried into the dateless past have not impaired
His strength to save us to the uttermost. The marching millenniums will not
erase His matchless Name from the annals of sacred history. The last desolate
day of time will not find Him buried in the sepulcher of the ages. The fleeing
ghost of eternity will never discover the grave of God. Of Him it is written,
"And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;
and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou
remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt
thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy
years shall not fail." -- Heb. 1:10-12.
When we fortify our faith and underscore our
thinking with the words, "Lord, thou art God," we can prevail in prayer and
overcome the combined forces of evil which threaten us in these trying times.
Almighty God will not abandon His eternal purpose because a few wicked men have
lifted up their voices against Him. Our God has assured us that all things
work together for good to them that love Him, to them who are the called
according to His purpose. His imperishable promises give a strong consolation
to lay hold of the hope set before us. Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised.
The assembled company prayed that the messengers
of the Word might have courage. They said,
"...Grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy
word." -- Acts 4:29
The voice of prayer was heard in heaven and the answer granted when the
assembled company of devout saints prayed this importunate prayer in the time
of crisis. God's people were not praying for boldness because they were moral
cowards. They were fearfully aware of the danger which threatened them; but
they were not too cowardly to face it with God's help.
The rulers of the people, and the elders in
Israel had called Peter and John before the council, and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:18.) God's called
servants could not heed this diabolical command and be faithful to the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. To comply with such an unjust demand, not to
speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus, one must compromise the truth of
Christ, and cease to emphasize the central theme of the Gospel message. The
very essence of the Gospel is contained in the Name of Jesus.
It is interesting to notice that the believers
were praying for the message of divine truth. They said, "With all boldness
they may speak thy word." The emphasis is placed on "Thy word." The Christians
wanted to hear God's Word declared with firm conviction and unwavering
confidence. They evidently wanted to be edified and enlightened by the message
of saving truth. They obviously believed that the Gospel was the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believed it. It is indeed blessed to discover
a people who desire to hear the message of redeeming grace, a people who do not
want to be entertained with cheap programs and silly plays in the church, a
people hungry for the bread of life which Christ only can give.
The assembled believers prayed for the messengers
of the Gospel, saying, "Grant unto thy servants." It is well to notice that the
Christians said, "Thy servants." They evidently recognized that the apostles
were the servants of God. They were not considered to be servants of an
institution, or an organization. They considered the apostles to be the called
servants of God, who had commissioned them to serve His redeemed family. These
godly men were not hired promoters; they were Christ's holy messengers.
It does not require moral courage to promote a
program to entertain a group of nominal Christians. Neither does it require
courage to give a book review, or speak on current events; but it does require
boldness to press the claims of Christ on men, and demand that they repent of
their sins and yield themselves to Him.
It does not require spiritual fortitude to
organize a campaign to raise money for the general interests of the church; but
it does take much prayer and faithful preaching to precipitate a genuine
revival of full salvation.
To raise these issues does not mean that one is
indulging in hurtful criticism of God's faithful people and preachers. It does
mean that one is gravely concerned about the praying of God's people, who are
members of the body of Christ. It is apparent that a devout minister can
perform his work for Christ more efficiently when he knows that the Christians
want to hear the Word and are supporting him with their prayers and faith. The
record shows that Peter and John had joined the company of saints in the
fellowship of prayer. This fact discloses that the messengers of Christ
realized the necessity of prevailing prayer.
It is not unusual to hear some ministers say they
are so burdened with the work of the church that they have very little time to
spend in earnest prayer. This is a startling admission for any man to make,
especially a minister of the Gospel. It is a serious matter in the life of a
preacher when he allows himself to be cumbered with much serving. The results
of his neglect of prayer will be revealed by the poverty of his preaching. It
is possible for a minister to become so preoccupied with his duties that he
will give prayer a place of secondary importance in his life. God's servants
should consider that nothing pertaining to the church of Christ is more
important than waiting before the Lord in the secret place of prayer. The man
of God loses his passion for souls when he willfully neglects to pray. He must
wait until his soul is aflame with holy zeal, and his mind stimulated with
fresh news from heaven. When he takes proper time to pray, his preaching will
edify and enlighten the Christians, and the fruitfulness of his ministry will
be increased.
The writer disclosed some remarkable results from
this ministry of prayer when he said,
"And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all." v.33.
The assembled company prayed for miracles to be
performed in the name of Jesus.
"By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be
done by the name of thy holy child Jesus." -- v.30
It is obvious that the Christians expected miracles to accompany the preaching
of the Word. It is interesting to note that the prayer for boldness to speak
the Word included the petition for healing, and signs and wonders. The order
of the prayer places preaching the Word first before the performing of miracles
in the name of Jesus.
Our Lord placed more emphasis on preaching and
teaching than He did on His gracious ministry of healing the sick, and showing
signs and wonders. However, we are not to conclude that such miracles cannot
be performed through the power of prayer in this age and generation. The
healing of the sick, and the signs and wonders performed in the name of Jesus
accompany the preaching of the Word.
This fact is clearly observed when we give
thoughtful attention to the import of the prayer. The prayer for miracles
reveals the true concept regarding the power of Jesus to heal. They said, "By
stretching forth thine hand to heal..." The presence of Jesus was so real to
praying saints that they asked Him to stretch forth His nail-scarred hand and
heal the people.
Jesus did stretch forth His hand and touched the
diseased bodies of men, and they were instantly healed. The fact that Christ
has ascended to heaven has not changed our concept of His Divine Person. He is
willing and able to stretch forth His hand and heal our broken bodies today
like He did in the days of His flesh.
I am persuaded to believe that the professing
Christians would see more miracles of healings performed by the hand of Jesus
if they would spend more time in earnest prayer for the messengers of the
Gospel.
I am convinced that the Lord will work wonders in
this age of indifference if we will cease to limit Him by unbelief, and accept
the fact that miracles can be performed today by the outstretched hand of the
Holy Child Jesus.