This summer, I had the chance to read through the Book of Acts like 8 or 9 times over the course of 8 weeks. There were some things that stood out to me like never before, probably because of the setting (leading groups of students out into the harvest fields in six different countries). The Book of Acts mentions these things in early chapters, near the beginning of the narrative, and never says they stopped, which I have come to believe is the soil from which the Holy Spirit grew the church into something that spread from Jerusalem around the world. And they are things that will be a challenge to me for the coming season of ministry.
First, the early believers were known for and prayed for boldness. What got Peter and John noticed in Acts 4, and consequently was seen as a result of time with Jesus? Boldness. 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. The passage goes on to say they prayed for more boldness in the face of persecution and showed that boldness in their everyday proclamation of the Gospel. This brings me to the second point: frequency of proclamation.
Second, the proclaimed the Good News every day. Every. Day. 5:42 – And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. These brothers and sisters were committed to the making of disciples just as Jesus had commanded the first disciples in Matthew 28. The Church needs to recapture this daily proclamation by all believers if we want to see the world reached. This requires boldness, for which we ought to be praying. It also requires commitment despite the persecution that comes, which brings us to point three: suffering.
Third, the early church considered it an honor to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Acts tells us they didn’t stop sharing when told to stop. They didn’t stop when the persecution of Saul began with the martyring of Stephen (ch. 8). Instead, they had a culture of “all for the Gospel.” 5:41 – Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. How do we get back to this? It starts with prayer, and requires us to be faithful no matter the cost. Our children need to see this in us. The world needs to hear it from us. The Spirit wants to grow it in us. So, what’s holding us back?
First, the early believers were known for and prayed for boldness. What got Peter and John noticed in Acts 4, and consequently was seen as a result of time with Jesus? Boldness. 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. The passage goes on to say they prayed for more boldness in the face of persecution and showed that boldness in their everyday proclamation of the Gospel. This brings me to the second point: frequency of proclamation.
Second, the proclaimed the Good News every day. Every. Day. 5:42 – And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. These brothers and sisters were committed to the making of disciples just as Jesus had commanded the first disciples in Matthew 28. The Church needs to recapture this daily proclamation by all believers if we want to see the world reached. This requires boldness, for which we ought to be praying. It also requires commitment despite the persecution that comes, which brings us to point three: suffering.
Third, the early church considered it an honor to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Acts tells us they didn’t stop sharing when told to stop. They didn’t stop when the persecution of Saul began with the martyring of Stephen (ch. 8). Instead, they had a culture of “all for the Gospel.” 5:41 – Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. How do we get back to this? It starts with prayer, and requires us to be faithful no matter the cost. Our children need to see this in us. The world needs to hear it from us. The Spirit wants to grow it in us. So, what’s holding us back?