Acts Chapter 4,<\/p>\n
Another chapter starting with another miracle, did you see it?\u00a0 5,000 men believed.\u00a0 When did they believe?\u00a0 They believed when they heard the word of Christ\u2019s death, burial and resurrection.\u00a0 We need a revival of sharing the gospel.\u00a0 Letting people know they are separated from God because of sin, they are condemned because of their sin, and they will spend eternity in hell if they do not trust in Christ.\u00a0 The Jewish leaders did not believe and wanted to kill Peter and John.\u00a0 You know you truly believe when nothing stops you from sharing the truth.<\/p>\n
Verses 8-12-Peter gives the clear gospel for the leaders.\u00a0 Guess what?\u00a0 The leader\u2019s gospel was the same gospel for the regular folk.\u00a0 Do you know why it is the same?\u00a0 It is the same for everyone because there is only one gospel, one way, and only one salvation.\u00a0 People either come, in and through Christ or not at all.\u00a0 People are not okay in any religion or belief system that does not have the gospel as its foundation, its message and its purpose.<\/p>\n
Peter and John were perceived as \u201cuneducated\u201d in verse 13.\u00a0 The world plays this card today trying to make those that believe in God as uneducated people, but don\u2019t let their words stop you.<\/p>\n
Peter and John where threatened.\u00a0 Christians have always found people who want to threaten them, because the cross of Jesus calls them sinners.\u00a0 The cross tells the world they need help.\u00a0 The cross of Jesus calls people to repent, change and live another way.\u00a0 God loving someone is easily accepted, but God not accepting someone brings a person to a place of decision.\u00a0 We must help people to realize if they reject this great love there is hell to pay.\u00a0 (This is the proper place to use this phrase.)<\/p>\n
What should we do?\u00a0 Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 We have the indwelling at salvation, but need to pray for the power of God\u2019s Spirit to work in us.\u00a0 We need to also pray for boldness which comes from the power of the Holy Spirit – \u00a0see verse 31.\u00a0 The next thing we need to do is pray for unity.\u00a0 I see a bond created by the Holy Spirit among God\u2019s people in the closing verses.\u00a0 The sad thing I see as a pastor is my sheep coming together\u00a0on Sunday,\u00a0in a\u00a0spirit of unity, but they leave and live in the world as individual sheep.\u00a0 The only defense the sheep have, other than the great protection from the shepherd, is the unity of the sheep.\u00a0 God\u2019s Spirit will bring needed revival if we will pray for the power, the boldness and the unity.<\/p>\n
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