Last week’s lesson was full! Five chapters plus many demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power through the disciples made for lots of exciting reading in the book of Acts. “Power” is the theme of chapters 3 through 7:
- Power for opposition (3:1-4:31)
- Power for holy living (4:32-5:11)
- Power for service and speech (5:12-7:60)
I was touched by how the disciples reacted to the harsh opposition they faced in the early days of the church. They were jailed, ordered not to preach the gospel, jailed again, flogged, and stoned (in the case of Stephen). When facing all of this persecution, many times they fell on their knees in prayer and cried out to God. One of these prayers is recorded in chapter 4. They didn’t pray for protection or for God to remove the persecution, as I would have done. Instead, they prayed for boldness to speak the Word (4:29). Amazing!
Whenever I face challenges or difficulties, I usually (selfishly) ask God to remove them from my life. I think things would be better if I could have that easy Christian life I think I deserve. But God hardly ever removes the pain and heartache. Instead, He grows me through the situations and shows me His character. I need to pray for boldness from the Holy Spirit instead of trying to avoid the situation God has chosen for me.
Note: Some weeks the synopsis will be shorter than others, and this is one of those weeks! Until next time!