Who Are You Aggravating?
It wasn’t long before the brand-new Church began aggravating people. It so happened that it was the same bunch that had gotten riled up about Jesus. Now they arrest Peter and John and begin to harass them. They don’t really have a case – they just know that their own personal power is being threatened and they have got to do something.
We took a look at Acts 4 at the Bridge this past Sunday Morning. This is what we came up with…
1. What you can expect from a Loving God…
He will save, give us words to speak, find ways for His message to spread, provide power to heal, give us the ability to be bold in the face of persecution, Resurrection, the power to do His will, knowledge and insight into His Word, companionship, discernment. He will shake things up, help us to love our enemies, perform signs and wonders, and provide a way out.
2. What you can expect from an evil world…
Persecution, judgment, suppression, oppression, ridicule, mockery, interruption, insistence on the status quo, the preservation of secular power at all costs, rejection, death, slander, vice, false prophets. The evil world will ignore us; try to steal our faith; and question truth in a closed-minded fashion;
3. Our Response as the People of a Loving God living in an evil world.
We are to rejoice, keep our eyes on the Goal, pray, fast, read Scripture, love our enemies, and live lives of praise. We need to be grounded in Christ, bold in the Spirit, and full of wisdom and knowledge.
OK so try some of these Experiments…
- Make a list of the things you can expect from an evil world (2 above). For the next week, keep track of your experience of each of these. Ask yourself, “Is this response because of something I deserve (is this because I have just been a jerk?), or is it simply persecution against me because I am doing God’s will?
- If persecution is not a part of your life, identify someone close to you who is all about preserving their own power or authority. Get close to them and let God guide you in speaking to them about His claim to authority in their lives. Then brace yourself……
- Spend at least 30 minutes this week browsing the internet sites of Christian organizations dedicated to helping the persecuted church worldwide.
4. Rewrite the believer’s prayer in Acts 4:24-30 to fit your circumstances. Get together with a group of friends (one person and you is a group…) and pray this prayer. Watch for your world to be rocked.
