God Answers Prayer!

Have you ever been tempted to give up on your prayers? Have you ever thought “What’s the point? Does God even care?” Every believer has been in that place and probably more than just once. Yet God throughout his word gives frequent encouragement to pray. We find such an instance of prayer in the record of Peter’s miraculous deliverance from imprisonment. We do well to rehearse these and exhortations from the Lord so that we don’t lose heart, but continue in our prayers.

We read in Acts how “Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to take Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3). As providence would have it, this event occurred during the days of unleavened bread, one of three main Jewish feasts that occurred in the Jewish calendar. Therefore, Herod chose to “put him in prison…intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:4). No doubt, Herod fully intended to kill Peter after the feast days were passed. To this end “Peter therefore was kept in prison” (Acts 12:5).

What happens next is for our example. While Peter was in prison “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:6). The people of God immediately went to the throne of grace. There were no intermediate steps. All too often we try to solve our problems ourselves only to fail time and again. We seem to go to Christ in prayer only as a last resort, when it should be our first course of action.

Note, too, that they prayed “without ceasing”. Their prayers were persistent, without interruption from weariness or indifference. Be assured, God hears the first time we pray. It is not the frequency of our prayers that captures his attention, but our earnestness. Our hearts are shaped unto his will by our persistent prayer.

Furthermore, their prayers were specific. They prayed for Peter’s deliverance. We are challenged to pray specifically so that we may see God’s answers in response to our specific prayers and know, indeed, that he has answered our prayers. In fact, if the prayers of the church on the behalf of Peter were for our example, then God’s answer to their prayers is for our encouragement.

We read that “when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains…” (Acts 12:6). That night an angel of the Lord appeared to Peter and led him out of the prison delivering him “out of the hand of Herod, and from the expectation of the…Jews”. God had amazingly and immediately answered their prayers! Peter went straight to the house of Mary “where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:11-12). God emphatically delivered Peter to their very presence!

God hears prayer; God answers prayer; don’t give up.

Finish the Course!

The book of Acts gives us the record of Stephen’s martyrdom. We know little of him apart from what Luke recorded. He was one of the deacons appointed to care for the widows in the church in Jerusalem by the apostles because he was “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:1-6). The Scriptures further relate that he “full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Though nothing is recorded about his spiritual training, his testimony for Christ was evidently powerful. Luke records that many from various sects disputed with him, but “they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake” (Acts 6:10).

Consequently, these opponents made up lies about Stephen accusing him of speaking “blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people…seized him…brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, which said…we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us” (Acts 6:11-14). The high priest then invited Stephen to respond to his accusers.

Drawing upon the writings of Moses and the Prophets, Stephen testified that those of his audience were the guilty ones. “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). Their fathers persecuted the prophets who spoke of the coming of Christ and now they have “now become betrayers and murderers” of that Righteous One. “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart…and rushed upon him with one accord, and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him” (Acts 7:54, 57-58). So Stephen became the first martyr for the cause of Christ.

Since the time of Stephen’s martyrdom, many have likewise had the privilege of giving their lives for the cause of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Perhaps, among the more well-known is the apostle Paul. As he awaited his coming execution under Nero, he wrote to Timothy “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7). As he anticipated his own home going (“departure”), he expressed for us the heart of every martyr for Christ.

He counted his death as an offering or sacrifice unto God, a final act of worship to the Savior of his soul. From the time of his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul fought to expose and dispel darkness by proclaiming “the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).  He kept the faith expressed in the word of God and preached it wherever he went and to whomever would listen. The course he finished was that appointed by his Savior. Though he stumbled and fell many times, he remained true to the path God had appointed. This is the testimony of the martyrs. Is this your testimony? How will you finish your course?

False Teachers Bring False Messages

Near the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, he “determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost” (Acts 20:16). Nonetheless, he desired to meet with the Ephesian elders to encourage them and bolster their faith. So when he arrived in Miletus, “he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church” to come unto him (Acts 20:17).

Paul’s final thoughts to these beloved church leaders amounted to a warning in the context of his ministry unto them and their ministry to those under their charge. He reminded them “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:27-28). Paul had been faithful in ministering the word of God unto them and now it was their God-given calling and responsibility to minister this same word unto their own flocks.

The word of God is the only safety net for the child of God. Paul warned “that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that…I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29-31).   False teachers (“grievous wolves”) would come with “perverse” messages not according to the word of God nor the gospel of Christ.

These false messengers speak words that appeal to itching ears, but bring damnation because there is no truth in them. There is no warning against sin and judgement, no appeal for repentance and faith in Christ. The power of God is absent from their preaching because the word of God is missing from their text. Is that not the case with the modern church in America? How many who call themselves pastors actually preach the word of God week after week from their pulpits? These ones would do well to heed Paul’s counsel to the Ephesian elders. “I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

Peter warned his audience that the key to discerning and denying falsehood is to grow spiritually. Listen to his admonition, “beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

We grow in grace by responding in faith to the ministry of God’s word to our own hearts. Paul charged Timothy “preach the word…reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:1-4). What is the message from the pulpit in your church? Is It the word of God, which saves, builds, exposes, and warns? To whom are you listening?

Christ Builds His Church – the Ethiopian Eunuch

Jesus told his disciples “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Have you ever wondered what he meant by that? He obviously was not speaking of a building as we often make use of the term today (e.g., did you go to church?). What then exactly is he building? How is he building it? Consider the following:

We read in Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers about the “body of Christ”. “And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18; emphasis added). This body is a living organism comprised exclusively of those made spiritually alive through the new birth and added to the body by the Lord himself. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Those who are saved are those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ having believed the gospel of God’s grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This faith comes through believing God’s word. “In whom [Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13).

Summarily, Christ adds to his body (builds his church) those who are given spiritual life through receiving the gospel. This new life is the work of the Spirit of God through his word. “Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit…being born again…by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (I Peter 1:22-23). Such are added to the body one person at a time.

We have a perfect illustration of Christ building his church in the record of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The angel of the Lord initiated this work of salvation by first directing Philip to a desert in Gaza (Acts 8:26). There Philip found “a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority…sitting in his chariot” (Acts 8:27-28). The eunuch was reading the word of God from Isaiah, the prophet. Philip was then instructed by the Spirit to join the man in his chariot.

The Lord opened the door for Philip to explain the Scripture to the eunuch. “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth…for his life is taken from the earth” (Isaiah 53:7-8). Then Philip “began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus” (Acts 8:35).

The Ethiopian eunuch then put his faith in Christ. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). His salvation came about by the work of the Spirit through the ministry of the word of God resulting in faith in Jesus Christ. This is how Christ builds his church – then and now. Have you believed? Are you a part of Christ’s body, the church?

The Resurrection of Christ

In Acts 4 we have the record of the lame man healed through the ministry of Peter. The chief priests and elders, moved with envy against Christ, examined the apostles as to how this miracle was performed. Peter responded “Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, and God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole” (Acts 4:8-10).

The central point of Peter’s response was the resurrection of Christ. In fact, we are told that it was for this very reason the “priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2; emphasis added).   

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the fundamental truth of the gospel and Christianity. It is Jesus’ resurrection that separates Christianity from every other religion or belief system. Speaking to this unique testimony, Peter declares to his audience though they had rejected Christ, “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12; emphasis added). They had rejected the only one that could save them from their sins. In response to his message, “many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand” (Acts 4:4).

The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of the resurrection to the Corinthian believers. “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain…ye are yet in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:14,17; emphasis added). The resurrection of Christ is the central theme of the preaching of the apostles throughout the early history of the church recorded in the Book of Acts.

Jesus Christ is, indeed, risen from the dead and is alive forevermore. In spite of the threats made by the chief priests and elders of Jerusalem, the Bible records that the believers “were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness…And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:31,33).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ by virtue of its unique claim separates all mankind into just two categories. One group are those who have received the witness of his resurrection testimony and accept him as Savior. The other group are those who reject the claims of Christ and are yet in their sins. The question that Jesus posed to Martha still merits consideration. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26; emphasis added).

A Salvation for All

Early in Paul’s first missionary journey, he and his company came to Antioch in Pisidia. Luke records for us that upon arriving they “went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” (Acts 13:14). We read later in Acts that ministering the gospel first to the Jews was his custom. “Now…they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead: and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ” (Acts 17:1-3; emphasis added).

In Antioch Paul preached as he did elsewhere that “God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus” (Acts 13:23). The Christ (Messiah) that Israel was seeking came as their Savior, but they “knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day” (Acts 13:27). Israel was looking for a king to deliver them from Rome, not a Savior who would deliver them from their sins. They were blinded to their need, though the scriptures they read in their synagogues testified to such. We, too, can miss the message of God’s word because we come to it with a predisposed bias of what we want to hear instead of a ready mind to embrace its teaching.

Paul had confirmed through the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed their Messiah, the Son of David, because God had raised him from the dead. Prophecy had long ago testified “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption…but he, whom God raised again [Jesus], saw no corruption” (Acts 13:35-37). The message of Christ’s resurrection was the glad tidings that Paul preached. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

We could have wished for a better response from his Jewish audience. Luke writes “And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul (Acts 13:44-45). What happened next is significant for us today who are not of Jewish descent.

“Paul and Barnabus waxed bold, and said, it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). God used the Jews’ resistance to the message of Christ to open the door wide to the Gentiles. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Israel’s rejection of their Messiah when he came the first time swung the gospel door wide open to any and all who believe. Our own country has been blessed by the advance of the gospel since its founding. Even so, many are in churches that no longer preach the gospel and all too often we, like those Jews in Antioch, sit under the proclamation of God’s word blinded by our own desires.

A Pattern for Worship

The church was born at the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ. It was at that time that Jesus “having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” sent Him to his disciples and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2: 4, 33). The Scriptures teach “they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). So began the church.

What followed after that testifies to the fundamental activity of corporate worship from that time to our present day. “They continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). These four things – doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayers – represent a simple yet enduring liturgy for the purpose of believers gathering together in our Lord’s name.

We gather together for doctrine, i.e. the teaching and preaching of God’s word. In the early church this doctrine was that revealed and taught by the Lord himself to his apostles.  They in turn preached and proclaimed it throughout their ministry and, consequently, handed it down to us as our New Testament. We gather together to learn and grow in our knowledge of God’s word and our obedience to it. The preaching and teaching of the Scriptures in their entirety is fundamental and essential to the worship of the saints. A church that has departed from this practice has lost its moorings.

We gather together for fellowship. This fellowship is not the comradery that grows out of the usual common interests we have with others, e.g., sports, work, hobbies, etc. Rather, this fellowship emphasizes the one thing that we do not share with the world – our relationship to Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of sins. This fellowship is not achieved staying at home and watching the service online.

The phrase “breaking of bread” has its primary fulfillment in remembering “the Lord’s death till he come” (I Corinthians 11:26). No doubt, other communal meals were contemplated when this was written. But the Lord’s supper, as it is called, is the focal point of this passage as it highlights one of the two ordinances committed to the church by Christ himself. (The other one is baptism.) The early church was a faithful practitioner of this celebration. We should be likewise.

Finally, the early church gathered together for prayer. Corporate prayer seems to have gone much by the wayside in today’s modern worship. Yet prayer remains both the privilege and duty of the individual worshipper and the church collectively. We share our burdens one with another and pray one for another as we gather together before the One who hears and answers our prayers.

What kind of church do you attend? Is it characterized by the preaching of God’s word? Is it known as a place where the saints of God fellowship with one another in the things of God? Does it uphold the ordinances left by our Lord and Savior? Is it a place where prayer is practiced and promoted? If these things are missing from your Sunday mornings, maybe it’s time to look for a new church.

A New Course

The Bible teaches that after Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he “shewed himself alive…by many infallible proofs, being seen of them [his disciples] forty days…” and taught them “things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). The certainty of the resurrection of Christ is indisputable. Paul testified to this great truth in his letter to the Corinthians relating that “he [Jesus] was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once…after that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles…last of all he was seen of me also” (I Corinthians 15:5-8). The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity and necessarily was the focal point of the preaching of the Apostles throughout the book of Acts.

But our Lord’s post-resurrection teaching pertaining the kingdom of God is important also. The disciples, like the rest of Israel, were looking for their Messiah to come and deliver their nation from Rome’s oppression. God had promised a Messiah through Abraham who would lead his people and rule the nations. Jesus had proven himself as this Messiah and the disciples were convinced of that. In fact, Peter had testified to this very fact declaring to Jesus “Thou are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Now that he was risen from the dead, they were curious if the Lord would assert his rule. They asked him “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

No doubt, his response surprised them somewhat. In the first place, he told them “It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:7). In other words, your attention is wrongly focused. Rather, he turns their attention to a different display of power. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The plan was not for the Messiah to rule the nations at this time, but for the Savior to receive repentant sinners through the proclamation of the gospel. His power would instead be manifest through his disciples as they witnessed to the world how he conquered sin and death through his death, burial, and resurrection. Consequently, he told them “not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father…ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:4-5).

Christ, having set the course for his followers in this present age, “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). Soon after this, the Holy Spirit was sent from the Father on Pentecost and so the work of building the Lord’s church began. But the promise given to his disciples as they watched their Lord ascend into heaven remains. “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

A Message to be Believed

Luke records in Acts 17 that the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey brought him and his co-laborers to Thessalonica “where was a synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 17:1). He goes on to say that “Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3; emphasis added). Likewise, Paul affirms to the Corinthian believers “I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4; emphasis added). The point clearly set forth in these records as well as many others is that Christianity is rooted in revelation. Becoming a Christian is believing a message that is framed and governed by the scriptures, the Word of God.

We are told that in Thessalonica “some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas…[B]ut the Jews which believed not, moved with envy…and set all the city on an uproar” (Acts 17:4-5). Frankly, wherever the gospel has been preached from that day until today, some believe and some do not. The message, however, remains the same. As it was then so it is today because God’s word does not change!

Recognizing the divine origin of the message made all the difference for those Thessalonians who believed. Paul commended them because “when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (I Thessalonians 2:13; emphasis added).

The scriptures declare the gospel which “is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth…[F]or therein is the righteousness of God revealed” (Romans 1:16-17). Christianity is believing a message revealed from God. And believing God is the core of what being a Christian is all about. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (I John 5:10-12).

Because of the uproar caused in Thessalonica by the unbelieving Jews, Paul was hastened out of town and sent to Berea. Again, he went into the synagogue of the Jews where “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore, many of them believed” (Acts 17:11-12). The word of God made the difference in their lives. They heard and believed.

There are many false “gospels” today that seek our attention. But it is imperative that we be like the Bereans who “searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” Only the gospel of Christ can save from sin and grant eternal life. Are you listening to the right message? Have you believed?

A Matter of Receiving

The Apostle Paul made three significant missionary endeavors that are recorded for us in the Scriptures. One thing stands out in all of them. No matter where he went, no matter where he stayed, no matter where he preached, the message of the gospel was received by some and rejected by others. One might dismiss that as to be expected. But the fact that the gospel can be both received or rejected is significant to each one of us.

Paul took Barnabus with him and visited the city of Iconium early on his first missionary journey. The record of their ministry illustrates the two responses to the gospel message. We read “And it came to pass in Iconium, that they [Paul and Barnabus] went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren” (Acts 14:1-2; emphasis added). In every case the gospel is either believed or not believed; therefore, the message is received or rejected.

The gospel is not something we learn and do. Rather, it is a message we hear and believe. Paul wrote to the believers at Rome, “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).

The gospel is a message that is for all people. As Paul emphasized, there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. Anyone can believe and be saved; however, it is just as true that anyone may choose not to believe and, consequently, reject the gospel’s invitation to know their sins forgiven and the joy of eternal life.

Paul preached in Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. As was his custom, he went first into the synagogue and “three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach, is Christ” (Acts 17:2-3). The response was predictable. The record tells of “the Jews which believed not”, but more importantly, it declares “some of them believed” (Acts 17:4-5).

The gospel message promises light and life to all who believe. It is a matter of simple faith. The invitation of the Savior stands. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Have you believed?