And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou {art} God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
PRAYER - We all know that prayer is important. Much more, it is essential in Christian life.
But we look at the church of Acts and we look at the church today and we see in the church today the same signs and wonders that the early church had. Because? What were they doing differently? What do we need to do to be a church that grows like the early church?
When the church gathers to pray, they cry out to God for the Holy Spirit is poured upon them; so that they are full of power to preach the word of God with boldness; They besought God to give them the capacity to lay hands to heal the sick; they cried to God to do through them signs and wonders by the name of Jesus Christ.
When God heard this prayer, when he beheld the heart of the church, saw what they were asking, where they were gathered was moved, the Bible says that place shook with the prayer that the church did; the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. WHAT PRAYER! WHAT PRAYER!
A prayer that is able to shake an entire house. A prayer that is capable of causing an earthquake. A prayer that is able to shake the foundations of a house.
WHY ARE NOT ABLE TO PRAY SO?
WHY WE PRAY AND NOTHING OF IT HAPPENS?
WHY THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT DOWN MORE ABOUT CHURCH WHEN SHE ORA AND FILL ALL shiver POINT THE SITE BASES?
What was the situation?
Recent descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2)
The church preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Three thousand souls were converted after Peter's sermon.
Peter and John up to the temple and the lame are healed (Acts 3.1-8).
When people are amazed by the healing of the lame man, Peter preached another sermon, full of daring, confronts the actions of religious leadership who had crucified Christ (Acts 3.12-26). Again Peter says that they should repent of their evil deeds.
Peter and John are arrested because they were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4.3).
Peter preached another sermon full of daring, this time confronting the religious leadership for what they did to Christ.
Acts 4:32 - And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul
It was a church that had one heart and soul. Their desire was one. They are not divided. They were not selfish enough to seek the blessings only for you, but pray seeking the good of all.
Acts 4:32 - neither said any {of them} that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
It was a church that shared EVERYTHING, absolutely everything.
Acts 4.29-30 - By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
Their prayer was not seeking the solution to individual problems. No one sought the solution to your wedding. No one there sought healing for you. No one sought the solution to your financial situation. They prayed that God would give them DARE TO PREACH THE WORD.
And on these words speak the time and out of time. The only thing that God is interested in is saving lives and that God may save the name of Christ must be preached and preached boldly. We must pray that God will perform signs and wonders so that the name of Christ may be glorified and God will hold.
The Holy Spirit will be poured out upon the church when she pray seeking the glory of God and not a blessing for you. The place where you now will only move when you pray to God boldness to preach the Gospel.
The place where the church now will only move when the church is ONE. When our heart is one. When the desire of our soul is one.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Would you like to go to hell? Would you like to spend eternity away from God and being tormented? Then pray and ask God to give you boldness to preach his Gospel to others, because the evil that you do not want for yourself, you may not want for others.
CALL ME AND I WILL ANSWER.