Arrested. Released. Arrested. Released. That’s pretty much the pattern the apostles experienced as they shared the message of Christ with the world around them during the first few months of Christianity’s existence. (If you’ve been catching any of the recent NBC mini-series “A.D. The Bible Continues,” you’ve see an authentic portrayal of the power plays behind all these arrests and releases.) The apostles and other early believers were undaunted in their boldness and courage despite major opposition. Maybe we can take a cue from them as we seek to share the message of Christ with the world around us.
The What
Acts 4:23-31 records a prayer party that broke out just after Peter and John were released from one of their jail experiences. This party brought immediate results, so it might be good to see what the believers did. Read Acts 4:23-31, either from your Bible or Bible software, and look for any information that answers the questions below. Then write on a separate sheet of paper or in an edoc what you find.
• How did the people praise God?
• What specific requests did they make?
• What results did they experience?
The So What
You might think of people mentioned in the Bible as being naturally bold and courageous, but courage didn’t come easily for them either! They prayed for it! Write down specific situations in which you could use a dose of boldness in either sharing the gospel or living out the gospel.
Now take a moment to write out a prayer requesting boldness and fearlessness in sharing and living the gospel in these situations. In fact, use the same words the apostles used in their prayer.
After the apostles prayed, they experienced earth-shaking results…literally! How would it look if the situations you wrote down were shaken by the gospel message? In other words, what might be best-case outcomes if the message of the gospel were to take root in the situations for which you requested boldness? Write down your thoughts to help yourself visualize how this might look.
Seal the Deal
Now, throw a prayer party! Gather some fellow students in your ministry, and set a time for a prayer party maybe before a ministry event or a worship service, or plan a separate prayer party event. Follow the pattern of the apostles in Acts 4; spend time praising God for the things He has done, then pray for boldness in speaking His word. Then expect earth-shaking results.
