to Acts chapter 4, where we were last week, just continuing on. in what we were looking at last week. When we come to the book of Acts, written by Luke, it is a history, and it's a history really of the birth of the church. We read about the church here in the book of Acts, and we call it the early church because the church is in its infancy. It's just been born at Pentecost as the Spirit of God came. The Spirit of God is the one that puts us into the body of Christ. When he came, that was the beginning of what we call, again, the church age. And so as we look at Acts, what Acts is, it is a great history, but it's also an example to us of what we do and how we practice in so many ways as a church the things that we do. For instance, evangelism and the gospel. We understand from the example of the early church how that works, how to share Christ. We've got the stories in the book of Acts like the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip being taken to him to share the gospel with him. The Philippian jailer, Paul and Silas in prison sharing the gospel with him. We've got the story of Saul's conversion that we're going to look at this afternoon at the trust. the Apostle Paul, before he got saved, his name was Saul, and his story. So we look at those stories of how someone gets saved and we say, ah, you know, I get it. I understand how the gospel works. We get our understanding of missions, the fact that the church sends out people to all over the world to fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel around the world. We've got the story of Barnabas and Saul who became Paul and John Mark and Luke and Peter taking the gospel and even the idea that we talked about of them reporting at the end of their missionary journey coming back to the church in Jerusalem and giving an account and saying this is what's happening and even the idea that our family is going back on what is called a furlough to the churches in the states that support us over here, that we have an obligation from the Word of God and the Book of Acts to go to them and say, this is what God is doing in Lonehead. And you've been praying for our church and supporting the ministry there. Thank you for that. And we want to personally report to you. We expect that as a church from our missionaries, the Cleans, the Olmsteds, and the Kellys, that they'll come back. Why? Because that's a biblical idea from the Book of Acts. We get our understanding of how to baptize, believers' baptism by immersion. Why? Because in the Book of Acts and the Gospels even, every time baptism takes place, whether a believer's baptism or John's baptism, it was always by immersion. That is certainly the picture that we see in the Word of God. We get our understanding of church polity. Why do we have a pastor? We have pastors because the Bible says in Acts 14.23, when they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. And so as Paul and Barnabas or others with him on his missionary journey, as they started churches, they put structure in those churches, a pastor. Would be there or deacons as the Bible speaks about in Acts chapter 6 verse 3 as they look for seven men of honest report full the Holy Ghost and Wisdom whom we may appoint over this business So acts is a great study is a great book to come to and say why do we do what we do or how? were they doing what they did and the focus of what we examined in Acts chapter 4 last week and will continue with is this week is that as a church and as speakers for God, they were outspoken for God. They were bold in these days in the early church. And so we talked about boldness is outspokenness. It is assurance and it is confidence. And we got through verses 1 through 12 last week, and we ended right before verse 13, which we had begun with last week as well as this week. And so verse 13 says, Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. As a student at Bob Jones, I would take verses that really spoke to my heart about something that God was working my life about. I would take it and I would print them out and laminate them. I had Acts 4, verse 13 on the back of the door for a while. I think it might have been on the top of my bunk for a while as well. I would look at this verse and meditate on this verse. Why? Because this verse tells us Where to get boldness? And it's something that I, as a college student, understood I need. I still understand that I need it today, that we need it as well. And so where does it come from? It says they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. That they had spent time in the school of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our primary example in Acts chapter 4, the spokesperson, as it were, for the group is Peter. Peter, as you know, as we talked about last week, had most recently failed when standing before the Sanhedrin. But previous to his failure, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, had said to Peter, Peter, first of all, he had already told them he was going to fail, but in the Garden, he even said to them what was needed for them to stand, even at that moment, for God. And it was Matthew 26, 41. He said to them, watch and pray. that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And Peter was told by the Lord, come pray with me. Come on, I need you to pray. It's an important time to be praying. And you're going to lack what you need. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But Peter didn't pray. Peter tried to be bold. Remember the story? Peter's the one that takes out his sword. He's kind of got a superficial boldness, a human boldness. And he takes out that sword, and he cuts off Malchus's ear. And Jesus heals Malchus. He says, put your sword away. And then he proceeds to Caiaphas's judgment hall. And there at the judgment hall, he fails, as he denies the Lord Jesus three times. But after the Lord restored Peter, He told him in Luke 24, 49, he said, behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. He said, you still need to wait. You still need to spend time in prayer before that person of power, the Holy Spirit comes. Acts 1.13 says, When they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter and James and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, Zealotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. When the Lord says, Terry, and he says to pray, the disciples go, we need to pray, and they get on their knees together and they begin to seek the gift that Jesus Christ would indeed send from heaven. Acts 2 verse 1 says, And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And now the preacher that had failed God miserably in boldness, as a preacher at Pentecost as God's Spirit comes and the work of God begins in the church. And so even now, though Peter had failed before as he stood before the Sanhedrin, now as he stands before the Sanhedrin, as a man of God filled with the Spirit of God, they look at him and they say, wow. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Again, what did we see last week about their boldness? How did we see their boldness? Well, they spoke out boldly in persecution. They were opposed and they were losing liberty and they were being questioned and yet there was a fierceness in the hearts of these men to just stand and not change based upon what was coming at them as far as suffering for the Lord. And then they spoke out boldly in preaching, as they said, in whose name have you done this? Peter just steps up, and we talked about last week, he begins to preach. And he preaches a controversial truth, that Jesus is the Christ, that he is indeed the Messiah, that they killed Jesus, God's anointed, that Jesus is God's cornerstone. You're the builders, you're the religious leaders, you rejected the cornerstone that God gave. But then he boldly declares again to them, Jesus is the only way of salvation. And so verse 12, neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we." And I, again, emphasize the fact that as Peter is preaching to the Sanhedrin, that Peter is preaching in faith, and that the boldness that Peter has is not to condemn the Sanhedrin as much as to confront the Sanhedrin with the truth of what Jesus Christ could do in their lives as well. Because they could be saved. Because it's only in Jesus' name that we must be saved. And so we come back to that statement that we looked at last week. We need to be outspoken for God. We need to be. And so are we salty salt? Are we bright light? Are we boldly speaking out for God? And so we'll pick up our message there this morning. Let's pray and ask the spirit of God to help us as we move forward in this passage. Father, we thank you for the grace that you give. And Father, thank you for the example of the apostles. And Father, for a man that we look at and say, but that man failed. He can't serve God. He's lacking in boldness. He doesn't have courage. He denied Christ three times and set him aside. And yet Jesus praised God. You prayed for him that his faith fail not. You restored Peter and told Peter again, the other apostles go to prayer. And Father, then you filled them with your Spirit. And Father, by the grace of God, they stepped out. But then, Father, they faced persecution, but they continued to be bold. They faced a difficult message to give, but they were faithful to be bold in preaching. And Father, as we continue in the points that we have today, may the Spirit of God speak. God, give us grace to be outspoken for our Lord. And Father, we can't hear without your enablement. Father, we ask that we have ears to hear this morning. We ask that the Word of God would have free course. We ask that nothing would hinder the message from getting to our heart from the mouth of God in the words of sacred scripture. Father, I can't preach without your enablement. I pray that the Spirit of God would guide me as I speak. I pray that what I say would be Spirit-guided, Spirit-directed, Spirit-enabled. Father, that it would come across in the attitude that you desire me to preach it, with the courage with which you want me to preach it, and the clarity, Father, that you alone can give. And so, Father, we commit the message to you and our lives to you in this time. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. And so last week we looked at speak out boldly in persecution and speak out boldly in preaching. And so we pick it up here now in this morning and speak out boldly in position. Speak out boldly in position. It says in verse 13, again, now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. They looked at Peter's Exhibit A, a man that they knew that sat at the gate of the temple that was a lame man from his infancy and for these years had been sitting there whose legs would have been withered away and his muscles all atrophied because he'd have no strength after no use of those legs and those limbs for all those years. Yet he was standing and leaping and praising God. And as they looked at Exhibit A, there is just absolute proof they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, what shall we do to these men? For that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it, but that it spread no further among the people. Let us straightly threaten them that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. They couldn't deny the truth about what God has done. And so they say, I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to threaten these guys. We're going to call them in and we're going to tell them what they can and can't do. They call them in and they say, you cannot teach or preach in Jesus name. Is that clear? Who is the Sanhedrin? Well, the Sanhedrin was a council made up of 70 elders in Israel. It'd be a bit like the Supreme Court with a lot more people on it. These are the rulers of the Jewish people, people that would be very familiar to Peter as a Jew, John as a Jew. These are their rulers. This is their earthly authority. It would be very much like us being stood before the greatest judges of our land and them looking at us and saying, listen, I tell you what, you cannot speak, you cannot teach in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet, praise God, as these men are told about that, they just hold their position for God. They boldly take a position for God. There's an urban legend that is told about a ship that's on a collision course with another ship. And the story goes it's a U.S. naval vessel and an officer in charge of that ship, they're coming directly at this other object and he radios ahead and says to that other object, you need to alter your course. And the person echoes back, you alter your course. And the guy says, so-and-so, I'm a high-up official in the military. And he pulls his rank, and the guy responds and goes, I'm a lowly little whatever, but you alter your course. And then the guy comes back, I'm a destroyer. And the guy echoes back, apparently, from this. He goes, I'm a lighthouse. Alter your course. You know what? He's got a position that's immovable. It's not flexible. The only way he could alter the course would be to alter his position and to remove himself from the lighthouse. The lighthouse isn't going to move. Praise God, we have a God that has a position that is inflexible. Jesus Christ is called the Rock. His position is not negotiable. His position is not something that we as men could say, God, change your position. Our decision is, do we stay positioned on Christ or do we alter our course? Are we going to hold that position? Praise God again, the disciples boldly take their position upon God's Word. It says in verse 19, But Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye." Peter and John's boldness is unflinching. They're standing before a judgment, a court, and they say, let us propose something to you, and we'll let you exercise your judicial power to make a judgment upon our proposition. And he says to them, do you think it's more important to listen to you or more important to listen to God? And he uses an important term as he says that. He used the term more. More. More because why? God's word commands us to obey authority. It's a right thing. If authority has a judgment that they're going to enforce upon us, it's a right thing for us to respond to an earthly authority. We've got authorities in all levels of life, in a family. We've got parents as authority over children. Colossians 3, verse 20, it says, children, Obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. God's put that authority there to watch over the children, to help the children, to know what is right and what is wrong, and to oversee their upbringing. God has positioned husbands as head of their home. Ephesians 5.22 says, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. There has to be a leader in a family. God has put that leadership and the responsibility of the men. They're going to give an account to God for the leadership that they give and for that structure within the home that is, again, an important authority. He's given us the authority of government. Hebrews 13 verse 17. It says, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you. And again, government is for our protection. Praise God that we've got government. Even as we see COVID-19 and the things happening with that and the government is responding and doing different things to try to protect the populace, there's a responsibility given to government. And so the Bible says in 1 Peter 2.13, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or unto governors. Can you imagine life without authority? You bump into somebody else and they say you were wrong, you say they were wrong, and there's nobody to look at and say who is right and who is wrong. God's put authority in place, or telling somebody what to do, or telling us what to do. As a kid, if another child said, you can't do that, you would say something like, who says so? Right? Really deep. Who says so? And if they say, you know, mom and dad say so, or if they say teachers say so, you say, authority, obey authority. If you say so, who cares, right? Authority is that person that has the right to rule over us. However, when a lesser authority gives a command which violates a greater authority, you obey the greater authority. So when there is a rank of authority, the highest authority is the authority that is ruling, is the one that has the ultimate authority. One of the reasons the UK voted for Brexit was because European courts had greater power than UK courts. There was a treaty called the Treaty of Rome that had to do with the EU. And in that ruling in 1964, The court said that the states had agreed to limit their sovereign rights in the areas covered by the treaty and could not adopt national laws that were incompatible with European law. This principle of primacy or supremacy of EU law had been accepted and applied by national courts including the UK courts. UK courts are required not to enforce UK laws to the extent that they are incompatible with EU obligations. So what is that teaching? That is saying there is a supreme authority. If for some reason you violated UK law but you knew EU law would defend you, you would appeal to EU law and say I'm right because I'm obeying the greater authority. And as Peter and John stand before the Sanhedrin, it's an earthly court seeking to overrule a heavenly court. And Peter and John just say, you know what? We're going to obey the greater authority. Anytime men violate the authority of God, we have an obligation as believers to say, you know what? I've got to obey God. I have to honor God, I have to please God. This is what God says, and I am answerable to Him first, even if it is a legitimate earthly authority. And so they boldly took their position upon God's word, and then secondly, they boldly refused to change their position from God's word. It says in verse 20, For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. We can't help but speak the things which we have seen and heard. I mean, you can tell us that. You can say you cannot teach or preach in Jesus' name, but we're just going to let you know we cannot alter our position based upon what you have said. Notice they didn't make a compromise. They didn't say, OK, let's talk about this. How can we make this work? How can we please you and please God at the same time and try to work things out? Notice as well that they didn't deceive the authority by pretending to submit and saying, okay, we won't speak or teach anymore in Jesus, knowing that they're going to walk out of there and they're going to go boldly preach and teach Jesus Christ. They just looked at him and said, you know what? We can't change our position. We refuse to change it. Praise God again. We love stories, in God's word, of boldness. Stories of men taking a position and holding it. Stories like David's mighty men. In 2 Samuel 23 verse 10, it says, Eliezer arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary. And his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day. And the people returned after him only to spoil. And after him was Shammah, the son of Agi, the Hagarite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop. There was a piece of ground full of lentils. And the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and slew the Philistines. And the Lord wrought a great victory. You know what's neat about those two mighty men? As you read the story, you've got Shama holding on to his sword and telling us he can't let go of the sword. You've got, I think I got it wrong, Shama stood in the lentil patch. Eliezer holding on to the sword so he couldn't let go of it. standing in the lentil patch. And you could just say, it's just a patch of lentils. Who cares? Everybody else has fled. Everybody else said, just let the Philistines have it. But that man stood and he fought for God. He held a position and so did the other man. And in doing so, in both cases, it says, and the Lord wrought a great victory. Why? Because they had a position that they were going to hold for God. And it came, come whatever, they're going to stand there for God. The disciples couldn't be stopped by persecution. They couldn't be stopped by imprisonment. They couldn't be stopped from threatening, from preaching the gospel. Let me just ask us this morning, has anything stopped us? I mean, look at what they went through and they're going to be bold. They're going to go out, they're going to preach Jesus. And sometimes it maybe takes a simple thing. Somebody saying an unkind word, somebody looking at us in a way that makes us feel a bit uncomfortable as we identify with Jesus Christ. And rather than holding a position for God and saying, this is where I'm going to stand. I can do nothing else. We capitulate and give that over instead of being bold. Praise God that these men obeyed. The Lord Jesus Christ told them, Mark 16, 15, He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And if it ever comes to our government looking at us and saying, you can no longer teach with authority, Jesus Christ is the only way, you can no longer stand with the Bible upon the truths that we talked about last week, in the ways that they want us to compromise, that we're going to have to say, by the grace of God, we have a position that is God-given, God is the authority, and we cannot alter our course. And so God, help us speak up boldly in position. Speak up boldly in persecution. Speak out boldly in preaching. And then fourth, in our continuation of the points within the message, speak out boldly in prayer. Speak out boldly in prayer. It says in verse 23, in being let go, they went to their own company and reported all that the chief priest and elders had said unto them. The church is an ignorant. They're not ignorant of what's taking place. Peter and John don't go, hey, let's hide this from them. We don't want to worry the congregation and make them anxious. They come back instead. They say, look, guys, we stood before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin said to us, you cannot preach or teach in Jesus' name. And they reported it so that the whole church was understanding, as they looked at it together, that we've got a great battle. The persecution is intense. The opposition is intense. We've got to boldly preach. We've got to boldly hold our position. I wonder today if we are ignorant that the world is trying to get us to alter our position. And let me just think through it with us this morning. Is the church ignorant of the fact that there is great opposition and great persecution coming in and a desire of the world to silence the church? Are we ignorant of that? And the reason I ask that is because when the disciples got back, they reported to the church and they said, this is what's taking place, their response, In verse 24, it says, when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God. They understood it was real. They understood the battle was intense. And they had one answer for that. And what was it? They would boldly go to God in prayer. You stop and think about it today. Do we feel compelled to tarry in prayer until we be endued with power from on high? I mean, and we can just go, well, come on, pastor. It's the year 2020, and the church has been around for a long time, and everybody knows the gospel, and this is just the way it is, and we've existed like this. But is there any burden in our hearts that, you know what? You know what we need to do? We need to pray. We need to tarry. Why? Because we need a fresh enduement with power from on high. We need an outpouring of God's Spirit. We need the Spirit of God to enable us. I wonder, Do we possess the gospel boldness that we find demonstrated in the early church? Is that why we're not praying? Because we have it. That we're boldly just preaching Jesus and declaring it, even though the world is trying to ram down our throats this idea that you cannot speak or preach in Jesus' name, that we have incredible courage. Do we have it this morning? And I would answer, no, we don't. No, we don't. And so I wonder, do we really understand? the opposition that has come in and the battle that's there, are we compelled to go to prayer because we're facing this and we understand that. We just got to go to God and say, God, you've got to help us. And so what do we need? We need to speak out boldly in prayer. How do we do that? Well, we need to boldly attend a prayer meeting. Boldly attend prayer meeting. Verse 24, it says, And when they heard that, They lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is. The church company was gathered together, and it's a corporate prayer meeting. And the Bible says that they lifted up their voice to God with one accord. They've got their arms around each other in prayer and they say, guys, we've got to seek God. We've got to find God. Praise God. There's wonderful power in corporate prayer. We've already looked at it this morning. Acts chapter 2, Pentecost takes place. Terrily, in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high, they get on their knees in that upper room and they seek God in prayer and finally the blessing comes. And again, as they are faced with it, they go, man, we need the power of God. So let's pray. Tuesday of this week, I've already said it, is the day of prayer for the missionary man. Why? Because we need to pray. There's an incredible need in our day to gather together corporately and pray. I've been reading. I mentioned John Wesley's biography. And I'm not into Methodism. And there's some things that I look at and I think that they erred in some of the ways that they set things up. But you know what? There's a lot I can admire. I can praise God that they were zealous to live a pious life that was set apart to God, that they were serious about caring for the needs of their community and meeting needs as a local church should. There's a lot of good things. And one of those good things that I see there is that they would regularly have something that they called a love feast, where they would just go to prayer. And it was regularly scheduled throughout the year, this time where they would begin praying at a certain time, and it would generally conclude at midnight. And they talk about the sweet seasons of prayer that they'd have with God. You might say, Pastor, why don't we do that? Why don't we have that? Let's do that. Let's do that prayer thing. Well, I don't mean this unkindly in any regard, but would you come? I'll tell you what, I would call some prayer meetings if I thought even the missionary men would come. We have it right now two to three times a year. And I'm not saying that the guys wouldn't necessarily come, but it's tough enough to try to see, guys, can we come this many times to prayer? Who would come? Would you come? You know what, it's time that God helping us, we have some boldness to attend prayer meeting. I say prayer is not just empty, vain babbling. Prayer is not just that time that is scheduled. Prayer is that earnest desire to seek the face of God, to confess to God that God, it must be you, because we cannot do it. The early church understood that. So boldly attend prayer meeting. And then secondly, boldly acknowledge God's control. boldly acknowledge God's control. They're like Jesus as he's on trial and the persecution of his crucifixion. And he's before Pilate. And Pilate tries to pull the trump card of authority before him. And I've got the power to crucify thee and have the power to release thee. And Jesus answered, thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. And Jesus in time of persecution, he looks at Pilate and he looks up and he goes, God's got it. God's in control. The only authority that you have over me to touch me or do anything is delegated authority that's given you from God. And that's just like these men, as they bow in prayer, they boldly acknowledge that God is in control. They say to God, God, you said this would happen. Verse 25. It says, "...who by the mouth of thy servant David hath 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." And they're referring back to Psalm 2, a Messianic Psalm, and they're looking back at that and they're saying, God, that was a prophecy, but guess what? Right now we're living it. Just like you said, the heathen would rage and they would be against God. We live in that day as well, that day of casting off God. But more specifically, they were living through exactly what that verse talked about. It talked about them casting away the anointed, His Christ. So verse 27, For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together. God, it's just like you said. It's just like you said. We're not surprised because you let us know that this was going to take place. At Disney World, when our family was back on furlough last time, somebody paid for us to go a couple days to Disney. One of the rides that they have at Disney World is Everest. Okay, this is a spoiler alert right now. So if I see anyone like this, I'll just understand you hope to go to Disney at some point and don't want to know. But if you ever ride on Everest, you're going to go up a hill that is the biggest mountain in the world. Florida, and it's man-made. Florida's flat, sandy. But it's a man-made mountain. It looks like a mountain. You're going up it, and you come around a turn. As you come around the turn, it's a very easy ride. It's a gentle ride. You come around a turn, and a Yeti has taken and broken the tracks apart, and he's standing there. And I'm glad I knew that, because I wasn't surprised. It's happening just like I expected. But I wish somebody had told me about the next part, because the next part is the brakes release on the carriages, and you plummet backwards into a tunnel that's inside the mountain, and you're going all over the place. And I'm just slowly breathing and praying, all the way until we get back out. I don't like not seeing. I'm fine with roller coasters, but I don't like not seeing. But you know, because I knew what was going to happen, I wasn't surprised. I didn't go, oh, the ride is broken, or something, and panic. It was just like I expected. It's like in a plane when the pilot comes on and he goes, I just want you to know we're going to be hitting some turbulence, so please sit down, put your seat belts on. You put your seat belts on, you hit the turbulence, you go, it's okay because the pilot knows it's going to happen. Because he told me ahead of time, there's comfort in that. Our pilot, God, is not surprised by what we're facing. And their pilot, God, he wasn't surprised. And so as they come to that time of prayer, they acknowledge that, just like we talked about last week, 2 Timothy 3, 12, yea, and all that will of God in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So as we go to prayer about it's tough, and the persecution is real, and we're saying to God, God, it's just like you said. You're in control. God's in control. God said this would happen. God's in control. God allowed this to happen. Verse 28, "...for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." God is not outside your control. Listen, come whatever that happens in our society against God or against Christ, God is the one that still is the authority. Just like Jesus again standing before Pilate, "...thou hast no power at all over me, except that we're given thee from above." And so as we pray, we go to God boldly in prayer, saying, God, you're in control. It's happening just like he said. God, you're in control because you are allowing it to take place. So boldly acknowledge God's control. And then boldly bring petitions with you. And by the way, let me say, they weren't asking God to take away the persecution. What are they asking God for? Boldness to go through the persecution. Not asking God to take it away. It's just like God said. We expect it. We understand that. Persecution is part of Christianity and our stand for God. And yet God gives us boldness to face it. So they boldly bring their petition to God. And so they say, And now, Lord, behold their threatenings. And grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word. Aren't you glad this morning that God is fully aware? God is completely understanding of what we're facing as a church, what we're facing as a family, what we're facing as an individual. And because He is aware, He stands ready to intervene. He stands ready. I was reading in my Bible this past week, and I'm in the Old Testament, and I got to the story of King Asa. And King Asa is an interesting man because he started out so well. He stood for God. He depended upon God. And God wrought a great victory. But then at the end of his life, he turns his back on God. He begins to trust in himself. And a prophet comes to him and confronts him. In 2 Chronicles 16, Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah. And he said unto him, because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, he hired him to help fight a battle, and not relied on the Lord thy God, Therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubams a huge host, and very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. While you trusted God, God had it, God did it, God glorified his name. But when you trust it in yourself, then you're going to fail. It's not going to happen. But this verse is what stood out to me. Verse 9. It says, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. What a statement. Isn't that a great statement? Throughout the whole earth. God is aware. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong and to be half of him whose heart is perfect towards him. It's like God is just anxious for somebody that will stand up as a Christian and say, I'm going to hold my position in the face of persecution. I'm going to boldly preach Jesus that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. That he's anxiously looking to show himself faithful on behalf of him whose heart is perfect towards him. God is there. He's ready to help. He's ready to intervene. Last furlough as well, we took our kids ice skating with the cousins and stuff. But as you're teaching a child to ice skate as a dad, you want to be close enough that the kid's going to go and crack their head on the ice. You can grab them. But otherwise, you want to give them a little feeling of independence, right? A sense that they're doing it on their own, but as soon as that child needs help, as a dad, you want to just reach down and help them. You know, God allows us a little bit of independence in the sense that we feel like we're on our own. But as soon as we need God, God is there. God is ready to reach down and help. And as we see this early church, I mean it's a church in its infancy. It's not a well-developed, century-old assembly. It's newborn believers that are facing intense persecution, that are trying to take a stand for God under the apostles' leadership. They get to God in prayer. They say, God, you've got to help us. And so they asked. And so verse 30, 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, notice that statement, and when they had prayed, God didn't step in before. God didn't intervene before. When they got together in serious corporate prayer, sought the face of God, God intervened. 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. OK, question. Acts chapter 2, Pentecost, were they filled with the Spirit? Yes. They were filled with the Spirit of God, then, listen, they were refilled with the Spirit of God. Paul commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because we're sealed with the Spirit, we're baptized with the Spirit, and that work of indwelling has taken place. The Spirit of God has not departed, yet there are times in our life when we need God. God, fill me again with your Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit of God is the person of power, as we talked about on Sunday nights. He is the boldness that we need. And so as we come to this idea of being bold in prayer, are we lacking boldness? Because we haven't gone to the place where God gives boldness? Are we really being bold in persecution? Are we really being bold in preaching? Are we really being bold in position? And if not, may it not be because we haven't seriously gotten on our face before God and said, God, we've got to have your power. God, fill us again with your Spirit. And so we want to be bold. We want to be outspoken for the Lord. Speak out boldly in persecution. Speak out boldly in preaching. Speak out boldly in position. Speak out boldly in prayer. and then speak out boldly in provision. You know the saying, actions speak louder than words. Believers' actions at the end of Acts chapter 4 about their boldness in providing speaks volumes, speaks out very loudly. In fact, their actions and their giving go beyond anything God has commanded. in God's Word, with the exception of what Jesus commanded the rich young ruler when he said in Matthew 19.21, Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. God has not given that to us as a church, that everybody that gets saved is going to sell everything that they have, give it to the poor, and become an itinerant lifestyle of following the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet as we look at the early church, that is nearly what the early church did as they gave to God. The persecution that was taking place meant leaving a place of employment or losing a business. There were believers that were hurting, they were starving because they had no wherewithal to meet their needs because they could not get an income because they were being scorned by society. And the church rises up and meets the need. You know, I think I could say this morning that as I preach this message the last two weeks, and we come to the idea of boldness and persecution, that within our hearts there is something that says, Amen, I want to be bold in persecution. That when we get to boldness in preaching, we think again, Amen, I want to be bold in my preaching. That when we get to this idea of boldness in position, Then we say, Dear God, by your grace, that's true, I need to hold my position. Then we get to the idea of boldness in prayer. We say, God, help me to be faithful, to go to corporate prayer, and to seek God in prayer. I see that I need that. But when we come to this last point, boldness in provision, boldness in giving, I wonder if in our hearts there's something that kind of steps back from that and says, well, I don't really want to get into that as much as I want to get into these other things. And yet, as we look at the early church, they were not just bold in those preaching and praying and position and persecution, but they were bold in their provision. And so how do we do that? How do we become bold in our provision? Well, we need to boldly give without grudging. Boldly give without grudging. Verse 32 says, and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. Neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common. In the 16th century, when they would go out to war and they'd come back and they'd have the spoils of war and they'd divide them equally among the people that went out to battle, they called that sharing and sharing alike. And as the disciples came together, they shared and shared alike. They looked at what they possessed as not being their own, but they had all things common. What's mine is yours. What's yours, I guess, is mine. But that's the good side of it. We like that side of it. But the idea of, I'm just going to share freely with others. How do you view what you possess? You know, it's easy to share something that's somebody else's. I imagine that a kid that has a box of chocolate that's his brother or sister's is going to be pretty free to say, here, have all you want, you know, with somebody else. And so when we look at what we have, how do we view it? Do we view it as this is mine? This is mine. Or do we view it as, you know what, this is God's. This is God's, to be used as he sees fit. At our church in Michigan, we had a family, an older couple, that when they retired, they bought a beautiful home with two ponds in the front garden that they stocked with catfish. And they've got woods around their property. It's a large home that they bought with their daughter. And she was a single lady that lived with them. And they took the upstairs of that beautiful home, and they made it a prophet's chamber so that missionaries could stay there. Missionaries could live there. If they're on furlough, they could just live there and have that as a base of their operation. They looked at their home not as being their own, but as being something to share with God for God's glory. You know, how do we view what we possess? Are we prepared to give to God what is God's? 2 Corinthians 9, verse 7. Every man according as he purpose in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loved the cheerful giver. You know, in the back we've got missions giving, we've got church giving, we've got building giving, we've got special love offerings and things. And as people have opportunity to participate in that, the last thing that God wants is anybody putting anything into that that they look at and say, I don't really want to give it. Because God says, don't give grudgingly. or of necessity. Well, I've got to give. The pastor preaches on giving and says that's what the Bible speaks about. It's tithes and offerings. So I guess I have to participate. God says don't do it. Not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loveth a cheerful giving. It's a privilege to give. It's a great thing to give. And God, this is a delight and I'm so thankful for how you've blessed me that I get to participate in giving. And so boldly give without grudging. Then boldly give by God's grace. It says in verse 33, and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked. Great, great grace was upon them all, and guess what? Everybody's needs were met. Why? Because they had great grace. The church at Corinth was challenged to participate in what we call grace giving. I think it's a great name for it. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 6 says this, but this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. And he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loved the cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that ye always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. God says, give liberally, give abundantly. Why? Because I'm able to multiply what you have miraculously so that you have everything that you need. It's called grace giving. You know, when I do something by God's grace, is it natural or supernatural? Supernatural. Like salvation? I mean, I couldn't save myself. God, will you save me? God graciously saves me. He does it, right? It's his power. It's miraculous. And so if it's by grace, then that means it is super abundant. It's beyond natural. Like the church in Macedonia that Paul used as an example of grace giving in 2 Corinthians 8. He talks about them in great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power I bear record, yea, beyond their power they were willing of themselves." It means this, it was not natural, it was supernatural that God allowed the Church of Macedonia to give beyond their means, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. Again, are we boldly giving by grace? He said, God, I want to be bold in my provision for God. And why? Because it's boldly meeting needs. Just like here in the early church, it says in verse 34 of our text, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. They brought that money and they said, there it is, that's for God's use. And people would come in and say, we've got a need. and the church would meet the need, and the church would provide and supply the need as it was there. Let me ask you, what need is there for grace-giving in a local church? What need is there? Is it true this morning that we need to give by grace? Is it really something that God intends us to do by our provision? Well, we've got the needs of the local church. Every year we have a semi or annual meeting and we look at it and we say this is the expenses and they're significant even though we're not a big church that our expenses that take place. We've got the need in the future of supporting a pastor and his family full time. The church will never be an autonomous local church until it has the responsibility in its own pocket of the expenses of the minister that God puts here. In whatever way God does that, whether it's us planting other churches and supplying for that minister's need and our ministry still being supported by the states, or God in his grace having us support the pastor of this church, whoever that pastor is. That's a need. The future need of purchasing a property and building. Praise God, we've got an accumulating fund that's taking place in our church and that money is accruing. Listen, there is a great need in the future that we have for a local church building. We've got the needs of supporting missionaries. And praise God, again, we support three missionaries right now. Total support, 375 pounds a month that our church provides. And that's paid for by God's people in the giving of our church. Love offerings and other things. You know, let me just ask you, are you boldly investing in God's works? And I want to be a part of that. I want to be bold in provision for God's work. And then boldly give beyond your means. Verse 36, boldly give beyond your means. And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the son of consolation, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. And this man comes, he sells everything, and he sets it there. And listen, this is the guy that Ananias and Sapphira tried to copy because they wanted the glory of what he did without actually doing it. Remember? But as he does that, Again I say, he gave beyond his means and I'm not talking about what he gave, I'm talking about the fact that he gave himself. Who's Barnabas? Barnabas becomes a preacher and a teacher. Barnabas becomes one of the first missionaries that the Bible speaks about in Acts 13. Now there was in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and others. And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work wherein to I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed into Seleucia. And from thence they sailed to Cyprus. Barnabas was a man who not only gave to God's work financially, he was a man that gave himself to God's Word entirely. Right? And I'm not preaching this this morning. I'm not saying that everybody in our church is called into missions, or everybody in our church has to become a full-time servant to the Lord. But I am saying this. I wonder if anybody will ever give financially the way they ought to give until they first give themselves to God. It's called surrender. It's the idea of what Paul speaks about. We'll look at it tonight. You are bought with a price. You are not your own. And that God owns me. I acknowledge that before God. And God, it's not my life anymore. It's not what I want to do. It's not where I want to go. It's not what I want to be. God, it's yours. I give myself to you. And listen, if I am wholly given to God, am I going to withhold from God? No. And you know what God wants more than He wants finances? God wants our heart. And so we've got to say to God, God, I want to be bold. I want to be bold in provision. Why not? Why not? If anybody had an excuse for not giving us that widow woman that Jesus looked at and said, she gave more than they all, and He didn't say she shouldn't have given. Why? Because he knew, my God shall supply all her need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. That the best thing somebody could do that is tight on their finances is say, by the grace of God, I'm just going to give to God, I'm going to trust God to meet my needs. Are you bold in your provision? We need to be outspoken for God. God help us. Why? Because we're going to face persecution. It's happening. And we could draw back into our shell and be quiet and not stand up for God, not be salt, not be light, but then they're going to die and go to hell. And Jesus isn't going to be glorified. Or we're going to have to face it. God help us to be bold in persecution. Are you bold in preaching? Say, you know what? I'm not going to hide the light. I'm not going to be unkind. I'm not going to just trash people. But I'm going to speak forcefully about what God says about things. I'm not going to hide it from somebody. Are you bold in your position? Has somebody got you to alter your course? Some other authority come along and said, you can't stand there. And rather than standing on the rock, he said, okay, I'm going to get off the rock. Or are you on Christ? Say, I can stand here, I can do nothing else. Are you bold in prayer? How important is corporate prayer to you? Do you see the need? I mean, praise God, we've got prayer times as a church, but how important are those prayer times? Are they hit or miss? You know what? We need to be a part of that. We need to be praying. Listen, Pastor, we need to pray more because we need, we need, and I could scream it today, we need the power of God. We need it. Dear God, help us to go to you in prayer. Be bold in prayer. And then are you bold in your giving? That we would say to God, I'm going to give without grudging. I'm going to give by your grace, supernaturally, because I want to get involved in the needs, meeting the needs of your church, so that, God, your work can go forward for your glory. May God help us by His Spirit to be a bold church like the early church. Let's pray. Father, we praise you for the grace that you give. Father, thank you for this example. Acts chapter 4, I mean, we look at the church and we say, that is a bold church. But Father, if we look at ourselves and we look in the mirror, this preacher included, we've got to say we do not have the boldness that the early church had. And Father, I just pray we need to be bold in persecution. We need to be bold in preaching. We need to be bold in position. But God give us grace to be bold in prayer that we get on our knees together as a people and say, Dear God, we need that boldness. And Father, that we look at what we have and say, you know what? I'm going to give it to God. Not my money primarily, but myself. And if my money's included, my money's included. And Father, that we give ourselves to God's work. Oh Lord, take a word. Speak to our hearts. Make us what we ought to be. For the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in Christ that we pray. Amen. Hymn 418, Trust and Obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. 418. 418. And let's stand, please.