Sunday, July 19
Read: Acts 4
Luke 4 is an amazing chapter that shows the power of sharing the story of Jesus to others. Peter and John were aware of the dangers that came with speaking about Christ, yet they did so anyways. There are a few important things to point out about sharing the word of God.
First of all, speaking about Christ must be lead by the Holy Spirit. After being arrested, Peter and John were brought amongst people of high authority to be questioned. Before answering from where they get their power, Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God is what guides us. We must remain in the spirit so that when we share Christ with others, it will actually be the words of God through us that are being spoken.
The second thing is that it takes courage to share the word of Jesus Christ. Peter and John knew that the authorities opposed their viewpoints. These were the men that have just arrested them for healing a crippled man. Imagine what must have been going through their heads when they brought before the officials. They knew full well severe consequences that may be taken on them for speaking about Jesus. But the boldness and courage of Peter and John astonished them!
The final aspect to point out is that sharing the word of God has the overwhelming power to convict. When the religious leaders saw the courage of Peter and John, they came to the realization ordinary people compared to these men of Christ. They “took note that these men had been with Jesus” (v. 13). If that is not conviction, I don’t know what is!
Peter and John both new that by spreading the word of God they were bringing about the revolution of Christ. But when have you ever heard of a revolution happening through silent, boring and overly polite people? Nowhere! Christ’s overwhelming victory over sin has been completed. We are called to share that victory with the rest of the world!
We must not be timid when we share the word of Christ to others. When we speak of Jesus we must remember these three things that are evident with Peter and John speaking about their faith. You have learned many things through the month and have experienced something very spiritual. Now is the time to prepare yourself to enter back into your normal routine with the spirit of God upon you.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Process:
We must prepare our hearts to be placed back at the corps at home. It is important to remember to remain in the Spirit of God in all that we do in the church. Take this time to pray for each individual’s corps. Bring certain needs of the church before God.
Then spend time praying each other. If there are any certain areas that God can strengthen you, lift that up in prayer before God. Pray that God will equip you with the spirit and strengthen you for the ministry back at home.