It's Genise's.

"And now, Lord, pay attention to their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage, while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously. (Acts 4:29-31, emphasis mine)

Lord, pay attention to their threats...

We do not deny that there are persons in the world who want us to ignore God's agenda, and who have threatened us with harm. However, our response is not to condemn them; our response is to ask God to take note of what His detractors have said and done.

...grant to Your servants to speak Your message with great courage...

God's message is not a message to be whispered apologetically nor timidly. Our great God, who does all things well, has tasked us to share His message confidently. This is not a confidence in our own ability to deliver His message; rather, it is our confidence in the truth of His message.

...while You extend Your hand to heal...

In the book of Acts in particular, we find a connection between the word of God and the power of God to heal. The disciples asked God not only for the boldness to speak, but for His healing to be experienced by those who heard the testimony of the apostles.

... and to bring about miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.

As we see in Acts, the disciples did notable miracles in the name of Jesus. However, we also note that persons who invoked the name of Jesus without knowing Him were overcome by demonic powers (see Acts 19-11-16). It is imperative that we who claim to be Christian not only know the name of Jesus, but that we know Jesus (and that He knows us).

Acts 4:31 is such an encouragement to we who pray! "And when they had prayed...". Some things happened when the disciples prayed. Amen. Earnest, authentic prayer is never an empty exercise. The prayers ascend to God, and God responds. Like Acts 4:31, the response may be instant. Or alternately, as Daniel 10:12-13 indicates, the response may delayed by a conflict between spiritual forces. But, either way, God answers. Let us be renewed in the light of that truth.

Have you prayed today?

The Know-Do Dichotomy.

"There might be persons who are worshiping faithfully... and many of them know exactly what God wants. The problem is, in their hearts, they have now come to resign that you can't do what God says. The old lie is still reverberating." (Pastor Sam)

In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam spoke of the danger of Christians being found to be ineffective or false witnesses. In particular, as we live in this world that is cynical and skeptical of the Christian faith, we must be able to not only speak truth, but also to live truth so that the world can have a true vision of what Christianity is all about.

Some Christians have had an experience of salvation, but have not been radically transformed by the Spirit of God. That is, they know God, but they are not doing God's will because their lives are not governed by God. But, for Christians who are authentic, credible witnesses, the Spirit's character transforms their character.

Our pastor shared the question from Acts: "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" (Acts 19:2, italics mine) God calls us into synergy with Himself, and this synergy is accomplished not through our determination, but by the work of His Spirit. And when the Spirit is present in us, His character is expressed through us, and the will of God is done by us.

For those readers who know that their character is indicative of a lack of authenticity, today's prayer is paraphrased from the end of Pastor Sam's sermon. I pray that, as you pray, you will experience God's Spirit helping you to become a credible witness.

Spirit of God, if anything is to happen in me, it will only come through You. I surrender my efforts to You so that You can do what is needed in me. Amen.

Authorization Cleared.

Are you an “authorized dealer”?

Not everyone is authorized to conduct kingdom business. On Sunday Pastor Andy briefly referred to an incident involving the sons of Sceva, men who were not authorized to use the name of Jesus:

God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) But the evil spirit replied to them, “I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19:11-16, NET)

At a local store, a couple of people in the checkout line had an in-depth conversation about a celebrity. The conversation was peppered with the phrases “I heard that…”; “I read that…”; but there was no indication of an intimate relationship. They had never met the person, so there was no personal knowledge. It was all hearsay. This was the hard lesson learned by the sons of Sceva. These seven men were overpowered and defeated by an evil spirit. Why? Because, though they were trained in exorcism, they had no personal relationship with the Lord whose name they attempted to invoke during the deliverance ministry.

Authorized dealers have more than just training in what to say; these specialized dealers have intimate knowledge of the brand and product they carry in their store. In the case of Peter and John, their use of the name of Jesus was backed by their relationship with Him.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, he asked them for money. Peter looked directly at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!” So the lame man paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!” Then Peter took hold of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. He jumped up, stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts with them, walking and leaping and praising God. (Acts 3:3-8, NET)

As we pray on behalf of those who need the power of God to touch their lives, let us remember that it is not enough to merely be trained.

God, as we grow in our relationship with You, please commission us as authorized dealers of Your mercy and grace.