Acts 9:31. Is persecution always necessary for a church to prosper?
Strange question? Having seen some of the persecuted church and quite a bit of the un-persecuted church, I have over the years practically reached a conclusion that only persecuted churches can truly be prosperous, in the ways that matter.
But that’s probably an unfair and unbiblical conclusion. Here’s a passage that re-enlightened me on the subject. When the persecutor is suddenly off the scene, the church can do mighty works that just the day before were illegal. People come crawling out from under their rocks, and a mighty uprising of the Lord takes place. Think Romania, 1989.
(And I’m prayerfully thinking of such a time in North Korea’s future!)
Acts 9:42. What is a consistent form of evangelism in Acts?
Put simply, the power of God. When men pray, and wait upon God for His power to save and heal and do whatever he wants to do, the church grows by leaps and bounds. The more that purely human methods are implemented, the more purely human the church becomes.
Acts 10:4-5. What is God’s chosen vessel for evangelism?
You and me. Not angels!
Acts 10:43. What is the heart of a true witness’s message?
Even the Old Testament prophets bear witness that forgiveness of sin is in Jesus only. This is our message today also, begun by the first leader of the Christian church.
Acts 12:2. Why was James martyred, and not Peter?
Perhaps Herod was testing the waters. Though James was equal in authority and gifting, we presume, Herod was not aware of any of those details. He simply did not want to start out with the top man. Let’s get rid of a lesser light, see how the people react, then move on to higher things. Well, the Jews by and large approved of this move, and approval was the name of Herod’s game, for sure.
Acts 12:4. How many soldiers guarded the one apostle?
A “squad” or “quaternion” was merely a group of four. Four quaternions would be sixteen soldiers, for one unarmed fisherman! Or was it sixteen soldiers against the angels of heaven who guarded Peter also?
Acts 12:20. Explain the situation of verse 20.
We are not given the reason, But King Herod of Galilee had come to some disagreement with the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. Though he did not hold jurisdiction there, he certainly could decide what items could and could not be traded to these world merchants, and anything that would stop the flow of trade could be harmful.
So they sent a committee to the King and began courting friendship with whoever would listen to them. Blastus was the highest official they could reach. With him they explained their dire straits. Herod must be brought around to see what effect he was having on these once great cities, and be sure not to cut off their food supply.
Blastus’s plan seems to have been that he would arrange for an audience with his majesty. They were to sit in rapt awe of the silver-tongued orator Herod, praising and “amen”-ing his every word. The story goes on to tell just how far they carried this farce, and to what it all led…
Acts 13:2. How do you think the Spirit said this?
The normal operation of the Spirit’s Voice seems to be through men. Gifts. Prophecy. Words of Wisdom. Words of Knowledge. But all through human agencies. The normal happening in a meeting of this church might be that suddenly a prophet arose and said he had a word from God. Unlike in the scenarios which purport to be similar situations today, that word would not have been allowed to pass without confirmation or verification, so that in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses everything could be established. This “word” was going to change history after all!
Older
Top
