Shalom!
“And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 NASB
There is a definite, rapid increase of rejection of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. This antichrist spirit is covering planet earth in great darkness and governments of the world are posturing for the battle to come.
Yet, we must not, we cannot, stop speaking about what we have seen and heard!
In Acts 4, it is written that the leaders “observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men,” but they were “marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”Did you get that? They connected the dots… John and Peter had been with Jesus. So it is today, being with Jesus will cause the world to know that there is something different about those who love Him.
Friends, you can tell others about your encounter with Jesus without the Holy Spirit, you may give a cup of water to the thirsty without the Holy Spirit. But, the demonstration of the resurrection power of Jesus cannot take place until Holy Spirit is allowed to do what He was sent to do – the works that Jesus did while on planet earth. (Acts 10:38)
So, how do we respond when the authorities “command you not to speak”? Back to Acts 4: 29-31, “And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Observe Acts 4:33: “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. “
Yes, darkness is increasing, but we are those of the Light! What an exciting and amazing day to be alive! We have been born for such a time and the Father has providentially prepared us.
Prayer is the key. BTJ has a group of praying partners for whom we are so very thankful. We may all pray, and should. However, there are those who are called to be intercessors. If you sense the Father has, or is, calling you to join our prayer group in praying for the underground church of China, the persecuted Church everywhere and global missions, please send us an email and your thoughts to: pastoral@backtojerusalem.com
Blessings!
BTJ USA
