“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together. And, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31
If there was ever a time we need it to happen again, it’s now.
Theirs was no normal, Wednesday-night-prayer-meeting-as-usual gathering. Instead, something happened that day/night when Peter and John met together with their fellow believers to tell them all that had happened to them after their arrest and imprisonment (4:1-23).
Even though the Holy Spirit had come in power on them at Pentecost (2:1-13). . .and even though 3,000 souls had been added to their number after Peter’s powerful sermon (2:14-41). . . and even though God had miraculously healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, which resulted in an additional 5,000 folks being saved (3:1-4:4). . .Peter and John had been arrested and thrown into jail overnight (4:3).
What was the charge?
Simply that the powers-that-be were “grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (4:2).
Yet, when they asked the dynamic duo “by what power or by what name have you done this?” (4:7), Peter immediately preached Jesus to them (4:8-12). Hallelujah!!
Needless to say, they were taken aback by Peter and John’s boldness and “marveled because they were ignorant and unlearned men” (4:13a). Interestingly, they also “took knowledge of them that they’d been with Jesus” (v.13b).
No wonder they had Holy Ghost boldness! No wonder “the hateful, Jewish leaders could say nothing against it” (4:14) and could only issue idle threats against them to “not speak or teach anymore in the Name of Jesus” (4:15-18).
Thankfully, Peter and John replied “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, you judge—for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (4:19-20). Glory!!
No wonder “the place was shaken” when they got together with other believers and recounted what had happened. Holy Ghost-inspired testimonies of God’s faithfulness always stir the hearts of His People. Likewise, when they “lifted up their voices to God in one accord, acknowledging Who God is and how He’d acted in the past” (vv.24-28), we should not be surprised they prayed “the Lord would grant unto them, His servants, all boldness (Grk. ‘parrhesia’—‘out-spokenness, frankness, confident assurance, etc.’) to speak His Word” (v.29). They also asked Him to move in visible ways so that others would be drawn to Christ (v.30).
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” May we not rest until the same thing happens in our lives and our lukewarm, Laodicean churches (Rev. 3:14-22). Even now the Savior is knocking at our heart’s door (Rev. 3:20); the question is “Will we open the door and ‘loose Him and let Him go’?” (Jn. 11:44)?
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated January 16, 2010