Finish Strong
Day 15: January 18th, 2021
VISION FOR THE FUTURE ~ FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
Luke 24:49 NASB
Who knows the full extent of what God has in store for our church? Only God does! But He longs to reveal more and more of His plan to us as we act in faith, operating according to the Five Fold Purpose of the Church seeing to it that He is greater than all.
Read Acts chapter 4 as it describes the bold ministry of Peter and John, and the price they paid for proclaiming the Message. Because they would not keep quiet about their Lord…because they were convinced that their silence would carry eternal consequences…because their faith was in the One whose Name is above all others…they didn’t give up or give in. Although the authorities demanded that they cease to teach about Jesus or even to speak His name, they refused and were jailed and persecuted.
When Peter and John were released, they returned to their fellow Christians and joined them in praying to the God that is greater. All the believers recognized the risks they were taking, but in the larger context, the threats didn’t matter. Consequently, their prayer was not filled with expressions of anxiety; instead, it overflowed with the promises of Scripture. Their emotions and thoughts were anchored in the reality of who God is. No one pretended that the circumstances were pleasant, but everyone confessed to essential truths – that God is sovereign and that He is forever faithful. The same God to whom those first century disciples devoted their lives, that same Sovereign Lord and Creator, is our God. And when we pray to Him, we are confessing confidence in the One who is greater. In response to our prayer He can create new dispositions in the hearts of our opponents. He can create a thirst for Jesus in the hearts of those who once rejected the Gospel. He can create circumstances to override seemingly overwhelming and prevailing circumstances. And He can do all this because He is greater than all.
Prayer Focus: Read the Apostles Prayer in Acts 4:29-30 and adopt it in your prayer for your family and CFTN.F. We are praying that God would grant us boldness to speak His word, even in the face of persecution, and that He would stretch out His hand to heal, and perform signs and wonders through the name of His holy servant Jesus.