The Book of Acts, chapter 4,
and this is a continuing story. There are two chapters given
to this story of this man being healed and how the Lord blessed
that event to enable the apostles to preach the gospel. Today,
I want to look carefully at this prayer we find here in Acts chapter
4, verse 23. down to verse 30, and then we
see what happened when they prayed. I'm taking the title for the
message from what is said in verse 24. When they heard that,
they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said,
Lord, thou art God. underscore those words, Lord,
thou art God, God who created the heavens and the earth and
the sea. Think of this, all that in them
is. God created everything, every
bug, every insect, every star, every bird, every planet, every
universe. God created all things. He spoke
them into existence. In the beginning, God created
the heaven and the earth. Lord, thou art God. Now, at least four times in one
chapter in Isaiah 45, it's repeated, I am God, beside me there is
no other. Isaiah 45, 20 goes like this. There is no God else beside me,
a just God and Savior. There is none beside me, look
unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I
am God, AND THERE IS NO OTHER. SAME THING HE'S SAYING BACK HERE
IN VERSE 12. NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN
ANY OTHER. FOR THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME
UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED. LORD,
THOU ART GOD. THANK GOD HE'S THE GOD OF SALVATION. THANK GOD THAT SALVATION IS OF
THE LORD OR WE WOULD HAVE NONE. NOW AFTER PETER AND JOHN HAD
BEEN ARRESTED AND QUESTIONED OVER THIS MIRACLE OF GRACE, AND
THEN THEY WERE THREATENED NOT TO TEACH OR PREACH ONE MORE TIME
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THEY WERE NOT TO EVEN
MENTION HIS NAME. LOOK AT VERSE 18, THEY CALLED
THEM, COMMANDED THEM NOT TO SPEAK AT ALL NOR TEACH IN THE NAME
OF THE SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WELL, THEY SAID WE CANNOT,
VERSE 22, VERSE 20, WE CANNOT BESPEAK THE THING WHICH WE HAVE
HEARD AND SEEN. THEY THREATENED THEM, AND LATER
ON WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN CHAPTER 5 THAT THEY BEAT THEM AND COMMANDED
THEM NOT TO PREACH NO MORE, AND YET THEY WENT ON PUBLICLY AND
PRIVATELY PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND
WE TODAY, or beneficiaries of their ministry even though it's
many thousands years removed. Now look at verse 23, and being
let go, being let go, now God released them, God freed them,
and being let go they went to their own people. their own company,
their own house. And they reported all that the
chief priest and elders, all that they said unto them, and
all that they had done unto them. Now immediately upon being released,
they went home to their church family, their own company, their
own people. And then they found comfort with
one another. What a blessing it is for us.
And let us never take it for granted to freely assemble as
we are this morning in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to preach
his gospel, to declare his word, and to worship him around the
preaching of the gospel. Remember in John chapter four
where it says, the father seek as such to worship him in spirit
and in truth. And then the Lord assures us
in Matthew 18, he's promised his people. He said, where two
or three are gathered together in my name. One, two, three. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. We have many more than three.
The Lord has promised to meet with us when we meet in His name. Is the Lord meeting with us today?
Absolutely. Do you see Him? No. Do you feel
His presence? No. I believe His truth. He said, I'm with you always. Now, let us not forsake the assembling
of ourselves together as a matter of some years. If the Lord has
promised to meet with us when we meet in his name and preach
his gospel, wouldn't it be a silly thing for us to forsake meeting
together with the Lord's people? David said, I was glad when they
said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. We don't come
here with a reservation or a burden, do we? If we come here to hear
from the word, to hear the word of the Lord. Now, as I've often
said, I want you to listen to what I have to say because I
have the truth, but I want you to hear him. Does that make sense?
I want you to hear him as he speaks in his word. They rehearsed
all that these wicked men had done to them, this Jewish Sanhedrin
court. They told them, don't you even
mention his name. See, there's something special
about that name. THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE NAME OF THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST. THERE'S POWER IN THAT NAME BECAUSE
THERE'S POWER IN HIS PERSON. ALL POWER, HE SAID, IS GIVEN
TO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. NOW, WHAT WE HAVE FROM VERSE
24 DOWN THROUGH VERSE 30 IS A PRAYER. YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW THE EARLY
CHURCH PRAYED AND WORSHIPED? RIGHT HERE WE HAVE IT. AND WHEN
THEY HEARD THAT, THE THREATENINGS OF THESE WICKED MEN, they lifted
up their voice to God. Now, wouldn't that be something?
They lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said,
Lord, you are our God. Thou art God. And they're saying,
you are God. You're God our Savior, which
has made heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is
in them. Now what an amazing prayer this
truly is. Now think about this, these folks
had just been born into the Kingdom of God a day or two before. THEY WEREN'T VETERAN, EXPERIENCED
BELIEVERS OF 20, 30, 40 YEARS LIKE SOME OF YOU. WHAT AN AMAZING
PRAYER IT IS OF THESE BABES IN CHRIST WHO HAD JUST BEEN BORN
INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD, YET BEING TAUGHT OF GOD, THEY HAD
MUCH WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE GOD HAD GIVEN THEM UNDERSTANDING,
WISDOM, AND REVELATION OF THEMSELVES. that salvation was of the Lord,
they knew the only one that could help them was God who was on
the throne, so they lifted up their voice unto the Lord our
God. Now, when we're in trouble, when
we're under trial and heartache, what are we to do? lift up our
voice unto the only one who can help. He said, come boldly unto
the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy, find grace
to help in time of need. They lifted up their voice unto
God and they prayed. Remember how we started? Look
back at Acts chapter one, Acts chapter one, verse 14. These all continued with one
accord in prayer, supplication with the women, and Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and with his brother. Being in one accord,
one mind, one heart, they lifted up their voice to God. That's
what prayer is. Now define it and give it all
the definitions you want. It's simply the cry of the heart
unto God upon the throne. Now notice carefully, too, what
they did not do. They did not take up arms to
get revenge. That's what we naturally would
think to do. We're gonna get even with them,
wicked Jews. They did not plot to destroy Judaism. They did
not disband or quit and say, well, this way's just too hard.
but we're just gonna quit. They prayed unto the true and
living God, this should always be our first action upon all
things, all difficulties, seek the will of the Lord, seek his
direction, submitting unto him and trusting him, praying, Lord,
thy will be done. In heaven, in earth, and in me. The apostle writes this way,
pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing,
and in everything give thanks. You remember from our study in
Luke 18, our Lord said, men ought always to pray. His people do.
His people do. It's a constant cry of our heart
unto the Lord. Now I'll give you a good example
of this. If you'll find over here in Acts chapter nine, when
Saul of Tarsus was part of that Sanhedrin court that commanded
them not to preach the gospel anymore, and when Saul of Tarsus
met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus to persecute
believers in Acts chapter 9, verse 10, and a certain disciple
at Damascus named Ananias, and to him said the LORD in a vision,
and in eyes, and he said, Behold, I am here, Acts 9 verse 11, and
the LORD said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which
is called straight, and inquire of the house of Judas, for one
called Saul of Tarsus, behold, he prayeth, he prayeth. Now you can bet that Saul of
Tarsus, you remember he said he was a Pharisee of Pharisees.
They loved to pray standing in the street corners to be seen
of men. This man went through the actions of some kind of prayer,
legal, judicial, some kind of praying, but he never did call
upon the Lord until right now. Now he's praying. Now he's praying
because he knows God who is the sovereign of all things. Behold, he is praying. Now, back to Acts chapter 4. They lifted up their voice to
God with one accord, being in harmony, one mind, one spirit,
one gospel, and said, Lord, thou art God, which made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is. So they rejoiced,
first of all, they rejoiced in the Lord Jesus Christ as God
the creator. OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. IN THE BEGINNING
WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD,
AND ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM, AND THERE WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE
THAT WAS NOT MADE BY HIM. HE CREATED ALL THINGS BY THE
WORD OF HIS POWER. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE
CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. GOD MADE ALL THINGS BY HIM. We read that on the radio broadcast
this morning from Colossians chapter one, who is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn Lord of every creature, for by
him were all things created that are in heaven, earth, visible,
invisible, whether it be thrones or dominions, principalities
or powers, all things were created by him, and for him, and he is
before all things. They worshiped him as the mighty
God and creator of all things. As the creator of all things
in the universe, he is also the Lord God the absolute king and
ruler, sovereign over all things. You remember from Psalm 135,
whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, earth,
seas, and all deep places. As a creator and sovereign Lord
of all things, he is sovereign not only in creation, he made
all things exactly like he wanted to make them. We do not believe
in evolution. We believe in God who created
all things by the word of His power. He's a God and sovereign
creator of all things, and He is sovereign in creation. And
he is sovereign also in this creation. In providence, all
things that unfold in time, from the creation to the end of this
world, all things in providence, God has ordered by his wise,
eternal, unchanging decree. Of Him, through Him, to Him are
all things to whom be glory both now and forever. That is on the
back of the bulletin today by a good article by Pastor Fortner
about the providence of God. But God is also sovereign in
creation, right? No doubt about that. Sovereign
in providence, right? He works all things after the
counsel of His own will, right? That's what the Word teaches.
Also that He is sovereign in salvation. He will have mercy
upon whom He will have mercy. It's not of Him that willeth,
nor of Him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Salvation
is of His will. He saves whom He will according
to His eternal predestinating purpose. Now, anything too hard
for the Lord? Remember, the disciples asked
the question, Lord, well, who can be saved? He said, with men,
it's impossible, but not with God. But with God, all things
are possible. Anything too hard for the Lord?
No. HE RAISES DEAD SINNERS AND MAKES THEM NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST
JESUS. OUR GOD IS ABLE TO DO ALL THINGS,
AND HE WORKS ALL THINGS AFTER THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL.
HE'S ABLE TO DO ALL THAT HE HAD PROMISED. NOT ONE PROMISE OF
GOD THAT IS CERTAIN AND SURE WILL FALL OR FAIL. HE'S ABLE
TO DO ALL THAT HE PROMISED, AND HE'S PROMISED A WHOLE LOT. but
he's faithful to every promise. He's able to save them to the
uttermost, all that come to God by him, he is able. He's able
to do all things as a God. salvation able to save them to
the uttermost that come to God by him saying he ever live it
to make intercession for us and God is able to keep us from falling
and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy you see what they're saying here Lord thou art God
God of creation God of providence God of salvation Lord hear us
Because He is a living God, He can hear us. Because He is the
all-wise God, He does answer prayers. Now, look at verse 25
and verse 26. They rejoiced, secondly, not
only that God is God, secondly, they rejoiced and found comfort
and assurance in the word of the Lord. From Psalm 2. They rejoiced and found comfort,
who by the mouth of thy servant David said. Now, most of these
people were Jewish converts. They had been catechized as a
youth. They had studied the Old Testament
scripture, but they never saw God's hand nor God's Christ when
they read the scripture. Saul of Tarsus is another example.
BUT WHEN THE GOSPEL WAS REVEALED TO THEM, AND THEN WHEN THEY HAD
A MIND BACK ON PSALM 2, THEY SAID, THAT'S THE MESSIAH, THE
HOLY CHILD, THE LORD JESUS, WHO BY THE MOUTH OF DAVID, THY SERVANT,
HATH SAID, WHY DO THE HEATHEN RAGE, AND THE PEOPLE IMAGINE
VAIN THINGS? THEY WERE EXPERIENCING THE FULFILLMENT
OF SCRIPTURE IN THAT VERY DAY. VERSE 26, THE KINGS OF THE EARTH
STOOD UP, and the rulers were gathered together against the
Lord and against his Christ. Now, man by nature is a rebel. He's against God. He's against
the sovereign purpose of God. The carnal mind is yet enmity. These dear believers newborn
babes in Christ rejoiced and found comfort in the word of
the Lord. All scripture is given of God
and it is profitable unto us. John writes, these things are
written unto you that you might believe the gospel. The apostle
writes this, whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning that we through patient and comfort of the scripture
might have hope. WE HAVE A GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE. HOW DO WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
THAT? WE JUST DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. GOD REVEALED THAT TO US
FROM THIS BOOK. YOU SEE, FAITH COMES BY HEARING
WHAT? NOT HEARING A SAD STORY ABOUT
THE OLD TIMERS AND HOW THEY SUFFERED. FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD
OF THE LORD. THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS. What did
they learn from Psalm 2? They learned the gospel. They learned that heathen do
rage against God, but they also learned that believers rejoice
in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. They learned that
heathen imagine vain things. They also learned that believers
meditate upon the word of the Lord and they receive comfort
in it. Now turn to Psalm 119. This is
the longest psalm. There's 176 verses in Psalm 119. And with the exception of one
or two verses, every verse in Psalm 119 talks about the word
of the Lord, the testimonies of the Lord. For example, in
verse 89, Forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Back
up in verse 75. I know, oh Lord, that thy judgments
are right and that thou in thy faithfulness has afflicted me. Again, look at verse 97. Oh, how I love thy law, thy word. It is my meditation all the day. Verse 99, I have more understanding
than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. Look down at 103, verse 103,
following. Psalm 119, 103, how sweet are
thy word unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding,
therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto
my feet, a light under my path. You see we make much of the word
because that's the children's bread. It tells us about the
beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let's read
on. Here's the third thing. Verse
26, verse 27. The kings of the earth stood
up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, against
the Lord, who is our God and against his Christ. Verse 27,
for the truth against thy holy child, Jesus, whom thou has anointed
both Herod, Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of
Israel. were gathered together for to
do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to
be done. They rejoiced in the sovereign
purpose of God to save sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ,
the Holy Child, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the last part
of verse 30, by the name of the Holy Child, Jesus. Now, what does His name mean?
Jesus, Savior. You remember back in chapter
two, turn over there, Acts chapter two, verse 22. Acts 2, 22. Let's read verse
21. And it came to pass, whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of
Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of
God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God
did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves know, him being
delivered by the determinate counsel For knowledge of God,
for ordination of God, you have taken by wicked hands, have crucified
and slain, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death,
because it was not possible that he should be holden of death. They declared and believed and
confessed that salvation was in no other but the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the Christ of God. He is
the anointed one. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save his people from their sin. Remember back in chapter two
again, look at verse 36. He is what he's called. Jesus,
Savior, He is what He is called, the Anointed of the Lord, the
Christ of God. Acts 2.36, Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same
Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. So He is the
Savior, Jesus, who saves His people from their sin, and He
is the Christ of God. You remember Peter confessed
that when many walked away? AND THE LORD SAID, WILL YOU ALSO
GO AWAY? YOU REMEMBER PETER'S CONFESSION?
WE BELIEVE AND WE'RE SURE YOU ARE THAT CHRIST AND YOU HAVE
THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE. SO HE IS THE ANOINTED OF GOD. THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS OVER HERE
IN PSALM 2. THEY TOOK COUNSEL TOGETHER AGAINST
THE LORD ANOINTED. HE IS THE MESSIAH. HE IS THE
CHRIST. AS WE'VE SAID OVER THE YEARS,
HE'S ANOINTED IN ALL OF HIS OFFICE. Prophet to reveal. He said these
things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babe.
He is a priest. What does a priest do? How's
a priest different from a prophet? A priest represents us to God
with a suitable sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
priest of God to redeem us with his own blood, not with the blood
of bulls and goats, but with his own blood. He obtained for
us eternal redemption. Prophet to reveal, priest to
redeem, and he's a potentate. What does a potentate do? KING
REIGNS OVER HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. HE SAID, ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO
ME OVER ALL FLESH THAT I SHOULD GIVE ETERNAL LIFE TO AS MANY
AS THOU HAST GIVEN TO ME. FOURTHLY, THEY REJOICED IN THE
ABSOLUTE PREDESTINATION OF GOD. VERSE 27, 28, AGAIN, FOR BY TRUTH
AGAINST THY HOLY CHILD the Lord Jesus, the Savior, the Anointed,
the Christ, whom God has anointed in all of his office, Herod,
Pilate, the Romans, Israel, the Jews were gathered together for
to do whatsoever thy hand, thy counsel determined before to
be done. Now, what a statement. They rejoiced
in the absolute sovereign predestination of God. And as I pointed out
earlier, where it says in the original Greek, where it says,
Determined before, that's one word. It's the exact same word
that's rendered in Ephesians chapter one, twice, and in Romans
chapter eight, twice. The word we read, predestination. Now let's turn to Ephesians chapter
one. I know we've seen this many times,
but let's read it one more time. Ephesians chapter one. Verse three, blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ, according
as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Ephesians
1, verse 11, turn there and look at this. In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory. Believers
confess, own, and believe the absolute predestination of God
in all things. Turn to Romans chapter eight,
and here's where it's used again. Romans 8, 28, and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to his purpose, whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of
his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom
he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he
also glorified." God has determined before to make a people just
like Christ. Now, you reckon it's gonna happen? You reckon it might just fall
out that way? OR IF MEN DO CERTAIN THINGS,
IT MIGHT COME TO PASS. THAT'S NOT THE LANGUAGE OF SCRIPTURE. GOD HAS DETERMINED AND PURPOSED. HE SAID, I'VE SPOKEN IT. I'LL
BRING IT TO PASS. I'VE PURPOSED IT. I WILL DO IT. THAT IS THE GOD WE WORSHIP. THE
ONLY PLACE A SINNER WILL WORSHIP IS AT THE THRONE OF ABSOLUTE
SOVEREIGN GOD. THESE WICKED MEN, THE JEWS, The
Romans were gathered together by the sovereign, eternal purpose
of God to execute the will of God in killing the Lord Jesus
Christ. This was all according to His
sovereign and eternal purpose. In Acts chapter 3, remember,
verse 14, it says, You denied the Holy One, the Just One. You
desired a murder to be granted unto you. You killed the Prince
of Life. Remember our Lord said, no man takes my life from me,
I lay it down. You've killed the prince of life
whom God raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses today. They did what their wicked heart
wanted to do, no doubt about that, right? But they did what
God determined before to be done. That's what this is teaching.
The Lord Jesus Christ was a lamb slain from all eternity, Revelation
13, eight. And in time, God brought it to
pass. They did what they wanted to
do in killing the Lord Jesus Christ, but they were only accomplishing
the sovereign purpose of the Lord. In the fullness of time,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law. Look carefully at verse
28, Acts 4, for to do whatsoever thy hand thy counsel predestinated
before to be done. The hand of God, remember Daniel
chapter four, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing,
and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven among
the inhabitants of this earth, and none can stay his hand. or saying to him, Lord God Almighty,
what doest thou? The hand of the Lord, the hand
of the Lord punished the Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary. For
we read Isaiah 53, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He had
put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. God made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. I've often said this over the
years. It wasn't what wicked men did there at the cross that's
our hope. That's what God was doing at
the cross. That's our hope. You see, it pleased God to bruise
the Lamb. It pleased God to make His soul
guilty for our sin being laid upon Him. It pleased God to bruise
Him. It was what God was doing at
the cross, not what men did, that accomplished our salvation.
Now, that's just so. We read in Lamentation 1, Is
it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there
be any sorrow like unto sorrow which is done in me, wherewith
the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
God afflicted him because of our sin being laid upon him. He bare our sin in his own body
on the tree. These wicked men did what their
sinful heart desired to be done. but they were only doing the
will of God. We read in Psalm 76, even the
wrath of man will praise the Lord. Surely the wrath of man
shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain. Thank God for the restraining
grace of God. This human race would last one
hour. If God just removed the restraint
off of every wicked sinner, we'd all have each other by the throat,
murdering one another by sundown. Sometimes you see God just pulling
back the restraint, and you see men, wicked men, doing crazy
things. Old John Gill said this, whatever
was done to Christ, either by the Jews or Gentiles, Herod or
Pilate, was according to the secret will of God, the covenant
he made with Christ and the counsel of peace that was between them
WHAT THEY WICKEDLY DID, GOD DESIGNED FOR GOOD, AND HEREBY BROUGHT
ABOUT THE REDEMPTION AND SALVATION OF HIS PEOPLE. Isn't this a great
mystery? Paul writes about it in Romans
14, TO THIS END, TO THIS PURPOSE, CHRIST BOTH DIED AND ROSE AND
REVIVED, THAT HE MIGHT BE LORD OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. Now,
verse 29, Acts chapter 4, And now, Lord, behold their threatenings,
and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness we may speak
the word of the Lord by you stretching forth thy hand, that signs and
wonders may be done. in the name of that holy child,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, take notice of their threatenings. They're praying, Lord, subdue
our enemies. They're praying, Lord, grant
thy servants boldness that we may declare the word of the Lord,
and Lord, stretch forth your hand to heal, to save sinners. Now, that was their prayer. What's
gonna happen? Verse 31, and when they had prayed,
the place was shaken. God sent an earthquake. where
they were assembled together, and they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. The place was shaken, some say
like a mighty rushing wind, but I think more like when Paul and
Silas were in jail in Philippi, and God sent an earthquake, as
they sang praises to God. We read in Acts 17 that these
men who have turned the world upside down, the place is shaken
with the gospel. And they were filled with the
Spirit of God. But through the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance. Against such there
is no law. And they were blessed to preach
the gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness. determined
to preach nothing but Christ and Him crucified. So we can
conclude, God heard their prayer, and God answered their prayer,
and they went about preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, my prayer for us, may the
almighty Lord Jesus Christ grant unto us here that we may continue
to preach the word of the Lord with boldness, that we might
glorify him. And that's what this ministry
is all about, the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. God
forbid, we should glory save in the cross of our blessed savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ.