Unstoppable Believers

 

Today I visited the Palermo Bible Family Church where Pastor Michael Jacobsen gave the Sunday Sermon taken from Acts 5:17-33 

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people, and the Priests and church leaders were moved with anger and shut them up in the prison.  But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

The next morning the officers reported; “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” One came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.  And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

The apostles were bold in their defiance to preach and teach about Christ Jesus.

Here in America we have freedom to carry our Bible and speak about our faith.  In other lands over 160,000 Christians and many Preachers have been murdered for their faith in Jesus.

“You can count on me” said Peter to Jesus, but shortly afterwards he denied Christ three times.  After Jesus was crucified the disciples were humiliated and hiding in fear.

After Pentecost they became BOLD in defiance, BOLD in their verbal witness, and BOLD in their lives in a new way of living.

Question:  Would you go to jail for your faith?  Think about it and be honest.

Here in America, slowly our freedom is being taken from us.  We are being stripped of our Christian heritage.  No longer is the Bible and prayer in our schools.  Yet other religions are being taught there.

Pastor gave an illustration of a teacher wearing a shirt with Christian words.  The principal told him to remove his shirt and never wear it again at school.  The teacher said, there are others who wear shirts with profanity and dirty words propagating evil.  Until you tell them to remove their shirts, I will continue to wear mine. 

Jesus told us to Love God with all our hearts and to love people.  We must not shut up our bowels of compassion.  This is what I believe and thus is what I will do.

Question:  Will you share your faith in Christ? 

God arranges for us Devine appointments for us to witness.  God will take situations and turn them into opportunities.  Everything that happens is God ordained.

There was a man called by God to preach.  He hesitated.  God said, you were not my first choice.  God continued, you were not my second or third choice.  The man said, I may not be your first, second or third choice, but I will go and preach. 

May we all be as these disciples; an Unstoppable and Bold believer.