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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 4:23-31

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Church on the Move, and today we come to the topic of prayer.

A church on the move will always be a praying church. We saw in Acts 1 how all the believers joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:14). When they needed to choose Judas’ replacement, what did they do? They prayed (Acts 1:24). When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, which implies they were praying together (Acts 2:1). When God added three thousand new believers to the church, in the very next verse we read that they devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42). When Peter and John healed the lame man, they were going up to the temple at the time of prayer (Acts 3:1). And now that the believers encounter opposition to the gospel, we find them praying yet again.

Part of being a church on the move is being a church that prays, and what a prayer we find in our passage today! (Read Acts 4:31 and pray.)

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After Peter and John healed the lame man, the Jewish leaders arrested them and put them in jail. The next day they brought Peter and John before the council to question them. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Then, after further threats, they finally let them go. And what was the response to this persecution? A prayer meeting to end all prayer meetings!

In our passage today we are given an example of prayer that makes a difference. If you want to pray prayers that make a difference, you need to follow scriptural patterns of prayer. Too often our prayers are focused on us rather than God. Too often we jump right into our needs before taking time to reflect on God and Scripture and to give God the praise worthy of his name. Too often our prayers are weak and scattered because we spend more time complaining about our problems rather than asking God to use us for his glory in the midst of our problems.

You need to pray God’s way to see God work. The apostles’ prayer here in Acts teaches us valuable principles for our own prayer life. So, that’s what we are looking at today. How does God want you to pray? What is prayer that makes a difference?

I. Pray in all circumstances – persecution (23-24)

The first thing we learn from our passage is that we should pray in all circumstances. There’s never a bad time to pray, and every time is a good time to pray. The specific circumstances the believers found themselves in here was persecution for their faith. But rather than keep them from praying, persecution led them to prayer instead. Look at verses 23-24:

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. (Acts 4:23-24a)

   A. Persecution leads to prayer

When you are a church on the move, you are going to encounter persecution, but that doesn’t matter, because persecution leads to prayer. When Peter and John went back to the others and reported about all the threats made by the Sanhedrin, what was the first thing the believers did? They prayed about it. Peter and John were bold in their witness before the council; now the believers are bold in prayer before God.

Prayer is always the first resort for the believer, not the last resort. Do you want to defeat the enemy? Then turn all his attacks into prayer. Once he realizes you turn everything into prayer anyways, he may just stop attacking, because the last thing he wants you to do is pray.

   B. Persecution leads to unity in prayer

Persecution not only leads to prayer. It also leads to unity in prayer. When Peter and John reported these things, all the believers raised their voices together in prayer to God. They spoke as one voice together. Either one person led in prayer and the rest agreed, or this is a summary of a number of their prayers put together.

Persecution leads to unity in prayer. It helps you to focus on what really matters. It’s hard to argue over the color of the carpet when you’re being persecuted for your faith.

So that’s our first principle of prayer that makes a difference. Pray in all circumstances. Prayer should be the first resort, not the last resort. And we should especially pray in circumstances of persecution. Let the devil throw his worst at you; determine to turn it all back to prayer.

II. Acknowledge God’s sovereignty (24-28)

Secondly, acknowledge God’s sovereignty in your prayers. The believers acknowledged God’s sovereignty in three specific areas in their prayer. They acknowledged God’s sovereignty over creation. They acknowledged God’s sovereignty over Scripture. And they acknowledged God’s sovereignty over history and all circumstances.

   A. God’s sovereignty over creation – “You made” (24)
      – Psalm 146:5-6

First, they acknowledged God’s sovereignty over creation. We see this in the words, “You made.” Look at verse 24:

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” (Acts 4:24b)

Here, they are echoing Psalm 146 which says: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the Lord, who remains faithful forever” (Ps. 146:5-6).

When you go to God in prayer, it is good to remember his power and sovereignty over all things. You are not coming to some local or limited god. No, God is the one who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. God made the universe. He’s got the whole word in his hands! That means he can take care of you.

   B. God’s sovereignty over Scripture – “You spoke” (25-26)
      – Psalm 2:1-2; 1 Peter 1:20-21

So, begin by acknowledging God’s sovereignty over creation. And then it is good also to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over Scripture. We saw God’s sovereignty over creation in the words, “You made.” Here we see God’s sovereignty over Scripture in the words, “You spoke.” Look at verses 25-26:

“You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’” (Acts 4:25-26)

After acknowledging God’s sovereignty over all creation, next they look to the Scriptures to see what the Bible says about their circumstances. Here they quote from Psalm 2, a psalm of David which speaks about the rulers of this world gathering together against the Lord, exactly what just happened to them.

Notice how they acknowledge God’s sovereignty over Scripture in their prayer. David was the human author, yet this was still God’s word because God was speaking through David by the Holy Spirit.

That is how Scripture works. We read in 2 Peter: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). We call this the inspiration of Scripture. Yes, the Bible was written by human authors, but they only wrote what God spoke to them by the Holy Spirit.

This part of the believers’ prayer shows us the importance of praying Scripture back to God. There is power in God’s word, and there is power in praying God’s word back to him. The believers found great comfort in praying Psalm 2 back to the Lord, because there are some great truths in Psalm 2 for when you are experiencing persecution for your faith. For example, don’t take the opposition personally; know they are raging against God, not you! Don’t be afraid of the opposition; know that their attacks are ultimately futile.

   C. God’s sovereignty over history – “You decided” (27-28)
      – Psalm 2:7; Mark 1:11

Do you want your prayers to make a difference? Acknowledge God’s sovereignty over creation. Acknowledge God’s sovereignty over Scripture. And then thirdly, acknowledge God’s sovereignty over history. We saw God’s sovereignty over creation in the words, “You made.” We saw God’s sovereignty over Scripture in the words, “You spoke.” Now we see God’s sovereignty over history in the words, “You decided.” Look at verses 27-28:

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. (Acts 4:27-28)

Here the believers acknowledged that these words of opposition in Psalm 2 were fulfilled at Jesus’ crucifixion. Psalm 2 spoke of the nations, peoples, kings and rulers gathering together against the Lord and his anointed one. The nations and peoples are represented by the Gentiles and the Jewish people coming together against Jesus at this crucifixion. The kings are represented by Herod and the rulers by Pilate.

Jesus himself is the anointed one spoken of in the Psalm. The phrase “anointed one” in Psalm 2 is the same word as Messiah. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit as the Messiah at his baptism. In fact, God himself quoted from a later verse in Psalm 2 at Jesus’ baptism when he told Jesus from heaven: “You are my Son” (Psalm 2:7; Mark 1:11).

The believers looked at Psalm 2 and all that happened to Jesus, and they prayed: “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” They acknowledged in prayer God’s sovereign power to make all things happen according to his will. Nothing takes God by surprise. The rulers and people were just doing what Scripture foretold they would do.

God is sovereign over all history. And if God is sovereign over the big moments of history, he is certainly sovereign over the circumstances of your life.

God’s sovereignty is such an important theme in the book of Acts that it has been expressed once in each chapter so far (1:16-20; 2:23-36; 3:13-15; 4:24-28). Do you want your prayers to make a difference? Then acknowledge God’s sovereignty in your prayers. God is sovereign over creation. God is sovereign over Scripture. God is sovereign over history.

III. Present your requests to the Lord (29-31)

And then finally, present your requests to the Lord. That’s what we see here in Acts 4. After praising God and praying Scripture and declaring God’s sovereignty over all things, the believers finally get around to asking for something!

We need to remember that prayer is not all requests. You need to spend time praising God and praying Scripture in order to frame your requests properly. This will help you to pray in Jesus’ name and according to God’s will when you do present your requests to the Lord. Look at verses 29-30 now as the believers finally make their request to God:

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)

There are several things we can learn from this part of their prayer.

   A. Tell God your situation (29a)

First of all, tell God your situation. That’s what the believers do here. The rulers have commanded them not to preach or teach in Jesus’ name and threatened them with punishment if they do. Now they ask God to consider these threats. The believers know that this attack from the rulers is just a continuation of their attack on Jesus. Notice they do not ask for judgment on their enemies. They simply ask God to take note and act accordingly. It’s a good reminder to us never to pray for revenge but simply to trust God to act justly.

Are you going through a difficult time? Are you facing challenges in your life? Have you talked to God about it? That’s the first thing you do when you present your requests to God. Tell God your situation. God already knows your situation, but you will feel so much better just talking to him about it.

   B. Ask God to help you respond in a godly manner (29b)

Next, ask God to help you respond in a godly manner. That’s what the believers do here. They ask God to help them speak his word with great boldness. Notice they do not even ask for
deliverance from their enemies! They just want boldness to keep preaching. Sometimes how we respond is more important than the situation itself.

There’s a reason God has allowed this situation in your life. Perhaps there is a lesson you need to learn. Perhaps you need to grow in some area of your life. Perhaps you need to grow in faith. But many times, God will not change your situation until he first changes you. And the longer we resist that change, the longer we may need to endure a difficult situation.

So, yes, tell God about your situation. But then ask him to help you respond in a godly manner.

   C. Ask God to do what only he can do (30a)

Thirdly, ask God to do what only he can do. There’s no sense asking God to do the things that you can do, because you can already do them. You certainly can and should ask God to help you with those things, but prayer that makes a difference focuses on the things that only God can do.

Here the believers ask God to stretch out his hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders. Back in the gospel days before the day of Pentecost, you may recall the disciples asked for miracles of judgment on those who disbelieved, such as fire from heaven. But now they ask for miracles of healing and mercy. Remember at this stage of the church’s development, God was using these signs to confirm the apostles as his divinely chosen messengers and to authenticate their testimony to the gospel.

That’s the third thing you can do when presenting your requests to God. Ask God to do what only he can do.

   D. Ask that Jesus be honored and glorified (30b)

Fourthly, ask that Jesus be honored and glorified in your situation. This is part of what it means to ask in Jesus’ name. When you ask in Jesus’ name, you are first of all acknowledging that you can only approach God in prayer because of Jesus. Jesus is your mediator. But when you ask in Jesus’ name, you are also expressing your desire that Jesus be honored and glorified in the situation—that God’s will be done, not yours, that all that happens would be pleasing to Jesus and bring him the glory.

That’s how the believers end their prayer here in Acts. They ask that God would do all these things through the holy name of Jesus, so that Jesus would receive all the honor and glory. They were more concerned that Jesus be glorified than that they not be arrested again. Prayer that makes a difference cares more about God’s honor than your own personal comfort.

   E. Watch God make the difference! (31)

And then, finally, after you have done all these things, watch God make the difference! For the believers that day, the result was dramatic. Look at verse 31:

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

There was a threefold response to their prayer. First, the room was shaken. Talk about God letting you know he has heard your prayer! The shaking of the room demonstrated God’s sovereignty over creation. In the Old Testament such shaking indicated a theophany, as either an appearance or the manifestation of God’s presence.

Secondly, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. This was not a second Pentecost, but rather a fresh filling of the Spirit for power and service. Remember, Peter also was filled with the Spirit when speaking before the Sanhedrin.

And then thirdly, they spoke the word of God boldly. This was the answer to their prayer when they asked God to enable them to speak the word with great boldness. The tense of the verb here makes it clear they were continuously speaking. The persecution they experienced didn’t stop them at all. John Chrysostom makes the point that the place where they were meeting was shaken, but that simply made them the more unshaken in their testimony for Jesus (Chrysostom, Homily XI, p. 73).

CONCLUSION: It’s interesting, we find an Old Testament parallel to all this in the book of Isaiah where we find one of the great prayers in the Bible. King Hezekiah received a letter from his enemies who had them surrounded and were demanding their surrender. We read in Isaiah 37:

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.

“It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” (Isaiah 37:14-20)

Notice what Hezekiah does here. The first thing he does after receiving the letter is pray. This shows a pattern of prayer in Hezekiah’s life, where he prayed in all circumstances. Prayer was the first resort, not the last resort.

Next, he acknowledges God’s sovereignty over all things. He acknowledges God’ sovereignty over creation: “You have made heaven and earth.” He acknowledges God’ sovereignty over history and circumstances: “You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.”

And then thirdly, he presents his request to the Lord. He tells God about his situation. He prays for a godly response. He asks God to do what only he can do. He prays that God would be glorified through this situation. And God answered in a miraculous way.

Do you want to pray prayers that make a difference? Then you need to pray God’s way. You need to pray God’s way to see God work. When you pray in all circumstances, when you acknowledge God’s greatness, majesty and sovereignty over all things, and when you present your requests to God in a God-honoring and Christ-centered way, God will answer according to his wisdom, power and love. That is prayer that makes a difference.

© Ray Fowler

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