Prayer for Boldness

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. - Acts 4:23‭-‬37 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

We often think of blessing as getting good grades, finding a close parking spot, or having our sports team go on a winning streak. But the early church saw blessing as the expansion of the kingdom. And they only experienced this through prayer.

Prayer is Connected to the church

The apostles were threatened for speaking of Jesus. Peter and John were told not to speak of Jesus. After they were released, they went to their friends. This circle of friends were there to encourage and help them on their mission. So immediately after hearing of the circumstances, they started to pray. This is the church. No hesitation. Is that how we react to trouble and discouragement?

Persecution unifies the members of a church. Trials and trouble should bring forth a response of prayer. Sometimes, we just need to open up and let people know about our struggles.

Prayer is Shaped by the scriptures

Their prayers were informed by Scripture. They saw God as sovereign and powerful. This was more than just meditation and a quiet length of time. God is the maker of heaven and Earth.

Prayer is Driven by missions

The apostles were focused on the mission. There is no request for protection. They ask for boldness. The focus is on God and the kingdom rather than themselves. They endured jail, beatings, and all sorts of trouble for the kingdom of God. How do we pray through trials and difficulties? Do we ask for strength or the removal of the troubles?

Outward facing Gospel

How can we be better tools of the Gospel?

Eight ministry principles

These apply to your life and to ministry.
They are basic biblical concepts. Each Sunday, I preach the same message from a different part of the Bible. Our church is not there yet. I'm not there yet.

Love your neighbor

Loving your neighbor along with loving God is fulfilling the will of God for your life. It may seem overly simplistic, feel free to take it up with God. But we don't do this, hence the need for salvation. Love is the sacrifice of commitment or the commitment to sacrifice. Love is the call of the church.

Know your neighbor

To love presumes that we must first know the other person. We must know the other person deeply. We should know each other's sins and struggles. This applies firstly to those in the church then those of the world. Love your family and the family of God... And love those who are unlike us. Without favoritism. Who do you love without favoritism? Who do we love without categorizing them? Do we love them because they are images of God?

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19‭-‬20 ESV

We need to listen to those we are trying to love. God may desire us to be ears rather than God's mouth. Job's friends listened for seven days and nights because of his great suffering.

God works through the community of God as He works in the community of God

How are we relevant in the work of God? We are sinners. Both inside and outside of the church. But our sins are forgiven, so we can be broken in our sin as we work among sinners. God works through this.

God super-intends our plans

God is sovereign. He is in control. We can plan, but God determines the outcome. Our trust should not be in our plans, but rather on God.

We are His instruments, but we are in His hands. The Holy Spirit moves as it wishes. So we should lightly hold onto our own plans and outcomes.

There are different responses to the Gospel

We should expect different outcomes to sharing the Gospel. Mockery. They mock the cross and the preaching of the Word. Sometimes, they is interest and curiosity. And then there are those who believe. God promises salvation of some.

What is our expectation and reaction to other people's reactions? Do we pin our hopes on their immediate reaction? Do we take their rejection of Jesus as a personal rejection?

There's more power in we than me

Each member of the body is dependent upon each member of the body. There is interdependent relationships within the church.

There's power of God is in the gospel

The power is not in persuasive ability. The same power that created the world is in the Gospel. The same power that raised Jesus from death to life. For those who are in Christ Jesus, they stand in the grace of God. There are no exceptions.

Remember the power of prayer

We need to know that prayer is work. Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray without ceasing. We are to be walking in constant communion with Christ. Prayer is our response to the Gospel. The basis of prayer is our security in God through Christ.

Gospel Opposition

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. - Acts 4:1‭-‬37 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The offensiveness of the Gospel

In the pluralistic world of the Romans, the message of the Gospel is offensive. The exclusivity of salvation by Christ alone against the backdrop of the many gods and religions can bring forth opposition. Today, tolerance is accepting all positions and all opinions. Rather than agreeing to disagree, there is no longer an option for this in some circles here in America.

Commit to Gospel proclamation

Whenever and wherever, we must see the opportunities to share the gospel. Rather than fearing prosecution and judgement, we must look proactively for openings to witness about Jesus. Not to say that many will accept and repent, actually many will reject and rebuff it. But God will save and convict, we need not fear; the Spirit will move. We need boldness in witness. We will get hit when we share and witness. That is a given.

Faithfulness to the ministry of deed

The teachers of the law wanted to discredit the apostles. But they could not. The people were with the apostles because of the healing of this lame man. So we, the church, must be faithful to serving the poor, helping the hurting, and loving their enemies. It does not suppress the opposition, but it lends credibility to the Gospel. It wins us a hearing. More than only a verbal essay, we must live a life than expresses the grace, love, and mercy we have received in Christ.

The crippled man was lame from birth for thirty years. He is begging at the temple. The apostles are going to the temple at 3pm. They don't give this beggar money. Instead, they get his attention and he is commanded to walk. So he gets up and walks.

The people at the temple are amazed. They know this beggar. They know of his lameness. And suddenly, he is walking.

Looking Inward

The Saving Word

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, "'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."' Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. - Acts 2:14‭-‬41 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Use of the WORD

For us to be good witnesses, we must use the word. There is hesitation on our part to bring up the Bible. Many Christians are excited about deed ministries. But we must use the word to minister well. We must have a balance of ministry between word and deed.

Christ-centered word

Peter was explaining the Pentecost and how Jesus has come... And the end of days approached. He explained how passages of the Bible spoke of Jesus as the Savior. He covered the old testament through the three major sections: the law, the prophets, and the palms. In each, Peter shows how they pointed to Jesus. He is the central figure of the entire Bible and at that time, the entirety of the Jewish scriptures.

The power of the WORD

We look at how three thousand were baptized and have some modern skeptical thoughts. We think that perhaps the people were less sophisticated.

But we forget, it was not easier back then. The Jews were greatly offended by the idea of a crucified Messiah. Greeks were polytheistic and very secular. It was not easier. So then, why? Because there is power in the WORD and in the gospel. The message itself as hard as it is to intellectually accept, is powerful.

The Holy Spirit, Wholly Given

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." - Acts 2:1‭-‬13 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Era of the Spirit

Pentecost happened fifty days after the Passover. It was around the time of harvest, which aptly described God's harvest of souls for salvation. The Hebrew and Greek terms for the Holy Spirit were associated with wind and breath. But the Holy Spirit is not an inanimate thing; He is a person.

What is the Holy Spirit?

He is one of the three persons of the one God. He is not lesser or inferior to Jesus and God, the Father. He was hovering over the water at creation. He empowered people in the Old Testament. But this is a new period, the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all believers, young, old, male and female.

How then can one be filled with the Spirit, if they have the Spirit now and forever? How does that work? The clarification comes from the prior caution to avoid drunkenness. We are called to be influenced by the Spirit rather than strong drink.

So then, how do we know the Spirit is influencing us? The ministry of the Holy Spirit is one of spotlighting Jesus and glorifying God, the Father. He does not draw attention to himself, but rather points us to the Father and the Son. We can have periods of life where we are a source of grief for the Spirit. We go astray from the goodness of following God's desire for our lives.

Effect of the Spirit, Corporately

The Galileans were considered backwater, uncultured, and uneducated people. Hence, the surprise of the people around them. How could there be such learning of so many languages? It is the opposite of the tower of Babel. God is bringing back together that which divides us. He is reconciling all people. God brings all tribes and nations to salvation.

We, as believers, are called to live in community, not just in the community. We are to value the multitude of cultural expressions of faith and worship of God.

Effect of the Spirit, Individually

The Holy Spirit comes down as fire. It is to make our hearts burn with passion for God. He is here to empower us to witness to Christ and the Good News of salvation.

The Need for Gospel: Tenacity

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord . Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord . Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.'" On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: 'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No." Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean." Then Haggai answered and said, "So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord , and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord , how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord . Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord 's temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you." The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord , and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts." - Haggai 2:1‭-‬23 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Haggai prophesized to the generation that returned from exile. He spoke to them to turn from building their own houses and dedicate themselves to the Lord.

The first several messages of Haggai were of rebuke. The people responded by turning to God. They started working on a temple for God. But after weeks, the work was progressing slowly. The people were discouraged. So then God gives them a message of reassurance. Be strong; be courageous; take heart.

To do anything of spiritual significance, we need perseverance and tenacity. We cannot serve based purely on our personal expectations, desires, and feelings. We will desert our commitments and abandon godly convictions.

A promise

God empowers us by his presence. He is the God that parts seas. The one who brought Israel out of Egypt. We may not be enough, but God is enough. He has all the resources and ability to complete the work.

A principle

Do not repudiate small beginnings. The temple was as nothing to the Israelites. But God works through unimpressive and inconsequential looking tasks. The temple they were building did not measure up to the prior temple built by Solomon. But God works through this little temple... to foreshadow the greater temple, Jesus, who opens the way to God and greater glory and peace than any temple the people would build.

A perspective

The leader of this building project was Zerubbabel. And he was discouraged with this work. How can one who leads in spiritual work persevere? They must know that God is behind this work. God will see this through to completion, so we can work hard. Zerubbabel was reassured that God has chosen him. He needed not fear the political realities, the enemies around then, and the unknown circumstances that lie ahead. He was important to God and he promises to make him like a signet ring. A valuable symbol of power that was always heals close at hand. We as sons and daughters of God through Christ can claim this same promise.