Facing Opposition

Acts 4:29  Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
Acts 4:30  Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
Acts 4:31  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.

The apostles, through the power of Jesus Christ, had just healed a crippled man in the temple.  And as people gathered to see this wonder that the Lord had done the apostles preached the good news of Jesus Christ to them.  Because of this the priests and temple guards put them in jail, and had them stand before the Sanhedrin.  Eventually they were set free.

You would think that an experience like this would have weakened their drive and excitement to preach and share the gospel.  But, no – the opposite happened.  “Lord, consider their threats…”.  Some of us would continue this prayer and say “protect us Lord”, or “take away the threats”.  What did the apostles pray?

”Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  Despite all the threats to their mission they did not back out, or back up.  Instead they prayed that God enable them to speak God’s word with great boldness!  Of course they knew the power was not from them.  Which is why they prayed for enablement from the Lord.  They also prayed that God would stretch out His hand to bring signs and wonders, to make His power known. 

It was not about them, it was about the Lord.  This was why they did not back out when opposition came.  When hindrances and opposition come the reason we back out is because we want to protect ourselves.  But a Christian’s life, our mission, is not about our selves – it’s about the Lord.  That is why when opposition comes we ask the Lord to enable us, to stretch out His hand to move in His power.

What opposition are we facing today?  Is it persecution from family, friends or officemates?  Is it the fear of being ridiculed?  Is the opposition we face ourselves?  Maybe some of us are just simply afraid to share, afraid to stand up as Christians.

Follow the footsteps of the apostles – when faced with opposition pray that God enables you with the boldness to share.  Ask Him to stretch out His hand.  For it’s not about us, who we are, or how strong we are – it’s about the Lord.  Let us trust in Him to enable us to accomplish the mission that He has called us to do.