Waypoints 3/4

Pray:
“Son of the Living God, with all of our being, we praise You. We do not forget that You are the One who forgives, heals, redeems, and satisfies. Meet with us as we draw into Your presence. Amen.”

Read Acts 5:17-20.
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
The opposition of the religious leaders against the church is growing rapidly. They are concerned about the momentum of the Jesus movement. After finding them in the Temple preaching Jesus again, they have the apostles arrested.
In the night, an angel of the Lord throws open the doors of the jail and releases the apostles to go preach Jesus in the Temple. This is an extraordinary event. God intervenes to see to it that the movement is able to expand rather than be thwarted.
This passage is a reminder that the Lord is our help in fulfilling our call to be His witnesses. We are not on our own. He is at work through us and beyond us. Luke is very clear that Jesus is alive and at the right hand of the Father. He is sitting, right here and now, in the place of ultimate authority and power. He has invited His disciples to call upon Him to act on behalf of the Kingdom and to be bold in what they ask.
If we want to be a church, or even an individual Christ follower who wants to reach others for Christ, we must call on the Lord to work in such ways. We must up the ante in our praying and expecting Jesus to act. We must remember that Jesus wants to do more than we can ask or imagine. He wants to see hearts and lives transformed more than we do. With that in mind, let us be bold. Let us ask with confidence, trusting that Jesus is at work. Let us partner with Him that we may see our Kingdom prayers come to fruition.

Praying Together:
“Lord, You invited us to call upon Your name to do great things for the Kingdom. We know that You are alive and that You moving in the world. We invite You to do wonderful and amazing things in the hearts and lives of the people who are on our heart. May You touch them with Your grace and open their eyes to who You are. Amen.”