from physical danger or harm, they asked for continued boldness to preach. God’s answer to their prayer, was a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit. But let me suggest that it was the spirit of resignation and willingness to be used, or to die if necessary that made it possi ble for the Lord to fill them anew with the Holy Spirit. A 14-year-old girl from northern California wrote recently and requested that we pray for the other members of her family. She mentioned that she was the only one in the entire family who was a Christian. Then with that uncanny ability of teenagers to ask dif- "Our Lord Jesus Christ" Jesus, these eyes have never seen That radiant form of Thine; The veil of sense hangs dark between Thy blessed face and mine. I see Thee not, I hear Thee not, Yet art Thou oft with me; And earth hath ne'er so dear a spot As when I meet with Thee. Yet though I have not seen, and still Must rest in faith alone; I love Thee, dearest Lord, and will, Unseen, but not unknown. When death these mortal eyes shall seal, And still this throbbing heart, The rending veil shall Thee reveal, All glorious as Thou art. — Ray Palmer ficult questions, she asked, “How do you win others to Jesus Christ, or how may I have courage to witness to my family about Him?” A Christian for only four months, this young girl was deeply burdened for the lost and was seeking help -in winning her loved ones for Christ. Well, I don’t suppose there is a sim ple answer to that question unless it is that which we find in this portion of Acts, “And when they had prayed . . . they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spake the word of God with boldness.” Real prayer produces Spirit-filled 18
and added to the infant Church. Cer tainly this would teach us that the ef fective full-orbed prayer life of an individ ual or a church results in spiritual power, through the Holy Spirit. We. lament our powerlessness today and wonder a t ' the ineffectiveness of the Church’s witness in so many places; but the instruments of power that set the New Testament Church apart are just as real and just as effective today as they were in Peter’s day. If we, as individuals, are weak it is because we fail to pray, we must claim His promises. We see the Church at prayer again in Acts 4:23-31. Peter and John had been used of the Lord to heal a man lame from birth, following which they were apprehended by the authorities and placed in prison. Following, their release the Scripture says, i “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: . . . And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with bold ness.” Note, if you will, that when they had prayed, again something happened. Now, if we are not careful we will be overly cdncemed with the physical manifestations involved here and miss the cardinal point stated in verse 31 where we read that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spake the Word of God with boldness. In this case prayer resulted' in increased boldness and zeal for service. There is an interesting progression here. A threat to the very life of these people existed. Forbidden to preach un der pain of death they went to prayer, however, they did not ask to be sayed
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