Acts: Examination of the Gospel

Again have your balubles Acts four starting a verse thirteen in twenty eighteen. In

November of eighteen, Reeves Wideman wrote an article called The Watcher. The article

was about a couple. The couple was named Derek and Maria brought us.

They moved into a house in Westfield, New Jersey, on June fourteenth.

A few days they moved in. They've been in there a few days.

He had just painted a part of the house. A few days before they

moved they had some contractors come in and do some renovations to their to their

new house in New Jersey. And so right after that he was got done

painting, and he went to the mailbox, and he opened up his mailbox,

and there in the mailbox was a letter. And the letter said,

dearest neighbor at sixty seven I mean six five seven Boulevard. And this is

what the letter says. Allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood. Fifty

seven I mean six fifty seven Boulevard has been the subject of my family's for

decades now, and as it approaches it's one hundred and tenth birthday, I've

now been put charge of watching and waiting for the second coming. My grandfather

watched the house in the nineteen twenties, my father watching the house in the

sixties, And now it's my time. Do you know the history of the

house? Do you know what lies within the walls of six five seven Boulevard?

Why are you here? I will find out? And as the letter

starts and it continues, it the story of the watcher. The article was

someone who would write a letter to the homeowners of sixty five seven Boulevard.

And it begins sending letters asking about their children. It talked in the letters,

It talked about the renovations they were making and what mistakes they were making,

criticizing their home, criticizing what they were doing to the home. But

the idea was they were watching, said his grandfather watched in the twenties,

his father watched in the sixties. Now it was his time to watch.

You remember there was a old song. It was came out in nineteen eighty

four calls Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell right, you ever heard that song?

It's the idea somebody's always watching me? Can I tell you? As we

tell the story of the Watcher, we tell the story of the old song.

There is people do watch you. Do you know that you know where

your children watch you when they're a little they watch every step you as a

mom make or dad make. I remember my girls putting on their mom's shoes

and walking through the house at like, you know, three, and they

wanted to they were watching their mom and they wanted to walk like she walked

and do different things. I remember, I think I told you the story.

I would never forget finding the girls. One time we were in a

meeting at church, my first church. I was at it, and we

found the girls playing and they were in a room and one of them was

being the choir diret or me. They were directing, just like Brandy.

People watch you, right, They're watching how you live, They watch what

you say. They walk how you walk for the Lord. And today,

as we come to this passage scripture, we're gonna see that there were who

are watching these early disciples, Peter and John. As we've been looking at

NAXT chapter four, Peter and John spoke, they were spoken to the Jewish

leaders. They spoke to the Jews and the sin a god there and they

were watching. And today I want you to see as these as these leadership

was watching these early disciples. I want you to see what they were looking

for, how what they were examining them for. And I want you to

think today as if somebody is watching my walk with the Lord, if someone's

watching my life, what are they looking for? And then I want you

to see what they did with what they found in this passage, how they

how they responded to the Gospel this morning. So I want you to see

these things this morning. I want you to think about today last week Pastor

Devon talking about the boldness of Peter and John to proclaim the Gospel. This

week, I want you to think about if you have been faithful and I

hope that you will be faithful and and sharing the gospel, and maybe you've

shared with your family and loved ones. But it doesn't just stop with us

proclaiming right. How we lived for the gospel is important. Right. Peter

and John were faithful to be bold to share the Gospel, but it was

not just what they said, but also what they did and how they lived.

And today I want you see how the examination of the Gospel title my

sermon, how they examined the gospel, those who shared the gospel, and

want you to see what they found, and what others are looking at you,

and how they will respond. So let's stand unless read God's were together

at chapter four, will start in verse thirteen. Were through twenty two this

morning, and it says this, and now when they saw seem the imagery

there the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that there were uneducated coming

men, they were astonished, and they had recognized they had been with Jesus.

But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, it had nothing

to say in opposition. But we had commanded them to leave the counsel.

They conferred with one another, saying, what shall we do with these men?

I'm sorry I lost my place? What shall we do for these men?

For that a notable as 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 not that it spread no further among the people, let us

warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called

them and charge them not to speak or teach at all in the name of

Jesus. But Peter and John answer them whether it's right in the sight of

God to listen to you rather than God. You must judge, for we

cannot but speak what we have seen and heard. And when they further threatened

them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of

the people. For all we're praising God or what had happened for the man

on whom the Sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Let's pray together. Father, I thank you Lord for this passage of scripture.

God. I pray today we would consider our faithfulness to share the Gospel.

God, I pray we'd be consider today how there are people who are

watching how we live, watching what we share. And Lord, I pray

we would consider that people are examining our faith in. Lord. I pray

they would find what they found in Peter and John, they would be found

in us today. And Lord, may we continue to be faithful even though

there will be those who will reject the Gospel. Lord, I pray you

lead us through your this passage of scripture. Lord. You know, Lord,

I'm just a broken messenger that desperately needs you, said, Lord,

I pray you would cleanse me. Lord, feel me that you might use

me Today. Lord, I pray for a movement of your spirit in this

place. So Lord, may you have your willing way here. Lord,

I pray for those who are watching on TV or online today, Lord,

that you would speak to their hearts right where they are today. Lord,

we love you, We thank you Lord for this morning. In your name,

we pray. Amen. What you see as we first begin this pasture,

Scripture want you to see that the Jewish leadership examined those who proclaimed the

gospel. This is the idea of they were examining. They were watching them.

A scripture sees this, and you see this and this verse and verse

thirteen. Now when they saw the word, there has come to the idea

of observed they they were examining, they were looking. Look at what scripture

tells us. It tells us kind of very quickly, a few things that

they observed, or they watch, or they saw in them. First in

verse thirteen, and what now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and

John? First, what did they see when they examine these gospel messengers,

these disciples, these early apostles, What did they see? Well, scripture

tells us that they saw, But what did they see? They saw the

boldness of Peter and John? If you think about it, and I'm sure

last week Devin mentioned this Caiaphas. As you look back, as far as

you go back from last week, you see who was there, the religious

leaders that came up. And Scripture tells us in verse five on next day

to rulers and elder scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, and Nias and and i

As the high priests, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander. If you look

through these, these are the Jewish leadership who was there. This is those

who were watching Peter and John. If you remember who Caiaphas was. Caiaphas

we see in Matthew twenty six fifty seven through sixty eight. Caiaphas is the

one who interrogated Jesus. He's the one who delivered Jesus over to Pilot.

That's now who Peter and John is standing before. So here Peter and John

are standing before Caiaphas again, the same man who interrogated and killed Jesus.

And what did Peter and John say to them? They didn't mince words,

that didn't tap dance around the gospel. No, they boldly proclaimed the gospel.

We see in this in this pastor scripture last week that they Peter and

John witness to the very people who killed Jesus. And in what did they

say to them? They said one that they they're questioning you remember last week?

What authority do you have to speak? What authority did you have to

do this? Uh? And they speak that their authority doesn't come from them.

Basically say to Caiaphas, Kaypas, I know you're the high priest.

I know you had the power to deliver Jesus over to pilot, but you

have no authority over us. You have no authority what we speak, You

have no authority over the power. Our authority comes from Jesus. Now,

I'm sure that didn't sit well with Caiaphas. But they're bold to proclaim that.

They're bold to proclaim them as we saw last week, that it's you

who crustal five Jesus. It's you who have done this, Caiaphas, you

killed the Messiah. He Peter and John were bold. We're bold to declared

their authority came from Christ. They're bold to declared that they had killed Jesus.

They confronted their sin. You ever confronted someone on their sin, It

never goes well, right, no one likes to be told that they're wrong,

and no one likes to be told that they're a sinner. Peter and

John told Caiaphas that he was a sinner in front of all the other Jews

that were gathered in that room. He confronted their sin. And then,

lastly, as we looked last week, in verse twelve, they boldly proclaimed

that salvation was in no one else except Jesus. Salvation boldly in front of

them they killed Jesus. You're the one who did that. You don't have

an authority any longer over us. And lastly, you're Jews. Udaism Judaism

is void. Salvation is no longer under Judaism. Salvation is in nothing less

than Jesus. That's what they boldly proclaimed to these disciples. I mean,

I mean to these Jews, to these Jewish leaders. And scripture says,

listen to this. I want you to hear this. Scripture says that these

Jewish leaders, these are there saw their boldness. We're not just declaring they

were bold. The people who were heard the message declared these people are bold,

they have a boldness in them. I love that Devin shared earlier about

going door to door last week and again eighty holmes, I want and five

five opportunity for someone to open the door. Ten governs conversations, and he

didn't go through all the details. I asked him last he tell me about

the different ones that you talked about, and he told it about there was

one man whose wife was very active in church and he had kind of got

out of church and had an opportunity to say to him, why not,

why not give Jesus another chance, my boldness to say that I love doctor

Cheryl, who's our who head of school. Yesterday had a chance to go

to the hospital. We had a a family of one of our BC families

who were an accident and he said he'd called me yesterday and said, Jonathan

wants you to know that I had chances to tell this man who had this

car accident to call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

Right where he is in this circumstances he was in the hospital, not

to say well, maybe not, this is not the right time. No,

to say no, this is the right time. It's time to call

on people to be saved, even when it's uncomfortable, you know. I

think Devin mentioned it earlier. You know, sometimes why our greatest hindrance and

sharing the gospel is fear apprehension. We're afraid from the the rejection that we're

going to face. We're fearful of the persecution that we may come upon us.

Peter and John are standing very people who kill Jesus, and they could

have very easily said, you know what, this okay, we'll go share

with the you know, the people who are willing to listen, and we'll

go share with some people who are open to the gospel. But going to

the sin of God, going to the very people who kill Jesus, Yeah,

that didn't work out for Jesus. It definitely won't work out for us.

So we'll just take a hard pass on that one and we'll go find

some others who are a little bit more acceptable or are a setting of the

gospel. No, Peter and John, they're one of the greatest opportunities that

had for the gospel or sharing the gospel with the very people who killed Jesus

and listen. They didn't back down, they weren't shy, they weren't hesitant.

They boldly proclaimed the God gospel, and that boldness was seen. I

want you to see this today for you everyone here, people are watching you,

people are examining your faith. I promise you most of you here today.

If you proclaim to be a Christian, your family knows that, your

co worker knows that, your classmate knows that, or let me say,

I hope they know that your neighbor knows that. And when they examine you,

do they see a boldness in you for the gospel? Do they see

a boldness in you for the Gospel that sometimes you're willing to speak boldly in

the name of Jesus and not fear the repercussions of that. Can I tell

you believers, church families today, we need people who to share the gospel,

but we need Christians who are seen as bold, bold and a willingness

to share Jesus with others even when it's not comfortable. I honestly, I'm

gonna be very frank with you, I think we've lost our boldness as a

church. I think we've lost our boldness as a church. At church members

as believers were too concerned about offending someone and the culture that we're a climate

that we win culturally, and therefore we've cowered back instead of saying you know

what, against all odds, against what culture we live in. I want

to be bold for Jesus, and I'll trust that he will protect me and

he will gut me. I want you to see what happens here kaya fess

and these leaders see that they're bold, But look at what else that see

says they see they see in this Passenger's scripture. I always see that they're

bold. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and they perceived

that they were uneducated in common men, I want to say, saw they

were bold, but it's all they were ordinary. I love this Peter and

John. By the way, Peter has preached at Pentecost, and through that

sermon the church's exploded from one hundred and twenty two probably five thousand. I

mean this, this, this thing has blown up, and Peter is at

the center of it. I mean he's the one who's kind of leading the

church. But here, these these early leaders, or these Jewish leaders,

see Peter and John and they don't see them for their greatness of their church

or their ministry. We really see a thing in our world today where we

see like a branding or someone like that, people are building a name for

themselves an image for themselves and kind of bringing up their brand as if you

will. Peter and John were not about their brand. It wasn't about their

name and image recognition, right, and they weren't known for what they've done.

Scripture says Jewish Lee. Just just see them as ordinary men. Scripture

says uneducated. This uneducated doesn't mean that they can't read. It doesn't mean

that. It just simply means that they didn't have certain skills. And in

particular, this means that they were uneducated in religious instruction. It means that

they didn't have the religious training I would say that these religious leaders had,

and that's what that word means. Uneducated. Here then second term that they

use in this passage that uneducated common men. This idea of comming men,

it really means a one who's untrained in formal education. It just means a

man was It's basically what our term would mean a lay person. They're there,

they don't have the education background, they're in their minds, they're they're

just a lay person, and so therefore they see them this is just an

ordinary person. I think this is great because sometimes we living this idea that

if I'm going to be really used by God. I really need to be

well known. I really need to have some education. I really need to

have some background. I really need to be seen as as someone who is

religious or maybe even have vocation. And many times the churches think, well,

pastor yeah, evangelism is really good. People sharing the gospel is really

good. But that's really for the professionals. That's really for the pastors.

That's really for the missionaries. That's really people who've been theologically trained and been

the seminary has got some degrees in Christian education, I mean Christianity or religious

background. That's really for the professionals. No, no, no, no

no. Actually, when there's religious leaders saw Peter and John, they recognized

they were bold, but they recognized they were just ordinary people. They were

just ordinary Christians. They didn't have their religious background as that they did.

They were just lay people, they were just christ followers. Look, can

I say to you today that as people are watching you, whereas people are

examining the gospel that you're sharing, I pray that they see that you're bold,

But I pray that they see and I want you to hear this that

you're just like them, that you don't have some religious background. There's a

religious education, some you know, great status that gives you the authority to

speak into their life. No, you're just like one of them. I

remember thinking, I remember as a teenager, I went to a church first

of a I've seen the trail as a teenager, and I remember meeting Perry

could Pepper. That meant name means nothing to you, but it meant a

lot to me. Parry Could Pepper was I think it was an insurance agent.

I have no idea what he did occupationally, but he was my Sunday

school teacher. And you don't want me to tell you why Perry could Pepper

made such an impact on my life. It's called Perry Could Pepper, which

just an ordinary man. But he's an ordinary man who loved Jesus. And

for me, I had seen I'd like associated people who really love the Lord

with professionals, pastors, people who were trained with the background for para called

Pepper. He didn't have the educational experience, he wasn't paid to be,

he wasn't in a paid position minister really, but he loved Jesus and he

was authentic. You see, for me, growing up in a home that

or my parents really weren't living for the Lord at the time. I've never

seen just an ordinary person just loved the Lord and live for the Lord and

be bold for the Lord. And for me, I needed that example of

a man who was an ordinary man who loved Jesus, who was bold for

Jesus. Can I tell you, never underestimate the power of the ordinary,

the power of a I don't have the education as others. I am you.

You you fell into blank or what you do occupationally. Never underestimate the

power of how God can use you right where you are. And listen,

let me tell you. And God can use you to speak to some people

that that I will never reach, but God will put use you to to

speak to them because they'll see you as someone who's just liked them. I

want you to see, they saw, they were ordinary, they saw and

I love this. It is probably I'm going to try not to get on

my soapbox on this one, but this was to me just I just pots

off the page. They were, they saw, they were bold, right,

they saw they were ordinary. But lastly, you got to see this

and this passage of scripture. Here Peter and John are standing and beside them

as this lame man who'd been standing at the gate for like twenty years or

so and every day asking for alms, and now he's standing beside them.

He's healed, and so we're going to see that in just a minute.

They noticed that this is a notable sign, so we're gonna talk about So

they're trying to figure it out, like they're trying to figure out how did

this happen? How did this? How were Peter and John able to do

this? And so they're saying, you know, yeah, they were bold.

They're examining them. They're bold, they're they're they're ordinary. They're just

common education, educated, uneducated men. They're just ordinary. So how did

they in their minds, how did they have the power to do this?

They're not pastors, are not priests and are high priests or whatever it is,

So how did they have power to heal this laymen? And then they

say, lastly, oh, we got it. We know how they had

the power to do this. They had been with Jesus. Listen to the

pastor of Scriptures, says get verse thirteen. Now, when they saw the

boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were uneducated coming in, and they

were astonished. Why are they astonished? They are astonished that these ordinary,

bold men are able to heal this lamen, and they recognize that they had

been with Jesus. I wonder for these Jewish leaders. They look upon Peter

and John, they see this man who's healed. It was evident to them

as they examined them they were bold. It was evident to them they were

ordinary. Nothing special about these men as far as education background or positionally in

leadership. They were just lay folks. But it was evident to them,

lastly, that they had been with Jesus. I wonder today, as people

examine, as your co workers are watching your life day in and day out,

as your classmates students are watching your life, as your family members are

watching your life, and they're examining your life, is your neighbors are examining

you. I pray they see the boldness in you. I pray that they

see that you're like one of them. You're just ordinary common have a religious

background or ministry professional. But lastly, hear me, I pray that they

see that you've been with Jesus, that you have a relationship with Jesus.

Heard the story of a young lady. She was a Chinese national. Her

name was Christina, and she talked about for many years she was sharing the

Gospel with her family members, and she had in particular brother. Throughout sharing

the gospel, he just continued to reject her, kind of give her a

hard time about sharing the gospel. She even one at one point had tore

up her Bible had really persecuted her for her faith. One day, again,

throughout many years, even though she was faithful to share, she really

had really suffered with a lot of health issues, a lot of illnesses.

One day, her brother called a family meeting, brought everybody together. No

one really knew what he was after, what he was doing this for,

and he spoke up after everyone came in. He says, I've been to

see Christina many times and wonder how she can endure all this suffering. Now

I can see that she has been given some sustaining power, and I can

only explain it as coming from God. So I've decided that it must be

a God. After all, I've read the Bible and I realized I'm a

sinner. So here now I want to tell you that I have accepted Christ

as my savior. I've asked him to forgive me my sins, and I

promise to follow him. Christina says, the brother that tore it my Bible

and persecuted me in the early days, at last has confessed my Lord.

In all, fifty five of my relatives since have become God's children, expressed

their faith in Jesus. And listen to what Christina says. I've never been

to college or theological seminary, and I'm not a Bible teacher. I've only

been God's hunting dog. And what does she mean by that? She's just

an ordinary, bold believer that's been with Jesus and that witness of her life

through through words, through actions, through faithfulness led her brother to the Lord.

Can I tell you today, listen to me. There are some of

you today. You're just like Christine. You're facing some sicknesses. You're facing

some illnesses. Can I tell you that in the midst of your illness you

may say God, why? But can I tell you in the midst of

your faithfulness and your witness, and you're continue to walk with Jesus in that

God may use your example of being with Jesus to speak to a family member,

to a neighbor, to a co worker, to a classmate, will

you demonstrate that you've been with Jesus through your suffering? Some of you you're

going through some things at work, and you're going through some trials at work,

and it's some difficulty, and you're a lot of stress on you.

And Nick, you have a chance to respond negatively or positively like and through

that. In the midst of that, would you just say, Lord,

I'll be faithful. I'll be faithful in knowing that God, you may use

my faithfulness to share the gospel. I want you to see as we look

at the passage scripture, and only did they see their boldness, and only

did they see in this passage of scripture they were ordinary. They saw that

they've been with Jesus. I want you to see quickly that they examined the

gospel, the power the gospel, and verses fourteen through sixteen, it's but

seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say

in opposition. Scripture says they were recognized the signs of the Lord. I

love this passage scripture. In verse fourteen, it says that they had nothing

to say in opposition. Why Why did they had nothing to say, because

there was a healed man before their eyes. Scripture says that that same word

of opposition, that it could say nothing in opposition, was the same words

that Jesus says Luke twenty one fifteen. For I would give you a mouth

and wisdom, and none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

They weren't able to stand or oppose them, because Scripture says in verse

sixteen, let's do what says, for what shall we do with these men?

For a notable sign has been performed. It was obvious, notable as

the idea. It was an obvious sign. It was obvious that what happened

was from God. God was moving in Peter and John would it may be

that as people examine you, that they will then examine the Gospel, and

through the power of God in you, through your illness, through your suffering,

through your sorrow, through your stress, through your anxiety, through the

problems in your life, that it will be seen that there is a power

within them that I cannot explain. God is working in them. They recognize

the signs from the Lord. They recognized in scripture in verse sixteen that the

belief of others. Verse sixteen says, and what shall we do with these

men? For notable signs performed, And though it's evident to all the inhabitants

of Jerusalem, all the people around had seen what God had done, and

they had recognized that this was from the Lord, which you seen only that.

Thirdly, they recognized the praise of the gospel. Verse twenty one says

that they couldn't do anything to these men because look when they had further threatened

them, because they'd let them go, finding no way to punish them,

because the people for all were praising God for what had happened. You see,

they examine these men, They found that they were bold, They found

that they were ordinary. They found that they were with Jesus. Then they

examined the gospel, and they found out that the gospel was true, it

was a sign from the Lord. They recognized how people believed in Jesus around

them. They examine how the gospel brought the praise of people. But I

want to sees finally, I want to see how when Peter and John shared

the gospel with boldly, and these religious leaders examined the people, or examined

the messengers Peter and John, they examine the gospel. Once you see,

finally, what did they how they they respond, We'll just see as quickly

as we finish. Verse seventeen says they sought to stop the spread of the

Gospel. You know, I want you to hear this today. Hear me

because this is very important, no doubt. Luke wants you and I to

see as we read this passage scripture. He wants you to see the faithfulness

of Peter and John to share the Gospel even amidst great odds. He wants

you and I to see how there will be people as you share the God

will examine you, examine your life. They'll look for you your boldness,

They'll look at how you're ordinary, a common lay person. They'll examine whether

you've been with Jesus. And then they'll take the message of your life and

the message of your lips, and they'll see it's really from God. They

can't deny that. It won't be opposition that can bring against the Gospel.

They'll see how people have come to know the Lord, and they'll see the

praise of the Gospel. But finally, in the end, in the midst

of you being faithful, and bold and authentic. There will be those who

will still reject. I think Peter, and I think Luke wants you and

I to see that faithfulness listen to This is not found in making Kirk converts.

Faithfulness is found in sharing the gospel and leaving the results up to the

Lord. Hey, listen to me. This as we see today they reject

the gospel, it doesn't stop the gospel from advancing. Listen to me today,

you may faithful share the Gospel with boldly. You may faithful live your

out the Gospel in your life. And there will be still those who will

oppose the gospel. But listen, it will not stop the Gospel and the

spread of the Gospel here and throughout the world. So our faithfulness needs to

be found not in whether it produces converts. Our faithfulness to be found in

whether we will share the Gospel boldly, even though we know that will be

those who will reject us, impose us. This is what happens. They

sought to stop the spread of the gospel in verse seventeen. Scripture says in

verse seventeen they in order to spread no further among the people. Let us

warn them they start to stop it scripture says they sought to silence it.

In verse seventeen, it says let us warned them to speak no more to

anyone in this name. I heard the story and I shared it with you

before. About Joe Kennedy. Joe Kennedy was a high school junior varsity head

coach in Washington and from twenty eighteen to two thousand and eight to twenty fifteen.

After practices and posts after games, he would go to the center of

the field and he would pray, and eventually players would come and join him.

One opposing team saw this and the coach, the principal, I mean

the coach went to the school district to try to stop Kennedy from praying.

The school district came to Kennedy and says, no longer, you can't pray

after this, you can't do this any longer. After some time or prayer,

he decided he would continue to pray. After the second game of him

praying on the field, they fired him and released him to stop him,

to silence him. Can I tell you that's happening in our world today?

There are those who are trying to stop in silence the gospel. Know that

that's there. But may we continue to be bold in knowing that no matter

what opposition comes against us, it will not stop the advancement of the Gospel.

Once you see, lastly, they sought to threaten those who shared the

gospel. Scripture Verse twenty one says, and when they further threatened them,

they let them go. We know in scripture when the Sanhedre and Jewish leaders

they kind of gave them like a warning. He ever got pulled over and

he gave you a warning ticket, But he says, this is your warning.

The next one you're actually going to get a ticket. That's kind of

the operation of the Jewish leadership. They get first a warning, and the

next time they would bring charges. This is their first warning, Caiaphas is

giving to Peter and John. They threatened them. Heard a story, and

I'm going to close with this of a Pakistan a man his name was Habi.

Habid had heard the Gospel. He was Muslim. He heard the Gospel

and got saved. He really just got on fire for the Lord and began

reading the Bible and really wanted to grow in wisdom and share the Gospel.

Well, one day Habid was in his home and his family was being had

come over and they were doing a renovation project on his house, and his

family came over to help him with that renovation, and then the process head

started sharing the Gospel with his his families, his brothers and sisters, and

some immediate family, his wife and children, by the way, who are

already Christians. The actual grab Habbide true story and threw him out the window

several four floors down and tried to kill him. Luckily because in construction,

he had a sandpile that was right outside his house, and he landed on

that sand pile. He broke some ribs, he broke an arm, but

he from that point on he fled. He fled with his wife and kids.

Here's a man just like this story who was bold, he was ordinary,

but he'd been with Jesus and his family, his own family members hearing

this, seeing what God was doing in his life, try to stop it,

try to silence it, and threatened him, actually tried to kill him.

The good news is many months later, some missionaries came back to check

on Habitien's family and there were some people there ready to be baptized and to

come and find out it was to Bede's family the very ones his father and

his brothers who tried to throw him out, who threw him out the window

that day, came to know Jesus as their Lord and savior. Why because

in the midst of persecution he was faithful. Would you be faithful today to

say, Lord, no matter what I face, Lord, give me boldness.

Lord, no matter what I face, Lord, help me just be

real, be authentic, And Lord, help me, Lord, demonstrate that

I have been with Jesus, that I have a relationship with You, that

I'm real, every head about, every eye close. Lord, we thank

you Lord for this morning. We thank you Lord for your word. Lord.

I pray today that we would as believers recognize the portance of sharing the

Gospel with our lips. But God, may we share it also through our

life and how we live. That we'd be bold, we'd be authentic and

real, and Lord, that we would be people who'd be seen, has

been, who have a relationship with You. So Lord lead us in that.

Lord, I pray you give us boldness in the midst of persecution,

and knowing that although there will be those who will threaten, who try to

stop it, to try to silence us. Lord, your gospel will persevere.

So Lord, may we be faithful, May we be found faithful.

In your name, we pray, Amen, Pain