Daily devotion – the power behind the apostles and the early Church
Every Wednesday evening, we gather for prayer and the teaching of the Word here at Calvary Chapel Secret Harbour. It’s a service I hold dearly as we can travel verse by verse through the word of God in the first half hour and then as a Church body pray and seek God for the next half hour.
It’s this service that reminds me of the family getting together to exhort and encourage each other for the rest of the week and to seek God’s grace for the day’s past.
With the world changing so rapidly before our eyes as Christ’s return nears and the judgment of God upon this world also – the Tribulation period – every Wednesday we are able to be right on the spot with what our prayer needs are with what’s just happened.
In addition, our corporate praying is at another level also in the work of the kingdom of God. We are able to pray for our own needs and issues at home in our daily gathering with the Lord, but God has a plan for His Church on another level, as we pray for our Church, our community, our nation and the Gospel worldwide.
When the apostles were arrested in Acts 5:18, Satan was using the religious leaders to try and stifle the sharing by the apostles of the living Word of God. The dynamic Church was enjoying the new; the dead council of religious leaders were defending the old.
An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and the apostles were freed and exhorted by the angel to go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life – the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The temple guards gathered again the apostles and set them before the council where they were strictly commanded not to teach in Jesus name!
But Peter and the other apostles replied to this charge with these words – Acts 5: 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Even though the apostles were threatened with death they refused to be muzzled from preaching Christ crucified!
We do not read it directly in the text but you can be sure behind the apostles the Church was meeting in corporate prayer just like we do each Wednesday.
For later in Acts 5 it records the following, Acts 5: 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
For the Church to be strong in these Last Days, our Wednesday night prayer nights must be filled with the prayers of the people of God that the Holy Spirit can channel His power through in order for us to overcome whatever the enemy throws at us.
God is calling you to be part of this work of God.