Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be highlighting a four-part series in which Pastor David Platt instructs our prayers for the persecuted from the book of Acts.
In what was the worst persecution believers had ever experienced up to that point, Peter and John were thrown into prison for proclaiming Christ. Immediately upon their release, amidst increasing disapproval from outside authorities, the believers prayed the words now found in Acts 4:24-31. Teaching from this passage, Pastor David first answers the question, “Why pray for the persecuted?”
World Watch List map of countries in which Christians are most persecuted.
‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ”Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed”— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:24-31).
_________________________________________________________________
Why Pray?
Why do we need to pray for the persecuted church around the world? I believe there are two answers to that in this passage of Scripture. First, we pray because we are one family.
If you look at verse 23 it says, "Peter and John went back to their own people" (Acts 4:23). Some translations might say to their "friends." Basically this was a picture of the New Testament church coming together—two guys who have been through a pretty difficult few days then retreated to this time of being around each other, and it says they prayed together. They prayed in unison, it literally says in the original language of the New Testament. They are gathered together as friends, praying as one family on behalf of each other. That's the picture we have here in Acts 4, and I believe it's the picture we need in the 21st century church today.
Can I remind you that calling persecuted Christians, "brothers," is more than just a title or a reference to them. That is who they are. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” Underline it in your Bible, particularly when it comes to the persecuted church. It's talking about the body of Christ there. Paul says, when one part of the body suffers, who else suffers? We all suffer. When one part of the body hurts, we all hurt.
The body is hurting around the world. And we sit back like nothing is going on, and that's not the New Testament picture of community that Scripture is giving us here. I remind you that we are one family. And when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt.
Not only are we one family, but we have one purpose. I love the picture here of these guys gathering together. This is more than just a prayer meeting on Wednesday night or a designated time during the week where we come together, talk for about 50 minutes about what we should pray for then pray for about five minutes and have “prayer meeting.” That's not what they are doing here. These are the people who are on the front lines in a battle to proclaim the gospel in the first century, and they gather together in a group, almost like a huddle, almost like they are coming back from the battle lines, getting together, and saying, “Okay, we need to pray for strength to go back out there. We need to pray for power and boldness to proclaim the gospel.”
The prayers of these people are more than just some domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts and help down here. That’s not what prayer is about. I like what one writer calls it: a wartime walkie-talkie. Communication with the God of the universe and a battle to lead men, women, boys, and girls in all nations to a relationship in Christ. That's what prayer is intended to be.
I want to remind you, whether in Birmingham or Sudan, the purpose is the same. We want Christ to be exalted. We want His name to be honored among the people around us. Whether it's easy or difficult to proclaim His name, the purpose is the same, so we come together with the persecuted church as one family, with one purpose.
_________________________________________________________________
The text from this blog post was taken from a sermon preached by Pastor David titled “Prayer and Persecution.” You can listen to the message in its entirety here.
