Todd Coget a minister in Indiana tells a story of growing up on a pig farm. They raised about a thousand pigs a year; there would be two or three hundred little oinkers running around in one field. Long before the sun would rise each morning Todd would walk into the field to feed the pigs and they would scatter in all directions. One morning a brave little pig came up and began to chew on his foot, so he picked the pig up to pet him. All to soon the little oinker wanted down. He told the pig, “No, I’’ll let you down when I’’m ready.” At that moment, the pig let out a squeal such as he had never heard.
In about two seconds, thirty mama pigs weighing five to six hundred pounds each were headed that way. Todd put the pig down and ran for the fence. He barely made it over in time; all the mama pigs were snorting and walking back and forth, daring him to come back over and bother one of their babies. That little pig knew he wasn’t alone; with one squeal a little oinker had more help than he needed.
We are not alone this morning. With one squeal, or should I say prayer, we can discover that all of God’s resources are at our disposal. God lovingly answers our prayers. Turn with me again to Acts 4:23-31 as we again look at “Prayerfully Encountering the Living God.”
+ Acts 4:23-31 23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "’Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’ 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (NIV)
The church of Jesus Christ, you and I, can experience the manifold presence of God. Do you remember what “manifold presence of God” means? Manifold is having many and various forms or features; it is multifaceted. Put simply the “manifold presence of God” means that God’s presence can be experienced in many different and unique ways.
We saw last week through the example of the early church that there are two prerequisites to powerfully encountering the living God:
1. Believers must have a Divine Expectancy, or God Responds to our Faith.
That little pig had an expectancy that when it called mamma would come running with help. Likewise, we saw last week that the New Testament believers took Jesus at His word; they had no doubt but that Jesus would do what He said He would. We too must have a divine expectancy–faith that will earnestly seek God. We will encounter God when we hold on to the assurance that He hears our prayer.
2. A habit of prayer brings God’s response, or a consistent pattern of joining together with other believers will bring the manifold presence of God.
Remember we saw that the early church was not just having a crisis prayer meeting. This was not an “O God we’re in trouble” kind of prayer. Throughout the book of Acts, the church gathered together regularly for prayer; it was their habit. The little pig knew mamma would come in response to its squeal because it had nuzzled up close to its mother everyday. When we choose to consistently meet with one another and acknowledge Jesus with us, then we too will discover the powerful manifold presence of God in our midst.
So what else can we learn from the early church to bring us into God’s presence? Let’s look now at their prayer in Acts 4. Keep in mind that this is not a verbatim record of their prayer, but rather a summary of how they prayed with one another (this was not just a five minute prayer meeting). I believe that in each of the areas we will discuss the church spent considerable time praying together in that way.
3. Prayer of Acknowledgment or The Identification of Absolute Truth.
Look again at Acts 4:24-28; here is a church that knew who their God was. As they prayed the faith of the church was not diminished. Rather their faith–their divine expectancy grew because they saw how big their God was.
No where in the book of Acts do you find the church suffering from an inferiority complex. Think about it if ever there was a church that should have felt inferior it was the early church. Compared to the religious establishment the church was nothing. The church didn’t have control in the temple; none of the disciples had been given a position of leadership at any of the synagogues. The church was made up of just ordinary unschooled men, but they had been with Jesus.
The focus of the New Testament church’s prayers was not upon their problem or weakness. Rather than telling God about their problems, they told their problems about their God.
The early church identified truth. We find two statements of truth within this prayer:
1. GOD IS SOVEREIGN; HE IS IN CONTROL! Although we may not be able to control things happening all around us, we can raise our voices to a living God who will work on our behalf!
Declare God is God! When you pray let the Holy Spirit enlarge you view of who God really is. He alone is God, and nothing is to difficult for Him!
>> September 11, 2001 is a day that most of us will always remember as being “out of control.” One man who had no control over his world that day was Stanley Praimnath. Little did Stanley know when He prayed a routine prayer for his family that morning just how much he would need the blood of Jesus to cover and protect him. Stanley worked on the 81st floor of Tower #2 as a vice president for Fuji Bank Limited. He was at his desk on the phone when he saw the second plane coming straight for him. What can you do in the face of certain death? He jumped under his desk as the plane crashed into the building. The plane was burning just twenty feet away from him, but God miraculously helped Stanley and another man make it down all 81 flights of stairs before the building collapsed. Stanley knew that he was powerless to do anything, but God was in control and spared his life. He said, “it was the handiwork of the Lord that turned that plane. My Lord Jesus is bigger than the Trade Center and His finger can push a plane aside!”
The psalmist David knew what it was like for his life to be out of control. David’s enemies were trying to murder him. Was David overcome with fear? Was he paralyzed by his attackers? David had learned that in the same way he had once cared for his sheep keeping the lion or bear from attacking and destroying the flock, so too God would watch over his children. David rested in the confidence that God was in control.
+ Psalm 140:4-8 4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet. 5Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path. Selah 6O LORD, I say to you, "You are my God." Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy. 7O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle--8do not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD; do not let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. Selah (NIV)
Selah is an instruction to stop and think about that which has been said. Three times in Palm 140 David reminds himself to think back on how God has been faithful to provide for him in the past. This was not the first time life threw David a curve; life had been unfair before, but David knew that each time God had been faithful to keep in even in the midst of adversity. We need to stop and remember that God has been faithful to us in the past, and He will see us through again no matter what we may face.
We like to be in control–to try to live our lives just the way we want them to be. It doesn’t take us long however to learn that life is bigger than we are. Try as we might to control the things that happen around us, we soon discover it isn’t possible. That’s when we need to learn to trust in God. Declare the truth: GOD IS GOD, and He will control the outcome of our lives.
+ Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (NIV) We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. (The Message)
We cannot control the outcome of our lives; our plans fail us. God makes our dreams possible. God is sovereign and He will bring good into our lives even when everything is out of control!
+ Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)
+ Romans 8:28 Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. (NIV)
The early church identified a second important truth within their prayer; did you see it? Not only did they acknowledge that God is in control, they also knew:
2. GOD IS THE CREATOR; HE MADE EVERYTHING!
Imagine, when we have an encounter with God, we are in the presence of the creator of the universe–the heavens, the earth, and everything in them (and that includes you and me)!
Man struggles with this truth. To admit there is a God is one thing, but acknowledge that God is also the creator is something else all together. What does it mean to acknowledge God as the creator?
1. As the creator EVERYTHING belongs to God; it’s not mine or yours. It all belongs to the creator.
2. Not only does everything belong to God, but EVERYONE is His also! Our lives are not our own; your life and mine belongs to God. He is the author of life and without Him we would just be lifeless dirt.
3. Being the creator not only makes God the owner; the creator is also THE JUDGE. Because everything and everyone belongs to God, we will be held accountable to God for what we do with all the He has entrusted to us. I am just a steward–a manager of God’s things. I am responsible to God for how I live my life. He will cast the verdict on how you and I live our lives.
Now let’s carry this truth a step further. Too often we act as though the church is something man created. The church is not a project engineered by preachers; it wasn’t Moses’, David’s, Isaiah’s Peter’s, Paul’s or Mary’s idea either. The design and birth of the church is of supernatural origins; God created the church.
Therefore, if a church is having difficulties, we don’t need to look for a new program or an idea from Madison Ave. We need to grab hold of God’s plan for the church He designed! We need to pray admitting that God through Christ has established, purchased, and maintains the church today; His creative power is more than enough to solve any problem.
We can encounter the manifold presence of God when we pray a prayer of acknowledgment–to identify the absolute truth found in God’s word. When we speak the truth about God in our prayers, our faith is built up preparing us for the second part of a prayer that will encounter God.
If we are going to experience the reality of God’s presence in our lives, then we must [1] have a divine expectancy, [2] have a habit of prayer, [3] acknowledge the truth about God, and:
4. Present our Requests to God, or in Faith Ask of God.
+ Acts 4:29-30 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (NIV)
Out of a prayer that acknowledge the truth about who God is the believers gathered together for this prayer meeting began to make great prayers of request. Only after they had recognized who God was in their life did they turn to God and ask Him for help.
It is no accident that these believers prayed this way. Jesus taught His disciples to pray like that!
+ Matthew 6:9-10 This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (NIV)
Only after Jesus had taught His disciple to acknowledge God did He then teach them to begin to ask of God. The Lord’s prayer continues with four powerful requests: “Give us. . . forgive us. . . lead us. . . and deliver us.”
This may surprise you, but Jesus taught His disciples to ask God for things the could not do for themselves. We think we can do so many things for ourselves, but it is only as we learn that in our weakness are we then made strong. Jesus wants us to daily depend upon God for everything!
We would benefit from learning to pray in the same way Jesus taught His disciples–to come to God full of faith asking Him boldly for our daily needs. (That’s another sermon series!) Jesus disciples had learned from the Master how to pray. Full of faith they made two request of God: [1] a request for boldness to speak His word, and [2] a request for God to confirm His word through signs and wonders.
1. Request for Boldness to Speak.
Apparently God had supplied their need for “daily bread.” The disciples didn’t come to God with a shopping list of small requests. The concern for the day was they would be a "verbal witness" of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The threats from the religious leaders were intended to silence the church; they had ordered Peter and John not to say anything about Jesus again! And so their requests was made in response to their need; “help us Lord to be bold witnesses.”
+ Acts 4:29 Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message. (The Message)
Do you want to make a request to God that He will delight in answering for you? Ask Him to help you tell His story–to give you boldness to open your mouth and tell others about Him. Make that your prayer for the day; God will answer!2. The church made a Request for Signs and Wonders.
This is no small request. Do you understand what they are asking for? This is a church that is asking God to BE GOD! Lord come and do things that only you can do. Lord you set the agenda and then do what you want to do!
Are you willing to make that your prayer. Are you willing to let God know that you are getting out of the way. No longer are we coming into a situation with our own expectations; instead we are going to let God fulfil His expectations in the way He wants to do so!
When we pray that kind of prayer, WE WILL ENCOUNTER GOD; HIS MANIFOLD PRESENCE WILL BE REVEALED IN OUR MIDST! That’s what happened for the church in the book of Acts; they had. . .
An Encounter with the Living God
+ Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (NIV)
After the church had acknowledge truth and made their request, they encountered God. Notice again what it says: “After they prayed” then God showed up! I don’t think anyone left that day saying, “church is so boring!” God came and met with His people, and it’s impossible to be bored in God’s presence.
When was the last time you experienced God’s presence in such a powerful way that it “took your breath away?” All too often we come and go to church according to our schedule: we start at 10:30 sharp and end at 12 noon dull! We spend time with our families on Sunday night and don’t have the time or energy to go to church again. Remember now, I’m your pastor and I love you; we are in this boat togther. But let’s honestly ask ourselves, “Are we just going through the motions, or do we really want to encounter God’s presence?”
Conclusion:
Verse 31 tells us how God encountered His people that day: [1] they were shaken, [2] they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and [3] they spoke the word of God boldly. If God is willing we are going to look a little deeper at how God encountered the church in the book of Acts next week.
Just like the New Testament Church, we can experience the manifold presence of the living God. If that is what you what then:
1. Have a divine expectancy. Have faith to earnestly seek God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
2. Make a habit of prayer. Join together on a consistent basis with other believers and recognize that Jesus is with you.
3. When you pray, acknowledge God for who He is. Identify the absolute truth from God’s word that does not change.
4. Present your requests to God. With a heart full of faith ask God to provide for your daily needs.
When you come to God like this get ready. He will show up in a powerful way. We pray to the same God who met with the early church in the book of Acts. The same God who met with them will come and meet with us today. Are you ready for an encounter with the living God?
Lord we need your presence here today. Come now and meet with us in the same way you met with the church in Acts. God we lay aside our agenda and schedule; we just want you. The early church was shaken; Lord shake us too. The early church was filled with your Spirit; Lord fill us too. The early church was empowered to boldly speak your word; Lord empower us too. Yes Lord, do for us what you have done for them–for your glory and through the name of your Son Jesus.
