30 Days - Day 11

Day 11

Acts 4:31

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

In the previous verses the disciples pray because they have, for an act of kindness, been severely threatened with many threats for preaching the name of Jesus. Having realized the opposition they faced, they pray. They pray a beautiful prayer of worship and reliance to God being encouraged, as they remember His sovereignty and suffering, to ask God for boldness and opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. And then when they have prayed, the answer comes dramatically. The place was shaken. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke the word with boldness.

What a powerful prayer... or perhaps, more correctly, a powerful answer. The place was shaken. The Holy Spirit filled the people and the word of God was boldly proclaimed. What power God poured out on His people...on His Church! How we might dream of being in a place shaken by the hand of God in answer to our request. However, shaking is not usually pleasant or comforting. So why did God shake the place?

There are times in scripture that we see various things shaken. When God came down on Mt Sinai to give the law to Israel the whole mountain shook. When David was delivered by God from His enemies and Saul he wrote a psalm speaking of the earth shaking because of God’s anger. Isaiah 64 asks God to rend the heavens and come down...that the mountains might shake at His presence so that His name will be known to His enemies. Haggai spoke of the Lord shaking heaven, earth, sea, dry land and the nations to bring them to Christ. And, Hebrews talks of things shaken as removal of things that are made so that what can not be shaken may remain. These “shakings” speak of power, deliverance, judgment, revelation and purification. Are these not the very things that this early church needed and desired as the faced opposition. It is as if God is reminding them of the words of Christ, “...do not fear those that can kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. He reminds them that judgment is coming. He is purifying the Church...shaking out the chaff if you will. He reveals Himself once more to be the Mighty God!

The shaking, though, is not enough. He also fills them with the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to just know something. Scripture tells us that the demons also know God and they tremble but it doesn’t move them to worship and service. The disciples must be filled with the Spirit. God confirms that this is not just a work of men which runs on human steam, but a work of God, empowered by Him. Only then are they able to speak the word of God with boldness and able to carry on as a body of believers united in the power of the resurrected Christ.

Prayer Request Day 11

1) Darja's friend Ales - asking questions about God and Christianity
2) Darja - has a difficult test in 2 week that she needs to pass
3) Deepening of relationships we have with people here and opportunities to witness and disciple
4) University and Schools back in session starting Sept/Oct - for God to bring together a group of students for a mid-week Bible Study.
5) Opportunities for Olya this coming semester at DOBA (private language school) to build new relationships through teaching English