“And  now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with ALL BOLDNESS they may SPEAK THY WORD.” ACTS 4:29

That was Peter, praying as the disciples were being persecuted and threatened, he did not say, “Oh, sorry Lord, I can’t say that” and tuck tail and run. No he PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS. Not popularity, not bigger crowds, but BOLDNESS TO PREACH GOD’S WORD.

We’ve a wee problem going on right now. Seems courage has been lost, maybe it was never found. Our generation came up with a different church mindset, it is more about making the Gospel appeal to everyone. But Jesus said that if he is lifted up HE WILL draw all people unto Him. So we really don’t need to try to force the Gospel to be “appealing” and try to conform to the world in hope of converting the world.

Actually the world has  done a great job of converting the church. On the rise is a group of people who weld the Gospel sword in a church setting, as long as it sounds good, looks good and keeps the congregation in a realm of happy. But when they have a message that they KNOW is to be shared, they refuse to do so because of the fear of repercussion and the fear of maybe placing their own lives in peril for preaching those words.

I am sorry, bad news, can not stand before God and tell him that we were afraid and to be a coward will bring a cowards death, it will not extend your life and you should have read the fine print before taking the job, “whosoever seeks to save his life, shall lose it.” That we were afraid to speak HIS TRUTH as HE COMMANDED US.

That is the generational difference, generations of old sought the Gospel because they desired the Gospel. And many paid a hefty price, through persecution for that Gospel, but it was not watered down and it held the word of Life and the power of it was intense and so indwelling that one could risk life and limb for it.

More bad news, we are heading into the time of the persecution, the flood sent after the woman’s child, the church. And no one is going to stand through that if they can not stand in their own church and proclaim the truth. So now may be a good time for many to decide what they believe, what they will stand for and if it has not been for the necessity of the Gospel, now may be a good time to get out.

Does anyone really believe that the candy coats like “Ole Joelsteen” who will stand for nothing except standing for nothing, cheapening the Gospel to the level of condoning sin and outright lying against God by saying he will accept it into heaven, the money preachers, like “Markdown Mike” and “Ron Parsnip” and “Stu Munskey”are really going to stand against the forces of that persecution?

 What about the “prophets” who promise peace over people and nations, who are so far away from God, that they openly worship anything but him, and yet these prophets scream peace, peace, when there IS no peace, think they’ll risk their heads for those prophecies?

If you answer Yes to any of those questions, you really need to study a little more history and a lot more Bible. Lets check a prophet and then checkout what becomes of false prophets.

We’ll start with a “priest” badmouthing a real prophet because they so do not want to hear judgment and we’ll hear them telling him to stop it and just go away and do it somewhere else, and  then we’ll hear his answer.

AMOS 7:10-17 ” Then Amaziah,  the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying,  Amos hath CONSPIRED against thee in the house of Israel: the LAND is not able to bear (ENDURE) all his WORDS.

For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. {Not what they wanted to hear}.

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O, thou seer, GO, FLEE thee AWAY into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, AND PROPHESY THERE. but PROPHESY NOT AGAIN any more at Bethel, for it is the king’s chapel, and the king’s court. {He kinda forgot that it actually belonged to the Lord}

 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was NO prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit.

And the LORD TOOK ME as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, GO,  PROPHESY UNTO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.  Now, therefore hear the word of the Lord: Thou sayest (you say), prophesy NOT against Israel, and drop NOT thy word against the house of Isaac. THEREFORE thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and THOU SHALT DIE in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth out of his land.“

Trying to run him off really didn’t help them too much, what he was doing was NOT out of his own will, it was God’s will over his life and God’s will IS supreme

Now, we’ll go to a question God posed, as to why they did not want to know judgments, if someone is told what they are doing is wrong, they then have a chance to correct their behavior and repent. He also addresses the false prophets and the cause of the destruction’s.

MICAH 3:1-11:” And I said,  Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of Israel, Is it not for you to know judgment (justice)?  Who HATE THE GOOD, and LOVE THE EVIL, who pluck off their skin from off them (my people), and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and flesh within the cauldron.

Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings (been evil).

Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets THAT MAKE MY PEOPLE TO ERR, that bite with their teeth, and CRY,PEACE (all is well) and he that putteth not into their mouths ( gives them nothing), THEY MAKE WAR AGAINST HIM.

Therefore, NIGHT shall be unto you, that ye have not a vision; and it SHALL BE DARK unto you, that ye shall not divine; and THE SUN SHALL GO DOWN OVER THE PROPHETS, and THE DAY SHALL BE DARK OVER (for) THEM.

Then SHALL the SEERS BE ASHAMED, and the DIVINERS, CONFOUNDED (embarrassed) : yea, THEY SHALL ALL COVER THEIR LIPS (mouths); for THERE IS NO ANSWER OF (from) GOD.

But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment (justice), and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.  Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment (justice), and pervert equity.  They build up in Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

The heads thereof  judge for reward, and the PRIESTS thereof TEACH FOR HIRE (pay), and the PROPHETS DIVINE FOR MONEY: YET WILL THEY LEAN UPON THE LORD, AND SAY, (saying) IS NOT  THE LORD AMONG US? NONE (no) EVIL CAN COME UPON US.”

We know this also references our modern-day churches and it is truly eerie, THEY do all these things and still proclaim that God is with them and no evil shall come, but we see God’s thought on the subject and the justice He shall have.

The day is coming that there will be a separation and as He said judgment must begin at His house and we will see many, many who will cave to the pressure of the persecution but those who will stand, will need to be as Peter and the disciples when they PRAYED for that boldness, no one wants to be hated, no one wants to be threatened, but if you suffer persecution for the Gospel, you ARE BLESSED.

I do understand, God knows my multi based “fan club” ( I mean that with the utmost sarcasm)  but we have to be strong and be, as JESUS told us, “of a good courage”, knowing that your courage is NOT your own but it is HIS courage, that He will give you, so you can truly “do ALL things through Christ” who strengthens you.

He was persecuted and hated, the prophets were hated, the disciples were hated, those murdered through-out history for the Gospel, and those who are martyred even today were also hated, but they were bold and of good courage, they were brave for the WORD even when they didn’t feel very brave.

Why on earth would we be an exception to that rule? I am sure someone is going to be like, “Well, that is your risk, I AM NOT doing it”, well, don’t.

That is between you and God, but don’t be expecting Him to protect if you will not stand for Him.

Doesn’t quite work that way. And don’t think just because I am at a computer it changes my life, my job has barely begun and I am no exception to those rules, all my work is dated and in a specific order for a reason and this post is no exception.

We are down to the wire on it and you are going to have to have a plan for a worst case scenario and you can not hold back messages and warnings that God is putting in your heart that are for the ears of all believers that He has given you an audience with.

So what do we do? You can’t hide, you can’t run, and if you are smart you will not denounce your calling, we will need to put away all the jealousy, resentment, and our religious snobbery and truly be in one mind and one accord, of one heart, and one thought to see His kingdom come……… Now back to the Book of ACTS, revisiting our starting verse.

ACTS 4:29-33: ” And now, Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto THY SERVANTS, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.

BY STRETCHING FORTH THINE HAND TO HEAL; THAT THE SIGNS AND WONDERS MAY BE DONE BY (through) THE NAME OF THY HOLY CHILD JESUS.

And WHEN they had PRAYED, the PLACE WAS SHAKEN where they were assembled together; and THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and they SPAKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS.

And the multitude of them that BELIEVED WERE OF ONE HEART AND OF ONE SOUL: neither said ANY of them that ought (any) of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common.

And WITH GREAT POWER GAVE THE APOSTLES WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS: and GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.”

ROMANS 10: 14,15(a): “ HOW then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and HOW shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and HOW shall they hear without a preacher? And HOW shall they preach, except they be sent?

Preaching is for others to believe, to glorify God, to encourage of heaven and New Jerusalem, to exhort and to warn of sin and hell. Preaching is to lead others to the love and peace that is Christ and if you are unwilling to do that you only hinder the kingdom and those hindrances will soon cease.

Think about it! Peace and Love till next time!

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω / Rev. Nina BrownJohnson / 2016