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The Advance of The Gospel: Acts 4:1-31 — 10/14/2024 10:00 AM
Today's speaker is Dr. Kevin Jones, Dean and Assistant Professor of Education at Cedarville University. Speaking from Acts 4:1-31, Dr. Jones encourages us to be a bold witness for Jesus Christ in the face of opposition.
Notes
Dr. Kevin Jones, Dean of the School of Education and Social Work at Cedarville University, led today's chapel through Acts 4:1–31. The main point of today’s message was to be a bold witness in the face of opposition. Dr. Jones explored what we are supposed to do as believers when persecution comes our way.
The first thing we should do is expect persecution. We need to prepare ourselves before opposition even comes our way. We are to expect that people are going to mistreat us for believing in Jesus before it even happens. If you prepare yourself mentally, you won’t be thrown off course when others mistreat you.
Now that we’ve established that persecution is coming, what do we do when it arrives? We are to be like Peter and John. Peter and John preached Christ and made it clear that they were healing due to the power of Christ in them. They didn’t shy away from the fact that the source of their power was Jesus. We are to do the same thing in the face of opposition. We are to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and do it with confidence.
We are not only supposed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we are to do it boldly. Peter and John were undereducated, common people, and their teaching astonished everyone around. This goes to show that we don’t need to be the smartest, most educated person in the room to spread the Gospel. The Lord can use anyone to make His name known. It didn’t matter that they were undereducated; they still made a huge difference. Don’t ever feel like you are not good enough to spread the Gospel. God can use anyone to fulfill His will, no matter who you are.
Lastly, we are to praise the Lord through it all. Press into your community of friends and rejoice for what the Lord has done or will do. Even in the midst of persecution, praise the Lord. You know how the story ends. God will one day return and make all things right. There will be a day when pain, sorrow, and suffering will be gone. Hope in the salvation of the Lord and be glad no matter the circumstance.
Main Takeaways:
- Expect persecution.
- Preach Christ in persecution.
- Be bold in the face of persecution.
- Rejoice with friends when God saves you in persecution.