Acts Lesson 4/Day 2

Acts Lesson 4/Day 2

Acts 4:23-31

Think of a time in your life when you were truly mistreated, misrepresented, or maligned – maybe at work? in front of other family members? a group of “friends?” How did you respond? Consider the apostles as a godly example. In the face of actual and public mistreatment, how did the apostles respond? They prayed...that the trial would stop? That they’d be vindicated? No. Their prayers focused on the truth of God and of His word. They focused on the unrighteous way God was represented and His son was treated. They prayed that they could continue to speak and to speak boldly while God continued to heal and accomplish miracles. It’s only natural to respond in hurt and anger when we are mistreated. It’s only natural to become indignant – “Hey! I don’t deserve that!” – when we’re maligned. It’s only natural to look for how we can be vindicated and even how the offending person can be dealt with. It takes supernatural intervention for us to respond like the apostles did. There was nothing natural about their response – well, not regular natural – it was supernatural. Eastern meditation, Zen behavior, even just ethical responses can help anyone look past being treated poorly, but that’s not what the disciples did. They didn’t just look past the hardship, they looked up – and not up and far-off somewhere to the universe – they looked up to the Creator, the Sovereign Lord. As we continue through this lesson, let’s tighten up our thoughts about exactly what it looks like to be a true follower of Christ. Let’s look beyond the good behavior, the sacrificial behavior, and look to the root of it all – the truth and character of God and the reality of the resurrection. Without that, being bold is something anyone can do – with it, our boldness means something for eternity.

"Acts: Seeds of the Gospel" is a Dwelling Richly Bible study - 13-Lessons verse-by-verse through the book of Acts. Each lesson has 10-days to give you time to read, write, memorize, meditate, create, and share the Word. It's a unique, creative, fun and very engaging study unlike anything you've done before! Let's dig in and let the word of God dwell in us richly!

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