[0:00] Thank you for tuning into this message by David M. Tree. Every true revival is a product of the strong preaching of God's Word. May you receive a word from this message that will spark a revival in you.
[0:13] Acts chapter 4, I would like to read from verse 18. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus.
[0:26] But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether I be right in the sight of God to harken unto you more than unto God, judging, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
[0:42] So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them because of the people.
[0:53] For all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was about 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing was done.
[1:05] And being let go, they went to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is.
[1:31] Who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.
[1:50] For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, where the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together.
[2:04] For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatens and grant unto thy servant that with all boldness they may speak thy word.
[2:23] By stretching forth thy hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together.
[2:39] And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And they speak the word of God with boldness. Here ends the reading of God's word. Shall we please pray? Father, thank you for giving us another opportunity to dig into your word.
[2:52] So you can be revealed to us. We pray give us a heart to receive you. And receive your word. And receive what you have got for us this morning. Our hearts desire to hear from you.
[3:06] Our hearts are thirsty for what you have got to say. And what you have got to do. Give us an experience in you that man cannot give. But only you can give.
[3:16] For you said in your word that all who the Father has given to me will come to me. Father, we have come to you. Jesus, we have come to you. Spirit, we have come to you. Open up the dimensions of God that men cannot give us or men cannot show us.
[3:31] But you alone, Magister, Veritatis, can give us. We pray that as your word is taught, bring encouragement. Bring hope to the discouraged. Bring conviction.
[3:42] Bring salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ. Bring healings. Let healings and miracles accompany the teaching of your word. Wherever the sound of my voice gets to, I pray.
[3:54] Even people who cannot hear, as they can even see my image speaking. I pray that let miracle, the miracle happen. Let miracles happen. Let deliverance happen.
[4:05] Let your power be in demonstration. Thank you, Lord. That unto you shall the gathering of the people be. In Jesus' name, we give you praise. And everybody shall say.
[4:17] Amen. El shall say. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. Amen. Amen. So we saw how the Bible says that Peter and John were not learned.
[4:31] They were not schooled. But the way they behaved made the people realize that these are not ordinary people. They have been with Jesus. God, they killed Jesus. And they knew Jesus.
[4:42] And like we heard last week, when Peter spoke, they have not been to the rabbinic school. But those who have been to the school could tell that these guys are speaking things deeper that you can only know after being educated the way they were educated.
[4:57] And they knew they hadn't been, so they took notice of them, and they knew these guys have been with Jesus. And Bible talks about how they, what really caught my attention was the fact that verse 14, verse 14 says that, and beholding the man which was healed, standing with them.
[5:23] You know what was the man healed from? The man, lameness in the feet. He couldn't stand. He couldn't walk. But now they could see the man standing.
[5:34] But he was not just standing on his own. He was standing with them. He was standing with them. So three people were standing, and it was making their intentions very problematic. The man was standing with the guys.
[5:46] This man didn't have power to stand. But because of what God had done through Peter and John, they were standing. How are we going to do it? So they themselves admitted that. Seeing that, the verse 15 and 16, it says that, but when the council got to, verse 16 talks about how, what shall we do to this man?
[6:07] And Pastor Paul said last week, can you imagine? Instead of believing what the guys are saying, they were planning to do something against them. So we see from the text that they, I didn't get to say that when I was told, the last session when I spoke, Peter said that, verse 9, if we are to be examined for the good deed done, it was a very interesting thing he was telling them.
[6:34] How can you be convicted for doing good? How can you be, who punishes anyone for doing good? So he said, what have we done wrong? But he didn't rebel.
[6:45] He just said, let me just give you Christ. So we move on to Christ. When he has finished preaching, the people were so stubborn, as we heard last week, they were so stubborn, they were still thinking, what can we do to these guys?
[6:59] After such powerful preaching, they were not interested in anything the guys were saying. Their plan was, you say whatever you can say, we want to pull you down.
[7:10] What can we do to this guy? Saying that a notable thing has been done, and we cannot deny it. The miracle was too much in their faces, and they cannot deny it.
[7:21] And it says that all those who dwell in Jerusalem knew this thing. It was obvious. So, okay, the best thing we can do. That's what happens to Christianity. Like Daniel.
[7:32] Remember the story of Daniel. When they can't find a way to convict you, because they couldn't find a wrongdoing in you, they have to come and, it's authoritarianism, come up with laws to catch you.
[7:49] So it's not like, they have to design a law because of you. And it's coming to the Western society. Laws have been made just to restrict Christians.
[8:04] Not because what a Christian does is bad. But this Christ thing you are preaching, it's making me, I can't live my life down the way I want to live it. So they had to come up with a law to catch them, to restrict them.
[8:20] Because while the people were standing before them, the reason why they brought them to that court, there was no law that can convict them. And if they try it, everybody knows that this is a shambolic court.
[8:35] And they are supposed to be seen to be right. So they were caught in their tracks and said, okay, let's find another way of stopping these guys. You see, most people who persecute Christians are the religious ones.
[8:50] Atheists are not a threat to Christianity. In fact, the biggest threat to Christianity is those who claim to believe in the Bible. Anyway, it depends on where. Because in some places, it's likely not to be so.
[9:04] But where there have been an institutional church going on for a long time, sometimes it's the institutions that are used by the enemy. So they made laws and they said, let's punish these people.
[9:16] And now, in this instance, they said, we can't do anything to them, but let us threaten them. They need us a threat. Let us threaten them.
[9:27] Straightly threaten them that they can speak, but not in their name. In this name. The problem is this name. The problem. The problem. The scandal of particularity.
[9:39] When the world wants us to be like them, and they have problems while we are not like them. The Bible says that it has called us out of this world.
[9:50] We are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a peculiar people. We can't just be like everybody. There's a problem with when a church tries to look worldly in order to attract everybody.
[10:03] The problem is when they come, after a while, what are you going to give to keep them? How are you going to keep them? So, if you're especially in Nando's, okay, and then suddenly, you've started serving crispy, aromatic duck.
[10:23] Or, pork belly. Or, that thing. Ribs. In Nando's. Pork ribs. In Nando's. You have displayed it at the front.
[10:35] And people came, and then you have one. And just, to keep them coming. But your supply chain doesn't supply that. I'm going to keep the business running. When we try to get unbelievers to like church, because of that, we change the Christ message to preach things they want to hear.
[10:55] Every Sunday, we are preaching on how you can escape financial hardship. It might not be in itself bad, the preaching, but the problem is, yesterday when I was teaching, I was teaching on revival.
[11:11] The triggers of revival is a certain type of preaching. You can't have revival without preaching. And it's not every preaching. Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ.
[11:24] It's the content of the preaching that will determine the move of the Holy Spirit. What we preach, if every Sunday I come and I'm preaching to you about how to have a successful marriage every Sunday and how to get married, how to, it will be good.
[11:41] It's not bad in itself. We will have a lot of thriving marriages in the church, but no one will be doing it. Most people will not do so. We won't be strong in missions. Or if we always talk about academics, academics, we'll have a lot of intellectuals.
[11:57] But that will be the best we'll have. And our best and our core will not be maybe missionaries. Will not be people who win souls. Will not be people who stand strong for Christ.
[12:10] So what you feed the congregation will determine how the congregation will look like. What the congregation feeds on. So in this instance, they told them preach, but just as long as it won't be in the name of Jesus.
[12:27] We don't like that name. The Christian prayer, I said, what distinguishes the Christian prayer from every other religious prayer is the name of Jesus. Don't go pray, we pray in this, we pray in the name of God.
[12:41] Christians, we don't pray in the name of God. We pray in the name of Jesus. Who is God? Jesus is God. Right? But we pray in the name of Jesus.
[12:52] Silver and gold have I none. They didn't say in the name of God. In fact, they were so specific. Acts chapter 6, 2 verse 6, 3 verses. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Some translation says, Jesus Christ the Nazarene.
[13:05] A particular, can any good thing come from Nazareth? They said, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Paul told the demon from within that girl in Acts chapter 16, verse 16, 17.
[13:16] He says that, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. Come out. So they preach in the name of Jesus. Remember when they asked them by verse 7 of Acts chapter 4, by what name?
[13:29] They asked them, they asked them, by what power or by what name? Names matter. In the verse 10, Peter said, be it known to you all that by, oh oh, you're asking that.
[13:43] They knew this thing and there's a name behind it. And Peter said, we will not deny it. Let me tell you the name behind it. Their problem was not their preaching. Their problem was their name. So he said, let's stop them from using their name.
[13:56] And Peter said, tell us who we should be. You are operating as lawyers. You are operating as a counsel that make decisions. Tell us who we should be, whether you or God.
[14:06] Who is their high authority? So they threatened them. I know we heard a lot about this. Let's go to verse 20. And then Peter said, we cannot, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen.
[14:19] the things watch this is this is beautiful. When I was going through it, I just saw it. It just caught my attention so strong. The things we have seen and heard.
[14:29] They said, don't preach in the name of Jesus. They said, don't worry about that. But we cannot but speak about the things we have seen and heard. The things they have seen and heard was all about this name. If they were going to speak about the things they have seen and heard, what they have seen is Jesus and the name Jesus.
[14:45] What they've heard is Jesus and the name Jesus. Why? Because that's what they've been fed with by Jesus himself. What they have seen and heard it hinges on the name.
[14:56] We cannot but to speak of what we have seen and heard. Amen. And then verse 21 says that. So, when they had further, they went further to even threaten them again.
[15:09] They let them go finding nothing how they might punish. You see that. After such preaching, they were still thinking of punishing them. Instead, you would have taught that, look, Peter preached this same message to people and 4,000 men gave their life to Christ.
[15:25] They came to believe. He preached the first day and 3,000 souls were won. When he preached in the temple, the same temple, 4,000 men came. He preached to the rulers and the elders and when he finished preaching, they were planning, how come we killed these people?
[15:40] Yeah. How come we? And they were supposed, watch this, they were supposed to be the leaders of the community. They were supposed to be the politicians. They were supposed to be the religious leaders. The religious leaders became the instruments of Satan to try to intimidate and stop the work.
[15:59] They tried to persecute them and prosecute them for preaching. But Peter said, no. Then they threatened them further. After they threatened them further, they let them go because they don't have anything they can punish them for and because of the people.
[16:15] Say the people. Say the people. Say the people. The people. Why? What about the people? The people had seen what has happened and they were on their side. I think I wrote here.
[16:26] The people, look up Acts chapter 5, verse 13. It says that, yet none of the rest there joined them. The rest they're talking about, not their congregation, population, the general, general, the community, people in the community is the rest.
[16:43] But the people, the people, the people, the people, usually, the people don't have the problem. It's the one who has been talking to the people.
[16:55] The one who has influence about the people. Because if the people were allowed to make their own judgment and they're given the fair opportunity to make the judgment, they will know that what Peter and John are saying is right.
[17:08] They will know that these things we are preaching is true. But sometimes, Satan uses who you listen to. So, in Luke chapter 20, verse 19, Luke 20, verse 19, it says that, and the chief priests and the scribes that very, sought to lay hands on Jesus, but they feared the people.
[17:29] So, if you want to destroy a move of God or attack a move of God, make sure the people are on your side. Go to the people, speak to them, rally their hearts against what is being done.
[17:41] They feared the people. Matthew 21, 26, it says that, but if we say from men, we fear the multitude. So, when Jesus said, John the Baptist, his ministry, where is he from?
[17:54] Is he from men or God? They didn't want to say from God because they asked Jesus Christ that, tell us by what authority you are doing these things. He also said, before I answer, I want to ask you a question.
[18:07] John's baptism, is it from God or is it from men? They wanted to say it's from men, but they were in public and everybody, oh, it's commonality.
[18:18] Everybody knew John the Baptist is a prophet from God. How can they say it's from men? And if they say it's from God, then they have shot themselves in their foot because John the Baptist's message was Jesus.
[18:32] He said, Jesus is the one. So, if they say John the Baptist is from God, then by inference, you are supposed to say Jesus is the one. So, you have to deny it. But how could they deny it in public? Because they feared the people.
[18:45] They feared the people. Sometimes it's good for the people to be exposed to the real truth of the gospel, the real truth about church. Some of your family members who are attacking you for going to church, they don't even know what church is about.
[18:59] God saves all of us when you come to church. Church life saves you from a lot of drama in life. You would have been by now, you would have been for the second time a baby father.
[19:11] Yes. Because it's the order in your family. Boy, you know what I'm talking about now. But for church, your results, so long as character and behavior and trajectory of life is constant, but for church, go to the church, you are likely to produce the same results, hands down.
[19:31] same results, hands down. Because even if it's not nature, nature has conditioned you. Yes. Many things are nature, but other things are also nature.
[19:46] You've been nurtured in a certain way, no man is likely to stay with you. You've been nurtured in a certain way, you can never stay with one woman. You've been nurtured in a certain way, there's no way you can have a degree.
[20:03] Because everybody in your family, no one has degree, but it's grace. Oh yes. Many families don't do degree.
[20:15] And when you are from that family, you know, now you are doing your masters. Because we have been preaching that you have to master this thing, master this thing, master this thing, master this thing.
[20:27] Yes. Your background is poverty inheritance. See, people don't know.
[20:40] Pastor, I like what you said last Sunday. When your mom is making the noise and ranting, she actually doesn't know you. She doesn't know what you used to do. Sometimes sit her down and try and give her a glimpse.
[20:52] Yes. Give her a glimpse of what this church thing has saved you from and has saved her from.
[21:05] Yes. Because she is judging her church based on what she has heard about other churches.
[21:17] Based on what she has heard or been watching on YouTube. They don't do anything. Always watching. Watching. Watching. And people are conditioning your interpretation of life with their videos.
[21:30] Some of them are short but the impact is long. So, they feared the people. Okay, let me just quickly see where I can run up and stop from there.
[21:42] So, they feared the people. Let's look at verse 22. The man was too old so you can't deny it. 23 says that and being let go, they went to their own company. Let's say their own company. Their own company.
[21:54] And reported all that the chief priest and the elders had said to them. So, their own company. You must have a company in Christ. And this company is not like their family members.
[22:06] This company is talking about those who call on the name of the Lord. Acts chapter 9, verse 14. Paul was going from house to house looking for the people who were calling on the name of the Lord.
[22:16] all who called on your name. That's, that's, so, how do you know the people who belong in the company see the way they call? In Acts chapter 22, verse 16, they told Paul, now that you are born again, be baptized you to call on the name of the Lord.
[22:33] Because that's how they used to do it. It was based, how do you know their team, one who is in their team, how they called on the name of the Lord. In Acts chapter 9, verse 21, it's talking about the who called on the name of the Lord.
[22:46] It's about all that heard him were amazed and said, is this not the one who destroyed them that called on the name of the Lord? See, that them, that called on the name of the Lord. That's how you identify the Christians. So when they said they went to their company, it's talking about the company of those who called on the name of the Lord.
[23:00] They went to their company and they lifted up and they reported these things to them, what they have said. They went and told them this is what they are saying. And they lifted up their voices. And when they heard this, they lifted up their voice to God in one accord.
[23:14] Remember, Acts chapter 1 verse 14, they were all together in the temple in one accord. Acts chapter 2 verse 1, when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, in one accord.
[23:26] There's something about unity. There's something about unity that facilitates the work of God. If you want to slow down the work of God, get the believers to be divided. So we have to be mindful of those who sow discord among the brethren.
[23:40] This thing the sister said, why are you telling this other sister? Because her heart cannot handle it. What you are telling her will bring tension between them. Don't be part of anything that brings tension among brethren.
[23:55] You sow discord. Proverbs talks about the one who sows discord among brethren. It's a dangerous person. There are some things you don't have to talk about. Don't say it. Don't say it.
[24:05] Why? Because it will bring discord. False witnesses that speak lies and he that sows discord among brethren. God hates. You are bringing contentions among people.
[24:17] Because the more divided we are, the less God can work with us. The more united. That is why the kind of leadership in the church will always matter. The kind of leaders and the kind of the quality of the marriages of the leadership will always determine the move of God in the church.
[24:35] So every visionary must learn how to sideline people who can be instruments of division. God multiplies the church. So in Acts chapter 3, the Bible says 3,000 were added to the church.
[24:50] Acts chapter 4, 4,000 were added to the church. Acts chapter 5 said multitudes were added to the church. Acts chapter 6 said the multitude verse 1, the multitude. So God kept adding, he added.
[25:02] But Acts chapter 5, God also subtracted from the church. That's where I was thinking I'll get to. He subtracted, the third miracle in the church was a subtraction from the church.
[25:14] God subtracted them. God asked to the church and subtract from the church, but what he doesn't do, he never divides the church. God does addition, God does subtraction, he does multiplication, but never division.
[25:31] Never division. God never divides the church. church. Any kind of language and talk, behavior that divides the church, it's usually coming inspired from the cortis of hell.
[25:44] It's always inspired from the cortis of hell. And if you want God to bless you, make sure you will never share in anything that will divide brethren. Don't be part of it.
[25:55] Just stay out of it. This thing I'm going to say to bring confusion among them. They are friends I don't want to be part of. I don't want to knock their heads together. God never divides.
[26:08] He can subtract people from your life. Oh yeah, that is good. And some of us know that some people might be subtracted from your life before you end up marrying them. Before they take you out of a good church.
[26:26] Anyway, so they went to their own company because God will always give you a company when you become a Christian. There shouldn't be. You cannot be an effective Christian without a company because you always need a company to live your Christian life.
[26:40] That's why God doesn't divide. And they lifted their voice and they started praying from someone. And they called God God. The Greek word despote. Next week, we'll go into that.
[26:52] Did you receive something? Oh yeah. Let's give Jesus praise. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. We pray you have been revived towards God.
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[27:16] Don't forget to like and share the message. Be blessed. Thank you.
[27:27] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.