How to Pray Boldly According to the Bible | Dr. Andy Brown

What does it mean to pray with boldness?

In this message from Acts 4, we see the early church respond to pressure, threats, and opposition not with fear, but with prayer. Their confidence was rooted in their relationship with God, their trust in His sovereign plan, and their commitment to the mission of Jesus Christ.

Bold praying is not about getting our way. It is about meeting with God, trusting His purpose, and asking Him to make us faithful witnesses.

Through Jesus Christ, we have access to the Father, the help of the Holy Spirit, and a mission that reaches the world.

Scripture: Acts 4:23–31

#BoldPraying #Prayer #Acts4 #ChristianSermon #JesusChrist #Faith #Church #Gospel #ChristianLife #BibleTeaching #ForUsMinistries

Bold Praying

Subscribe to see our latest sermons: https://www.youtube.com/@HeisForUs

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Then you are in a serious relationship with Almighty God. And the God who created the universe and everything in it, the God who ordains times and seasons, He is in a very serious relationship with you. I want to ask you a question. How serious are you taking your relationship with God? We've been in a series here for the past little bit where we've been talking about being intentional. The reason we're talking about being intentional is because God desires for you to take the reality that He has secured for you through Jesus Christ very seriously. He wants your very attitude, your disposition, all that you do to be formed by faith so that He can live his life in and through you. And one of the things that we've been talking about was what does it mean to intentionally follow Jesus? Not to just be haphazard about following Jesus, but to do what we do on purpose. And now we're going to transition to this next part of intentionality where we're going to look at intentionally inviting others to come along. So one of the things that we say here at First Baptist is because the Father has sent the Son, and the Son sends us, He seals us by the Holy Spirit, giving us salvation, we live as those who are sent. Sent by God on a mission to fulfill the purpose that He has for us. And remember, don't think about the purpose that God has for us as something way out yonder. Remember, it first begins right here. As God desires to form within you his own very life. So that your life is not your own. You've been bought with a price. And the life that you and I now live, we live a certain way, not just any way, but with intentionality. We live a life by faith in the one who loved us and gave himself for us. So we intentionally follow Jesus. That means also following Jesus means that we invite others to come along with us as we are following him. So I want to transition then to this next part of our intentional series. Since we've said again, live sent, and we define that as following Jesus and inviting others to come along, what does it mean for us to invite others to come along? What I want to do is over the next four weeks is I want to unpack for us from the book of Acts four dispositions of the early church. And so would you mind going with me to the book of Acts? Just start in chapter one, and I'll show you exactly where we're going to go in just a moment. But in Acts chapter one, you will notice that there are certain characteristics that defined the community. And we see these characteristics really played out all through Acts. And what it meant for the early church was it produced an irresistible disposition that they had. There were certain qualities and characteristics that they had that were irresistible to influence society. And so when we think about inviting others to come along, I'm not necessarily talking about some programmatic, maybe a Tuesday night go on door knocking or whatever the case may be. I'm not talking so much about a programmatic type of approach for us. I'm talking about an organic approach for us. What is this particular disposition, these traits, these characteristics that we have, that the church has had all along, that means we will be a people of irresistible influence. And the first characteristic that I want to talk to you about is praying. The early church, and let's not talk about the early church as if it's back yonder, but let's talk about us. As Christians through the ages, one characteristic that we have definitely had, if we're faithful to following Jesus, is that we are a praying people. For example, look how natural this is. In Acts chapter 1, look at verse 12, for example. This is after Jesus had risen from the grave, after he has ascended. Notice what happens in verse 12 of chapter 1. When they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, and remember that's the place where Jesus ascended into heaven, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered, they went up to the upper room, and they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, the son of Alpheus, Simon the zealot, Judas, the son of James. By the way, if you want to know who the apostles are, that's a good list. That's where you look. Verse 14, look at what they're doing. All of these, with one accord, were devoting themselves to prayer. With the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. So right after the ascension, what do we find the church doing? Right after the ascension, we find them praying. Well, let's look again at Acts chapter 2, at verse 42. This is after the Lord, remember, has just added 3,000 souls. This is the first place that the church, the first place where we see the church growing. Notice what happens next in verse 42 of Acts chapter 2. And they devoted themselves to the apostles, the apostles' teaching and the fellowship and the breaking of the bread. And then what are they doing? They're praying. And then the Bible says in verse 43, all came upon every soul. Many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together, and they had all things in common. They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need, and day by day attending to the temple together and breaking the bread in their homes, receiving food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. Look at verse 47. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. You know what this tells us as we're marking our way through the book of Acts? We're seeing that the way that the church is carried forward is on its knees. The way that the church grows, the way that this movement of Jesus followers moves into every corner of the earth is it moves on its knees. It moves by people who have a certain disposition of prayer. Prayer is just something naturally that we do. Now, our passage today, we're going to look at Acts chapter 4. And let me tell you what happens in Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4, the disciples are arrested. They're speaking and they're told by the council that they're not to speak the name of Jesus. But look at verse 13 of chapter 4. When they, that's the uh the council, they saw the boldness of Peter and John. They perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Now, our passage today, after they're released, notice we catch up with them at verse 23. Acts chapter 4, verse 23. Read along. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priest and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything in them, who through your servant, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said, By the Holy Spirit, Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. Truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you appointed, both Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats, grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Now, what I want to talk to you about today is this first irresistible characteristic that's common to our Christian confession that Jesus is Lord, and that is bold praying. Now, as we get started, we're going to look at this passage and we're going to draw five characteristics of bold praying. But before we get started, do some little evaluation in your own life. Consider your own prayer life this morning. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you right where you are. And would you describe your prayer life as a prayer life marked by boldness? And let me say this: the Lord God of heaven, the one who sent his son Jesus Christ, the one who is today ruling and reigning, upholding the world by the word of his power, the one who has sent his spirit to seal your heart, to seal my heart, to seal every heart who believes in him. Jesus Christ desires for us to be very intentional about the way that we pray. He wants our prayers to be emboldened by the power of his presence. And so what I want to do is I'm going to give us five characteristics of bold praying. Number one, write this down. Fueled by relationship. And I want you to see this. It's just a common characteristic that the church has. We constantly see them praying. After Jesus has ascended, what do they do? They can't wait to pray. After Jesus has ascended, they can't wait to pray. After the Lord gives them this great success and adds 3,000 souls, soul after soul after soul. Those who are being baptized, what do they do? We find themselves, they find themselves praying. And notice this, right after they're released, right after. When they were released, verse 23, they went to their friends and reported to the chief priests and the elders what they had said to them. And notice verse 24, it just occurs naturally. It's just part and parcel of them understanding who they are. They heard it. They lifted their voices together and they said to God. In other words, this is just something that is commonplace for us. This is just something that just occurs naturally for us. We are those who have been connected to God by his Holy Spirit, and God invites us to talk to him. We don't have to go through a priest, we don't have to go through a bunch of litany of this or that. We have direct access to God the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ puts his spirit inside of us. And here's the beautiful part about prayer. We may not know what to pray, but at least we know to pray. And we have the confidence that when we pray, we have a Holy Spirit who is inside of us making intercessions that are too deep for words, and the Father hears exactly what needs to be heard for us. Let me say this to you God is more ready to receive your prayer than you are even willing to pray to him. That's how much he loves you. And you see, for example, when they encountered Jesus, do you remember the apostles when they encountered Jesus? He spoke as one who had authority, and no one had ever said what he had said, and no one by far had ever done what he'd done. You know, he raised the dead, caused the blind to see, speaks in storms or stilled. Here is this God. But then the most attractive thing that the apostles see him doing, the thing that they say, hey, show us how to do that. You remember they didn't say, hey, would you show us how to raise the dead? Would you show us how to heal the lame? But when he prayed, oh, they'd never seen anything like that before. And their hearts longed for this intimacy. Their hearts longed for this connection that they saw through Jesus Christ. You remember? As he prayed, he said, Father. Father. And then when they come to him and they say, Would you teach us to pray? What does he say? He says, When you pray, you pray just like I prayed. And you call God Father. You see, bold praying is fueled by this relationship that we have with God. And remember this the way that you have a relationship with Almighty God is you have to have your sins forgiven. You have to come to the point of realizing that you're a sinner in need of a savior, and you come to the point of realizing that there's nothing you can do to save yourself. Instead, you cast yourself upon his mercies. And let me say this: what he's done on the cross is plenty mercy enough for you. It's plenty mercy enough for me. The very reason that he went to the cross, the very reason that he took your sin, my sin, and the sins of the entire world, the reason that on the third day he rose again, the reason for all of that is for you. So that you could enjoy the intimacy of him, so that you could cast all of your cares towards him, because after all, he cares for you. You remember what Jesus said? Jesus said, Hey, if a father, when his son asks him for bread, do you really expect the Father to give him a snake? Jesus said, How much more do you think the Father is ready to give any of you who ask? And there's an invitation that we have, this invitation that God brings for us to come together and pray. And it's just something naturally that we do. It's not something that we add to our life. We just have this constant disposition of prayer. I'll never forget hearing a story one time of Billy Graham. Billy Graham one time was asked by a group of college students. He said, They said, Dr. Graham, what does it mean to pray without ceasing? And Dr. Graham responded, he said, the whole time I've been up here, I've been praying. Spurgeon, he used to say, pray without ceasing. He would say this, he said, as often as I dip my pen in my ink, that's as often as I would pray. It's just a natural outflow of a relationship that we have with him. And we are a people to be marked by this prayer. This is why, for example, when we get together, what a glorious occasion it is when you come to me and you say, Will you pray for me? Or I ask you, and some of you look at me funny when I ask, Can I pray for you? And you're like, of course. Because that's just what we do. Prayer is just as natural for us as a conversation because it out, it flows not from a God who is distant, but a God who has come near to us and invited us into relationship with Him. He will never grow weary of you. Remember what Isaiah says? Youths may wear out. Jesus says, but not me. You bring it all to me. There is not one thing that you can pray for that's too big for him to handle. Bold praying is fueled by the relationship that you have with God. What do you think? You're gonna pray something and God's gonna think less of you? You really think that? You're his child. He has gone to the cross. He has made an end of your sin through his perfect atonement for you. Do you think that he's gonna say, why do you pray that? And here's the confidence that we have. If we pray the wrong thing, we've got the Holy Spirit who can translate what we really need. We're not really praying, after all, to get our needs met. We're praying to meet with Him. Bold praying, number one, is fueled by a relationship. Number two, bold praying flows from the assurance of God's plan. Notice this language here. When they heard it, verse 24, they, that is the whole assembly, so remember the apostles, they're speaking to their friends, and I love this. It's not they're speaking to the church. There's a closeness, there's a communion that's there in this community. It's not just people, it's their friends. They're speaking to their friends and they're lifting their voice. Notice this together, and let me just go ahead and say this. I'm gonna go ahead and give you a warning. At the very end of this service, we're going to practice the text. We're gonna actually do this. We're gonna lift up our voices as many of you as to feel led. No manipulation, but as many here as feel led to pray out loud. I'm gonna ask you to do that. So for some of you that are need to think through that and process, go ahead and ask the Holy Spirit to get those jitters out of you because we're gonna have a moment where we're gonna lift our voices, we're gonna practice what the text says. But notice what they're doing. They lifted their voice together, and notice the substance of their praying. This emboldens their prayer because it flows from the assurance of God's plan. Notice how they address God, they call him sovereign Lord. Sovereign Lord, who made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them. In other words, the idea here is with the sovereignty of God, there is not one square inch to which God, who is Almighty and Lord of all, does not declare that is mine. Nothing happens outside of his knowledge, nothing happens outside of either his direct influence or indirect influence by he allows it. Either way, God is completely sovereign. And that is not a doctrine for you to be pushed aside and say, Well, God's sovereign, or do you think that you're just a puppet on a string? Instead, the idea that God is completely in control pulls you into him. Because you realize that he loves you. You realize that he loves you. And notice this as the Bible continues. It says that they were, in verse 27, it says, In this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus. There again, whom you appointed. These individuals who were appointed, who are they? The Bible names them. It's not afraid to name the enemies. It says Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel. Now look at verse 28. Here's the sovereignty of God on display to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Now they wouldn't know this until after the resurrection that this was the purpose and plan of God. John, who was there to see Jesus Christ being crucified. Remember, Jesus looks from the cross and he sees John and he says, There's your mother talking to me about Mary. John's there, he records that he's the only one that has that vantage point. John is going to go later and he's going to say in the book of Revelation that Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. In other words, this didn't take God by surprise. Jesus is not some victim of his circumstances. Instead, he is Lord of all. And I want you to see this. Please notice this. It's not as if, and sometimes we can take the Bible and we can look at it, you know, from a distance and just think, well, that's great for them. That's great. But you see, the life of God is lived out in and through us. So God takes our particular circumstances wherever we are, and we trust God has a sovereign plan. Now listen to me carefully. That doesn't mean they will always understand or comprehend God's purpose or God's ways. And it also doesn't mean, you know, for someone like me in a moment like this, I have to be careful to define what God's plan is, unless it's very clear in Scripture. But I remember hearing something that Spurgeon said that stuck with me. And if you grew up in church like I did in the 90s, then you'll remember that this was a popular song that people used to sing. But it was a poem of Spurgeon that was put to song. Listen, God is too wise to be mistaken, He is too good to be unkind. And when I cannot trace his hand, I have learned to trust his heart. And that's what we mean by the sovereignty of God. Not that we understand everything, but we have this God who is so great, who is so grand, who in some way, you look at the circumstances of your life, and here's what we know because of Jesus, because Jesus Christ, the blood that he shed it on Calvary nearly 2,000 years ago. Is the same blood that's sufficient for you to forgive you of your sins today. It's that same blood that empowers you, just as we celebrated the supper just a moment ago. It's the same blood that unites us under a common cause to be now no longer children of this world, but children of the light, children not of the darkness, but children of the day, to go and proclaim this life and to live this life before others so that they will see the life that's within us that serves as a light, that gives glory to God the Father. And so we are not always understanding of God's ways, but we trust in our particular circumstance, no matter how challenging it is, God has a plan. And when I, and here's the mark of Christian maturity that all of us are straining towards, we have to say that when I cannot trace his hand, I know that it's there. I don't know what he's doing, but I trust him. And this assurance of God's plan, both the scene that which is clearly visible and that which is invisible that we don't know. We simply trust him. I was talking with someone just the other day, and she was saying that she was having trouble trusting in God. And I told her. I said, Well, that's all you can do. That's all you can do is trust God. Because realistically, God has us with his sovereignty. He has us in such a way, he has arranged this world in such a way that we must say what Peter said on that day when people were leaving Jesus left and right after he had this hard saying where he said, You want to follow me, you've got to eat of my flesh and drink of my blood. And the Jews are like, nope, I don't want any part of that. Those that were following him were like, no, I don't want any part of that. And then Jesus looked at his disciples and he said, What about you guys? Are you gonna leave too? And then Peter says it right, because Peter trusts in the sovereignty of God. Peter says, Lord, to whom else would we go? You see, oftentimes I think we treat Christianity like it's just one way amongst many ways. No, no, no, no, no. Lord, to whom else would we go? You have everlasting life. You see, if we want to be bold in our prayer, bold in the way that we approach God, then the assurance that God, the assurance of God's plan will lead freely. It will free us up to have bold praying. Thirdly, let's not get out of balance. Thirdly, bold praying feels the weight of adversity. Now, just because you believe in the sovereignty of God doesn't mean that you won't feel the weight of the trouble sometimes that the Lord allows to come into our lives. Nothing happens by accident to you. Again, we may not understand it, but it's really not a matter of us understanding it so much as it is us trusting Him. After all, he's good. After all, he's good, and the safest place for me and you to be can be the most dangerous place on earth as long as we're right in the center of where he wants us. And this, again, notice what they say. In verse 29, after they declare the sovereignty of God, they rest, they are pulled into this truth that God is completely in control. Nothing happens without his direct influence or his direct allowance. It says this, now, Lord, look upon their threats. Look upon their threats. In other words, God knows that they have real, genuine concerns. And there are many of us in here, all of us, if we're honest, all of us have concerns about things that are in our life. Maybe it's worry, maybe it's fear, maybe it's regret, maybe it's guilt, maybe it's all of the above. God wants you to know that bold praying doesn't mean that you just simply just say, well, just forget about all those things. I completely trust in God. No, bold praying is going to fill the weight of adversity. It's gonna press into it. And this amazing thing about Christianity through the ages, the more the world threatens us. Listen, look at where Christianity is growing today in places that it's not supposed to be growing because of persecution. Here's what we know constantly from the witness of the church the more pressure that's put on us, the more we grow. The more pressure that's put on us, if we're truly faithfully following Jesus, the more pressure that's put there, the faith, the more faithful we are, the more we flourish. And bold praying doesn't mean that we just forget about all of our troubles. You know, it's like the preacher who believes so much in the sovereignty of God. He just believes everything's a puppet on a string and he walking outside of a service and he trips down the stairs and he gets up and he says, Man, I'm glad that's over. No, that's not what we mean when we're talking about the sovereignty of God. Instead, we allow ourselves to understand that in this world we will have trouble. Jesus, after all, remember, they crucified him. But Jesus said, in the world you will have trouble, but just remember this. I have overcome the world. And by the way, don't miss this, Christian. How, after all, did Jesus overcome the world? He did it through his death on a cross. The world threw its best, or its worst, the best it could at Jesus. And Jesus came from the other side of the grave fully alive. And here's what he promises us he promises us that if we follow him, the world will throw its worst at us as well. But he also says this greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Now notice this. They bring all of their cares, all of their troubles to God. And remember this you have a care, you have a concern, you have a trouble this morning, bring it to God. He's not going to shame you. Instead, he's going to invite you into his fellowship. He desires to fellowship with you, and that you are allowed. And this is what bold praying is it's to bring all of your cares and concerns to him, remember, because he cares for you. But notice what they say, and this is the fourth characteristic of bold praying. Notice what they say after they feel the weight of adversity, after they feel these threats, notice the substance of their praying. They don't say, now, Lord, get us out of here. What do they say? They say, Lord, in the middle of where we are, let us be faithful. Bold praying number four focuses on the mission that God has for us. Let's just stop right here for just a moment. Evaluate the substance of your praying. You and the Holy Spirit. How much of your praying in the past week has been for you to faithfully fulfill the mission that God has for you. And let me just give you assurance. Listen, this is not about shame and guilt. This is about us together collectively understanding that our whole lives are intended to be radically reoriented by the resurrection. You are going to spend so much more time in heaven than you are here. And while you're here, some of you say, Amen, praise the Lord. And while you're here, God has left you here to fulfill a purpose that only you can do. Again, you are where you are. You are who you are. God is patient with you, remembering your frame, as the Psalm says, remembering that you are but dust, constantly hammering you, constantly conforming you into the image of his beloved Son. Again, so that you can really say what John said. And remember what Jesus said about John. Jesus said, Of those born of women, there's not been one greater than John the Baptist. And what did John say that made him so great? What did he say? He said, I must decrease. He must increase. And that's your whole life. Learning to take every thought captive and place it under his obedience. Listen, you're a professional here this morning. You know what your whatever your profession is. And for those of you who are in college, those you're a professional student right now. That's your main obligation. That's your main focus. But listen, whatever you're doing is to fulfill a larger purpose that God has for you. You're in a position of influence wherever you are, because everywhere you go, you encounter eternity. Everywhere you go, with every encounter, with every person you meet, you get to influence eternity. Do you realize that every time someone, we had a young girl this morning come forward and tell the church that she has accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, did you know that what we just witness every time we see the baptism water stirring, every time we see someone surrender their life to Jesus Christ, we just influenced eternity. There is so much more for you to focus on than just being trapped by this nine to five daily grind. Jesus Christ has given you his Holy Spirit. He has sealed you and He has sent you, He has empowered you with a mission. And notice the substance of their praying. They say, Lord, we understand the mission. We understand. And for everyone, for most of these believers, history tells us that are praying this prayer in Acts chapter 4, most of them are going to be persecuted. By the time we get to Acts chapter 6, Saul is going to come and ravage the church. But as Tertullian, the early church guy said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. There again, we feel the weight of adversity. We're focused on the mission. Adversity doesn't stall the mission, it only fuels the mission. Every one of these believers who are here praying for boldness, they understand the mission, that their very lives are the front line of God's mission. This is why I get so excited about what God is doing in our church, what he continues to do in and through us, because I'm watching God change my life. And I'm watching God change your life. I'm watching God change the lives of our community. Because we understand, and we are understanding that our primary motivation is not to be this or that. Our primary motivation is Jesus Christ is my life. He's not just something that I add to my life. He himself is my life. And wherever, however, whenever I'm all his, notice what they pray. Look upon their threats. And please, the one thing that they could ask for, grant to your servants, continue to speak your word with all boldness. And then look, it's not as if now, Lord, you fill us up at the filling station, the church, right? Let's just pretend like we've come here. My dad, who was a Vietnam veteran, he used to talk about fire support bases. And in so many ways, I think the church is, you know, you come out of the jungle from serving and you come back here and you get your Jesus juice in you, and then you go back out. No, no, no. It's not that. It's everything that they do is fueled by this mission. It's not, it's everything that they do is fueled by this mission. He says, Jesus Christ is not just empowering me to do something. No, he's going to come along with me. He's going to go with me. Notice what they say. While you stretch out your hand and you heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And the way that God is performing those wonders is through your life. The way that God is performing the wonders that are fit for eternity is through your life. That's bold praying. And number five, my favorite. Look at what happens. You've heard of earth shaking prayers? This is where that comes from. Bold praying, number five, is followed by God's movement. There's almost, in my mind, as I read my Bible, I see between verse 30 and 31, I know it's right there together, but I see a little distance. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. I'm praying that God would shake Starville, Mississippi, and the world. Because the people at First Baptist are together and pray. Now that may not literally look like we feel something, but then again, it just might. Because the same God that raised the dead is the same God who lives in you. The same God that shook the place where they were is the same God that is here. And here's what we're going to do. The other day when my children and I we were reading the Bible, we went to Psalm 5 and verse 3. And listen to what it says. Oh Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning, I prepare a sacrifice for you. And notice this next word. And I watch. To be bold enough to pray. To be bold enough to ask God to do things which generations from now will be talking about what God does in and through our community over the next few weeks and months and years. I remember I have in my study, it's a book called The Miracle of First Baptist Jacksonville. When God got a hold of that church with Homer Lindsay and Jerry Vines, and God shook that city because of a church that was faithful to carry out his mission. I've been involved in churches at First Atlanta where I saw God shake that city. I've been involved with Louis Giglio at Passion City Church. I've seen God shake a city. I had a great uncle, you've heard me talk about, who in 10 years, 3,000 people, 3,000 people, that's five baptisms a week. That's a Pentecost. I have seen God do it. Now I am going to wait and watch with you for God to do something incredible in and through us. And my prayer for you is that you'll be bold enough.