2026 Acts 4-2, Win Over Problems by Prayer, Preaching and Supernatural Power
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2026-10-18 15:59
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Win Over Problems by Prayer, Preaching and Supernatural Power
Acts 4:23-37
Peter healed a lame in the name of Jesus, leading 5,000 people to believe in Him. Due to persecution by religious leaders, Peter and John were imprisoned.
The religious leaders felt threatened, fearing that their foundation was crumbling. The apostles, too, faced a crisis—being imprisoned—but their approach to handling it was different.
The religious leaders met and discussed. (Acts 4:5). In times of trouble, problem or crisis, if you try to text, email, or call to discuss the situation, you are acting just like those religious leaders. We learn two changes from the disciples through suffering (crisis).
First, the Christiaan community prays for boldness in witness
Look at verse 23. “On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people.” On their release, Peter and John went to the church. Where do you go when you face problems or crisis?
Look at the words, “went back to their own people.” To them, the church was like a family. The biblical truth is that the church of God is like a family. Everyone goes back to their family after work restoring rest, strength and love. Spiritually, church is a family. Spiritual people go back to church of God and gain rest, comfort and strength. If you come to church but feel no sense of rest and strength—just sitting blankly and unmoved—it is because you lack a sense of belonging as part of a family. Being able to share your heart with other Christians is crucial. otherwise, to you, church is just one of those things, and you will grow emptier over time. Though you come to church but lack joy, rest and growth, it may be because you are attending church as a guest rather than as a member of the family. In times of crisis or difficulties, come to church and share your hearts. That is Christian’s life and you will get rest and growth.
What did they do? Verse 24 says, “They raised their voices together in prayer to God.” The church is not a place for discussion but for prayer. Prayer means that I do not live my own thought, experience and understanding but on God’s grace and power.
Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” When the Lord’s wisdom and power are added to our prayers, the result is not simply 1+1=2 but 2 plus ‘alpha’—an additional and divine dimension.
“They raised their voices together in prayer.” Here we see two main words in their prayer, ‘together,’ and ‘raise.’ Their prayer was united and aloud, corporate prayer. Not a few people do not know why they need to join prayer meeting to pray together. They think it time-consuming. No, God show his presence, promise and power when his people pray together. In 1729 at Oxford University, 8 young people gathered and began to pray. In the beginning they prayed for ‘go to church on Sundays, not to drink and smoke.” But more and more their prayer was on fire from heaven that they began to evangelize the whole world. Among them, John Wesely saved U.K from bloody revolution and national corruption and George Whitefield led the First Great Awakening in 18th-century America. “Lord, give some young people among us faith and passion to gather together to pray and change this campus and nation and the world.”
We raise our voices when we are joyful. If you pray silently, it means that you have no joy. And we shout in emergency situations. Suppose you and I are trapped in a burning house or drowning. Who would speak in a quiet tone?
Look at the contents of their prayer. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” (v 24) They did not mention the problems. Their prayer began with ‘Sovereign Lord.”
Before threat, they did not fix their eyes on the problem itself. Instead, they looked toward the Sovereign Lord Creator who rules over the history.
When they fixed their eyes on Sovereign Lord, the Lord gave them divine wisdom to understand what was going on. Look at verse 25. “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” It is quoted from Psalm 2:1–2.
The world is filled with rage. The essence of the world is evil that anger constantly erupts from it. The closer you get to the world, the greater the risk that you will be consumed by that rage. Anger is a hallmark of sin.
When Cain and his offering were not accepted by God, he should have looked at the Lord, calling, “Sovereign Lord.” However, he continued to compare himself with Abel that he was unable to overcome his anger that he murdered his own brother.
When you face problems in studying, job, health and finance, look at God and pray, ‘Sovereign Lord.’ If not, there is a danger to become preys to anger that eventually you explode, destroying the ecosystems of your family, church and society.
Another characteristic of the world is that people plot in vain. People work hard, but their labors and efforts are in vain.
There is a book, ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. In a farm, the animals were exploited harshly for a long time. They rebelled against human tyranny and took over the farm with a slogan, "We are all equal!” But soon the pigs emerged as leaders and exploited other animals even more brutally. The labour and efforts of the world are ultimately futile. Man is incapable of creating a utopia.
A Buddhist monk, respected and famous made a regrettable remark before his death, "My accumulated sins, which fill the heavens, are greater than Mount Sumeru [the colossal mountain at the center of the universe]. I am falling into hell." Without Jesus and his mission, your labour and passion are futile. if you study hard, make money, chase girls, travel and enjoy nice food, it is in vain.
Isaiah 57:20 says, “But the wicked (no faith in Jesus) are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” People in the world have no peace, like a restless and churning sea. They seem to work hard in life yet filth and mud bubbling up from them. Will you follow this path? Are you really going to live like that?
Look at verse 27. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. The disciples of Jesus recognized threats from the world. They understood that a life of believing in Jesus and proclaiming the gospel would inevitably involve suffering and persecution. Then what did they pray for?
Look at verses 29-30. They did not pray to be spared from threats or to live a life of comfort. Instead, they prayed for the boldness to preach and for the power to perform healing, signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.
In our life, problems will never disappear. “I want to live a problem-free life.” No, there is no such life on earth. We continue to meet problems. But why does it matter? Why don't we just solve the problem by the name, Jesus?
A baseball player said, "I want to pitch every single day." He has a good spirit, “I want to experience triumph in every single day.”
In our life, suffering is inevitable. There are two kinds of suffering: suffering for survival and suffering for Jesus and His mission. Since we face suffering regardless, which suffering would you want to choose?
Paul says, “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24) It means, “I choose to suffer for the sake of Jesus and his church.” Then he lived by the power of heaven, spiritual and supernatural.
A life of Jesus’ disciple is two, preaching and experiencing supernatural power. These are their prayer topics and ours, “boldly preaching and experiencing healing and miracles by the Holy Spirit.”
Now Canada faces a crisis. As Christians, do you have message to tell those who are fearful and discouraged? Do you have a message of Jesus crucified and resurrected to tell them?
Martin Loid Jones mentions it, ‘logic on power.’ This means a balance between the word of God and prayer and between intellect and spirituality. In our life of faith, logic and power of heaven are to go hand in hand. “Lord, give us heavenly power. Heal the sick and make weak strong.” When they prayed, what happened?
Look at verse 31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
‘Finished praying’ is in Greek ‘sunbibazo’ meaning being joined or knit together. When they prayed, they were acknowledged and they became tied with Jesus. When we pray, we are tied with Jesus who enables us to live by heavenly power.
Do not be tied with the world. Instead tie yourself with Jesus. If we are tied with worldly ambition, greed and worldly pleasures, this is destined to perish when the world perishes. Instead, bind yourself to the Lord, Jesus and his eternal purpose through prayer. (verses 29–31)
Second, the community shares together.
After prayer, they were tied with Jesus. Then they began to share everything they had. There were no needy persons among them. When they accepted the Lord as their master and the owner of all their possessions, none of them claimed that any of their belongings were their own.
Selfishness is a human instinct. Through the Holy Spirit, their selfishness was overcome, and the greed to possess more disappeared. These days, people often say, "money is thicker than blood." However, the grace of the Holy Spirit is thicker than money.
Look at verse 36-37. Barnabas mean "God adds" or "a double blessing." He was generous to encourage others with his possessions. (verse 36). In Jesus, he was no longer bound by money. He was a man of both integrity and devotion to the church of God. He acts as a guarantor for others and dedicates himself to them at the cost of his money.
Have you experienced loss for the sake of the Lord? Have you suffered harm, faced criticism, or been misunderstood while trying to save someone else in the name of Jesus? Christians should bear the mark of such wounds while standing as a guarantor for others. Barnabas, a wealthy man used his property to build up the church, support the work of God and help others gain new life in Jesus. Where can we find a wealthy man like him?
He put his assets at the feet of the apostles. It is symbolic and refreshing! He was not a slave of money but ruled money like his slave. Some people put their money at their heads, constantly worrying, "What if I lose my money?" Do not put your wealth (money) at your head. Do not become a slave to it.
To Barnabas, the priority was not money, but mission of God. Whether you are rich or poor, put your money at the feet of the apostles and use it for the sake of the gospel. May our church also live with generosity like Barnabas.
Generosity is not the result of having abundance. It is a matter of faith rooted in Jesus. When you are set free from money and greed, your life expands a hundredfold.
We can't give up what matters most. That is life. Who is a successful person? It is those who discover something more valuable than life. Apostle Paul discovered it. He said, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24) He discovered a mission in Jesus. Life is precious but one day it goes back to dust. If you and I discover something more important and precious than life, we are men of success and we no longer cling desperately to this world.
And what comes next in importance? Isn’t it money? People bet their lives on money. But when you discover something greater than money, money becomes relative. When you see people who are obsessed with money, don’t condemn them. Instead have pity on them. They are bound by money because they have not discovered something greater than money. Instead of judging them, pray that they might discover something far greater than money.
A couple, on the verge of divorce took their daughter to an amusement park. The child sensed that this might be their final picnic. She couldn't enjoy the park. Instead, clinging to her mother’s skirt, she pleaded, "Mommy, please don't go!" Why couldn't she let go her mother’s skirt? Because she was gripped by fear of losing his mother. When the couple reconciled, the child finally let go of her mother’s skirt and began to enjoy the park freely.
The fact that we cannot let go of the world is, in truth pitiful and pathetic. "How anxious must they be to hold onto that and not let go?" I pray that you may meet God—the only One upon whom man can truly rely—as your Shepherd.
Do you know what real strength is? It is sharing and preaching the most important thing, Jesus and his eternal kingdom. When you are filled with Jesus; forgiveness, hope of resurrection and eternal glory, you are no longer bound by money and this world. Being tied with Jesus is the way to be free from anxiety in this broken world. If you are not tied with Jesus, you remain tied with the world, living in fear and anxiety. Jesus is the Creator. I pray for you to become generous to encourage others in the name of Jesus with your materials.
Jesus gave us two commands: love one another and preach the gospel. Here is a question to ask ourselves constantly: "How can I share the Gospel and love others more and better?" This is what faith is. If you obey these two commands, you are man of success and will find both joy and fruitfulness.
Acts 4:23-37
Peter healed a lame in the name of Jesus, leading 5,000 people to believe in Him. Due to persecution by religious leaders, Peter and John were imprisoned.
The religious leaders felt threatened, fearing that their foundation was crumbling. The apostles, too, faced a crisis—being imprisoned—but their approach to handling it was different.
The religious leaders met and discussed. (Acts 4:5). In times of trouble, problem or crisis, if you try to text, email, or call to discuss the situation, you are acting just like those religious leaders. We learn two changes from the disciples through suffering (crisis).
First, the Christiaan community prays for boldness in witness
Look at verse 23. “On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people.” On their release, Peter and John went to the church. Where do you go when you face problems or crisis?
Look at the words, “went back to their own people.” To them, the church was like a family. The biblical truth is that the church of God is like a family. Everyone goes back to their family after work restoring rest, strength and love. Spiritually, church is a family. Spiritual people go back to church of God and gain rest, comfort and strength. If you come to church but feel no sense of rest and strength—just sitting blankly and unmoved—it is because you lack a sense of belonging as part of a family. Being able to share your heart with other Christians is crucial. otherwise, to you, church is just one of those things, and you will grow emptier over time. Though you come to church but lack joy, rest and growth, it may be because you are attending church as a guest rather than as a member of the family. In times of crisis or difficulties, come to church and share your hearts. That is Christian’s life and you will get rest and growth.
What did they do? Verse 24 says, “They raised their voices together in prayer to God.” The church is not a place for discussion but for prayer. Prayer means that I do not live my own thought, experience and understanding but on God’s grace and power.
Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” When the Lord’s wisdom and power are added to our prayers, the result is not simply 1+1=2 but 2 plus ‘alpha’—an additional and divine dimension.
“They raised their voices together in prayer.” Here we see two main words in their prayer, ‘together,’ and ‘raise.’ Their prayer was united and aloud, corporate prayer. Not a few people do not know why they need to join prayer meeting to pray together. They think it time-consuming. No, God show his presence, promise and power when his people pray together. In 1729 at Oxford University, 8 young people gathered and began to pray. In the beginning they prayed for ‘go to church on Sundays, not to drink and smoke.” But more and more their prayer was on fire from heaven that they began to evangelize the whole world. Among them, John Wesely saved U.K from bloody revolution and national corruption and George Whitefield led the First Great Awakening in 18th-century America. “Lord, give some young people among us faith and passion to gather together to pray and change this campus and nation and the world.”
We raise our voices when we are joyful. If you pray silently, it means that you have no joy. And we shout in emergency situations. Suppose you and I are trapped in a burning house or drowning. Who would speak in a quiet tone?
Look at the contents of their prayer. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” (v 24) They did not mention the problems. Their prayer began with ‘Sovereign Lord.”
Before threat, they did not fix their eyes on the problem itself. Instead, they looked toward the Sovereign Lord Creator who rules over the history.
When they fixed their eyes on Sovereign Lord, the Lord gave them divine wisdom to understand what was going on. Look at verse 25. “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” It is quoted from Psalm 2:1–2.
The world is filled with rage. The essence of the world is evil that anger constantly erupts from it. The closer you get to the world, the greater the risk that you will be consumed by that rage. Anger is a hallmark of sin.
When Cain and his offering were not accepted by God, he should have looked at the Lord, calling, “Sovereign Lord.” However, he continued to compare himself with Abel that he was unable to overcome his anger that he murdered his own brother.
When you face problems in studying, job, health and finance, look at God and pray, ‘Sovereign Lord.’ If not, there is a danger to become preys to anger that eventually you explode, destroying the ecosystems of your family, church and society.
Another characteristic of the world is that people plot in vain. People work hard, but their labors and efforts are in vain.
There is a book, ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. In a farm, the animals were exploited harshly for a long time. They rebelled against human tyranny and took over the farm with a slogan, "We are all equal!” But soon the pigs emerged as leaders and exploited other animals even more brutally. The labour and efforts of the world are ultimately futile. Man is incapable of creating a utopia.
A Buddhist monk, respected and famous made a regrettable remark before his death, "My accumulated sins, which fill the heavens, are greater than Mount Sumeru [the colossal mountain at the center of the universe]. I am falling into hell." Without Jesus and his mission, your labour and passion are futile. if you study hard, make money, chase girls, travel and enjoy nice food, it is in vain.
Isaiah 57:20 says, “But the wicked (no faith in Jesus) are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” People in the world have no peace, like a restless and churning sea. They seem to work hard in life yet filth and mud bubbling up from them. Will you follow this path? Are you really going to live like that?
Look at verse 27. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. The disciples of Jesus recognized threats from the world. They understood that a life of believing in Jesus and proclaiming the gospel would inevitably involve suffering and persecution. Then what did they pray for?
Look at verses 29-30. They did not pray to be spared from threats or to live a life of comfort. Instead, they prayed for the boldness to preach and for the power to perform healing, signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.
In our life, problems will never disappear. “I want to live a problem-free life.” No, there is no such life on earth. We continue to meet problems. But why does it matter? Why don't we just solve the problem by the name, Jesus?
A baseball player said, "I want to pitch every single day." He has a good spirit, “I want to experience triumph in every single day.”
In our life, suffering is inevitable. There are two kinds of suffering: suffering for survival and suffering for Jesus and His mission. Since we face suffering regardless, which suffering would you want to choose?
Paul says, “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24) It means, “I choose to suffer for the sake of Jesus and his church.” Then he lived by the power of heaven, spiritual and supernatural.
A life of Jesus’ disciple is two, preaching and experiencing supernatural power. These are their prayer topics and ours, “boldly preaching and experiencing healing and miracles by the Holy Spirit.”
Now Canada faces a crisis. As Christians, do you have message to tell those who are fearful and discouraged? Do you have a message of Jesus crucified and resurrected to tell them?
Martin Loid Jones mentions it, ‘logic on power.’ This means a balance between the word of God and prayer and between intellect and spirituality. In our life of faith, logic and power of heaven are to go hand in hand. “Lord, give us heavenly power. Heal the sick and make weak strong.” When they prayed, what happened?
Look at verse 31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
‘Finished praying’ is in Greek ‘sunbibazo’ meaning being joined or knit together. When they prayed, they were acknowledged and they became tied with Jesus. When we pray, we are tied with Jesus who enables us to live by heavenly power.
Do not be tied with the world. Instead tie yourself with Jesus. If we are tied with worldly ambition, greed and worldly pleasures, this is destined to perish when the world perishes. Instead, bind yourself to the Lord, Jesus and his eternal purpose through prayer. (verses 29–31)
Second, the community shares together.
After prayer, they were tied with Jesus. Then they began to share everything they had. There were no needy persons among them. When they accepted the Lord as their master and the owner of all their possessions, none of them claimed that any of their belongings were their own.
Selfishness is a human instinct. Through the Holy Spirit, their selfishness was overcome, and the greed to possess more disappeared. These days, people often say, "money is thicker than blood." However, the grace of the Holy Spirit is thicker than money.
Look at verse 36-37. Barnabas mean "God adds" or "a double blessing." He was generous to encourage others with his possessions. (verse 36). In Jesus, he was no longer bound by money. He was a man of both integrity and devotion to the church of God. He acts as a guarantor for others and dedicates himself to them at the cost of his money.
Have you experienced loss for the sake of the Lord? Have you suffered harm, faced criticism, or been misunderstood while trying to save someone else in the name of Jesus? Christians should bear the mark of such wounds while standing as a guarantor for others. Barnabas, a wealthy man used his property to build up the church, support the work of God and help others gain new life in Jesus. Where can we find a wealthy man like him?
He put his assets at the feet of the apostles. It is symbolic and refreshing! He was not a slave of money but ruled money like his slave. Some people put their money at their heads, constantly worrying, "What if I lose my money?" Do not put your wealth (money) at your head. Do not become a slave to it.
To Barnabas, the priority was not money, but mission of God. Whether you are rich or poor, put your money at the feet of the apostles and use it for the sake of the gospel. May our church also live with generosity like Barnabas.
Generosity is not the result of having abundance. It is a matter of faith rooted in Jesus. When you are set free from money and greed, your life expands a hundredfold.
We can't give up what matters most. That is life. Who is a successful person? It is those who discover something more valuable than life. Apostle Paul discovered it. He said, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24) He discovered a mission in Jesus. Life is precious but one day it goes back to dust. If you and I discover something more important and precious than life, we are men of success and we no longer cling desperately to this world.
And what comes next in importance? Isn’t it money? People bet their lives on money. But when you discover something greater than money, money becomes relative. When you see people who are obsessed with money, don’t condemn them. Instead have pity on them. They are bound by money because they have not discovered something greater than money. Instead of judging them, pray that they might discover something far greater than money.
A couple, on the verge of divorce took their daughter to an amusement park. The child sensed that this might be their final picnic. She couldn't enjoy the park. Instead, clinging to her mother’s skirt, she pleaded, "Mommy, please don't go!" Why couldn't she let go her mother’s skirt? Because she was gripped by fear of losing his mother. When the couple reconciled, the child finally let go of her mother’s skirt and began to enjoy the park freely.
The fact that we cannot let go of the world is, in truth pitiful and pathetic. "How anxious must they be to hold onto that and not let go?" I pray that you may meet God—the only One upon whom man can truly rely—as your Shepherd.
Do you know what real strength is? It is sharing and preaching the most important thing, Jesus and his eternal kingdom. When you are filled with Jesus; forgiveness, hope of resurrection and eternal glory, you are no longer bound by money and this world. Being tied with Jesus is the way to be free from anxiety in this broken world. If you are not tied with Jesus, you remain tied with the world, living in fear and anxiety. Jesus is the Creator. I pray for you to become generous to encourage others in the name of Jesus with your materials.
Jesus gave us two commands: love one another and preach the gospel. Here is a question to ask ourselves constantly: "How can I share the Gospel and love others more and better?" This is what faith is. If you obey these two commands, you are man of success and will find both joy and fruitfulness.