Creating Movement

The disciple’s first response to persecution was to pray. When they prayed about their problem, they acknowledged the sovereignty of God then gave God the problem. They concluded by committing themselves to live according to the promises of God rather than by conventional wisdom. As a result of this prayer, “the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, NLT).

It takes prayer to create the movement of God.

Maybe you’re like me in that you’ve tried to create the movement of God on your own, apart from prayer. Doing things like bargaining with God or trying to earn favor by your good works are just a couple of ways we try to create movement. But the bottom line is that God moves in response to prayer.

When he does move, he moves within his people to fulfill his plan and purpose. The disciples were filled with the Spirit, and when they were filled with the Spirit the gospel spilled from their lips. Remember that whenever you’re shaken, whatever fills you will spill out. In Acts 4, when the place was shaken the gospel spilled out of the disciples because the Spirit was what they were full of.