NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passage: Acts 4:23-31
Discussion Question:
— What’s a skill you learned as a child or teen that paid off later?
Food for Thought by Paul Chitwood*
Lazy summer days were interrupted when my father announced to my brothers and me that our house needed a fresh coat of paint, and that we would be the ones to meet that need. He had come home on a lunch break with several buckets of paint, three brushes, and a roller. Since our house was old and we were painting outside, his painting lesson lasted about 15 minutes before he left again for work.
We managed over the next week to cover with paint every inch of the exterior — and plenty of grass and sidewalk.
A few years later, I signed on with the custodian of our church who was making extra money as a painter in the evenings. He was a skilled painter. The skills he passed along to me were significantly more advanced than dad’s tutorial. In fact, my mentor eventually handed me his business. Keeping it in the family, I recruited my old painting partners, my brothers, and we literally “painted the town,” that is, many of the houses and buildings in the small town we called home.
As we learn and hone a new skill, we progressively become more self-reliant. That’s a good thing in every area but one: we should never lose our dependence on God in any area of our lives. No matter how confident we become in ministry and sharing the Gospel, we must always maintain a dependence on Him through prayer. Jesus’ followers model that for us in Acts 4.
Fresh out of jail and having courageously told the religious leaders they had no plans to stop sharing about Jesus, Peter and John told the other believers about their experience. Hearing about the miscarriage of justice and the persecution and jailing of their brothers, how did the other believers respond?
Rather than hire an attorney, organize a protest march in the streets, or flee the city in fear, the believers prayed. The words of their prayer help us understand why that was the right response. They acknowledged realities about God that reveal our dependence on Him in every circumstance of life.
The believers acknowledged God is the “Master” and “the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.” The Greek word for “master” is despota, from which the English word “despot” is derived, referring to someone who holds absolute authority. The believers reverenced God, acknowledging his authority over everything.
The reality of God’s omnipotence is a source of encouragement and courage for every believer, not just those who suffer religious persecution. Assured that we lift our prayers to the One who reigns supreme over every circumstance, gives us confidence as we face such hardships as illness, financial struggles, grief or a prodigal child.
At times we’re able to look back and see how even the most painful of circumstances have worked for our good (Romans 8:28). In eternity, we’ll be able to see the truth clearly. Until then, our confidence rests in our omnipotent God.
Believers today, like those who prayed in response to the report from Peter and John, can courageously obey God when we find ourselves in conflict with people’s opinions or even human laws. Acknowledging God’s omnipotence and sovereignty over the affairs of the world means we should also acknowledge and submit to God’s sovereign rule over our lives. Our belief in Jesus as Lord should be on display in the courageous ways we obey God’s Word, from consequential decisions about answering a call to missions, to everyday decisions like gathering regularly with other believers for worship, being generous givers, or readily sharing the Gospel.
*Paul Chitwood is president of the International Mission Board.
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students, and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by Lifeway can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool.
