Acts 4:23-31
On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’ 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. They did what your power and will had decided before hand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 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.
Reflection
This passage of scripture comes right on the heels of Peter and John being arrested and harassed for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus. These two apostles were told never to teach or preach in the name of Jesus again. Even though they were ordered not to proclaim Jesus they did not follow those orders. This began a period of time when the church came under persecution.
When Peter and John were released they went back to the community of believers and shared with them what happened and they prayed together and asked for strength and boldness to continue proclaiming the gospel. Because the believers shared adversity and troubled times together it drew them closer together.
Their community deepened because they needed to depend on and strengthen one another. A common cause and shared adversity drew then closer together.
How has common difficulty created a bond between you and others? How can that happen in the life of the church?
