This study was first taught on January 3, 2021

Topic: Dealing with Opposition Against God’s Will for You (2): A Pattern for Victory

(use the audio to study)

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Background
We began to look at how the early church dealt with the issue of the threat from the Sanhedrin seeking to make them stop preaching and teaching in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw that when they were let go, they went to their own companions and reported to them what had transpired and they in turn raised their voice to God.

By this, we surmised that dealing with oppostition to doing the will of God, but begin by getting wise counsel. And what better place than among people who share a common faith with you, and more importantly, for The Counsellor, the Holy Sprirt, who has been given to us to be our Paraclete—our closeby Consultant!

We noted that in seeking counsel, we should seek counsel from people who are willing to go with us in the implementation, not just people who will give counsel and sit back. We also noted that every counsellor has an agenda, and so we must follow the counsel of those whose agenda align with ours. On both grounds, we have the Holy Spirit, who is always with us to implement His counsel, and whose agenda is the implementation of the will of God!

Finally, we noted, that no matter the multitude of counsellors at our disposal, it is always good practice to go to God before and after such counsel. Also, any counsel that does not lead you to God is not a wise counsel and should be dismissed and discarded.

Scripture Text(s)
Acts 4:23-31
As we continue from where we stopped last week, we move on to look at the pattern of the early church as they handled the challenge of opposition to doing the will of God.
Whenever the will of God is to be done, there will always be opposition (<strong>1 Corinthians 16:9</strong>). As we study today, we shall look at the pattern of the early church, with a view to applying same to our situation today.
Acts 4:24; Matthew 6:9; Psalm 133; Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-4; Matthew 18:18-20; Amos 3:3; 1 Kings 3:5-14; Psalm 24:1; 2:1ff; 2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 4:10-11; Colossians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:19; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Acts 12:5; James 5:16b-18; 1 Kings 18:41-46; 2 Chronicles 20:1-20; 1 John 5:14-15.

Conclusion
The church of God today, must return to the pattern set by the early church, which made them victorious, if we are to be likewise victorious. We must:
 Depend on God more and absolutely;
 Pray to God and not to men or display our spiritual ignorance on social media;
 Pray as one man to God;
 Pray without fanfarae;
 Trust God absolutely; and,
 Seek to receive the kind of earth-shaking and instant results they received.

For the church of God, prayer must be our first and last resort. We must learn to consult God on every matter, no matter how insignificant or small—it may be insignificant or small to you, but they may have major consequences for our future and eternity!

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