Written
by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
O LORD our Lord,
how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the
heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou
mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work
of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man,
that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For
thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with
glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all [things] under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the
beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, [and
whatsoever] passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how
excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8 verses
1 to 9,
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou
shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light
shall shine upon thy ways. Job Chapter 22 verses 27 to 28.
The
early Church called the shots severally. They refused to be silenced despite
several harassments, threats to life and intimidation by the religious leaders
of the day. As they chose to obey God rather than men (Acts Chapter 4 verses 18
to 31); the Church grew, the word of God multiplied and the believers were
strengthened and comforted; and God worked many miracles by the hands of the
Apostles.
Additionally,
the early Church called the shots by rebuking sin, particularly the sin of
deception and falsehood. The consequences of the sin of deception and falsehood
by Ananias and Sapphira was enough warning and deterrent against sin as the
Bible records that great fear came upon the Church and all those who heard the
story. Please read Acts Chapter 5 verses 1 to 11 for details.
King
Herod dared to stretch out his hand against the early Church. He took the
Church unawares and killed James the brother of John. When Herod saw that his
evil act against the Church pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize
Peter. However, the Church successfully called the shots against Herod’s
harassment of the Church through constant prayer for the deliverance of the
Apostle Peter from the unjust death sentence by King Herod. Though Peter was already sentenced and
imprisoned; bound with two chains between two soldiers and surrounded by
several other guards, about to be killed; the Church kept praying, praying
without ceasing.
