United Camp Meeting: Day 7

Youth shared Jesus with the nearby town of Clinton during camp meeting.

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• Summary of Bill Knott's final sermon

• Photos

Thursday night, June 26, with Bill Knott: For a group of Christians who had an experience with Jesus, they were a grim looking lot. They'd been dead for at least 700 years, so all opportunities for sharing warmth were now gone. Knott was standing in an old European church, looking up at cold marble statutes with faces consumed with the pain of living here below. "These are the saints," the guide told him. No, thought Knott, they are not the saints. The real congregation of saints are those struggling with sin, crying, hurting, tired, trusting, praying people who gather regularly on their knees, like those described in Acts 4:23-31. Scriptures indicate that the true church is:

Provocative: You may think the goal is to hide in the closet and hold your breath until Jesus comes, but the resurrection is not going to be represented by quiet, inert people. God's people in Acts set fires wherever they went. The church didn't start with a whisper, and it won't end with one either.

Persecuted: The long record of the civil rights struggles give us fresh stories of persecution, but those involved didn't get persecuted because of tame words and blending in. Persecution comes when people get serious. Too many times, Knott has heard: "We are thankful that we're not persecuted here." Lack of persecution is a testimony against our faithfulness and obedience. Evil is here, but we have gone underground. Knott is not calling us to do stupid things and taunt evil. But if we obey and evangelize, we will experience persecution.

Prayerful: The prayer meeting in Acts 4 addressed the sovereign Lord. When God's church prays, they're not praying to the God who is in charge of 80 percent. He is sovereign over all. They know that God has trumped every act of evil: killing Jesus was transformed into His life-giving resurrection. They pray: Lord, notice that evil lifts up against your church and the name of Jesus. We know You will deal with them. They only ask for boldness and faithfulness. The only danger is losing their faithfulness and trust in God.

Powerful: God was so delighted with their prayer that He sent power immediately. The place where they were meeting was shaken. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke, not with brazenness, belligerence, or militance, but with boldness. God's people are not to overtake politics but take the gospel to the world.