Sunday message · 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting series
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Message Summary
In the second week of the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting series, Pastor Phillip Santillan pivots to Acts 4:23–32. He rarely addresses current events, having seen it build political tribes rather than disciples, but in Brooklyn Park some things feel close: families are pressured and people are on edge amid immigration enforcement, protests and violence. Under pressure, he observes, most of us spiral, grasp for control or go quiet. But Jesus did not save us to be discipled by fear, outrage or endless hot takes; he saved us to be steady, prayerful and courageous.
After Peter and John heal a man lame from birth, the church grows into the thousands. Arrested and brought before the leaders, Peter declares there is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12). Ordered to stop speaking about Jesus, they reply that they cannot stop speaking about what they have seen and heard. Phil admits he might have prayed only for protection.
Instead, Peter and John return to their own people, who raise their voices together. Followers of Christ do not isolate under pressure but let their church family bear their burdens (Galatians 6:2). Their prayer starts with who God is, the Master who made heaven, earth and sea. If God is Creator, the threat is real but not ultimate; the pressure may be loud, but it is not sovereign.
Next they interpret their moment through Scripture, praying Psalm 2, which describes the nations raging against the Lord and his Messiah. Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and Israel all gathered against Jesus, yet did only what God’s plan had determined. God’s sovereignty does not excuse human sin, Phil says, but human sin cannot derail God’s plan. The deepest problem is not a lack of information but a lack of being formed by Christ. Though much of what we feel is cultural pressure rather than persecution, the question stands: will we be discipled by fear or by God’s Word?
The church names the threats and asks, not for them to disappear, but for boldness to speak God’s word. Survival mode says protect yourself; courageous faith says, Lord, help me obey. They also ask for healing, signs and wonders, not for spectacle but so that Jesus would be hard to ignore, and Phil invites the church to pray that way for friends burned by religion. The place is shaken, they are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak boldly, and an outbreak of generosity follows as they give themselves to God’s mission of making disciples.
Acts 4 does not mention fasting, and Phil will not force it into the text, but fasting is embodied dependence that retrains our reflexes. His challenge is to let pressure prompt the Acts 4 reflex: interpret circumstances through Scripture, name what is real, ask for courageous obedience, and ask God to show up powerfully so people know Jesus is real. He also encourages fasting one day this week from a comfort such as food or media, turning each moment of discomfort into dependence. “Pressure doesn’t have to disciple you,” he says. “Jesus can.”
