Peter and John Before the Council
4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray for Boldness
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
They Had Everything in Common
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (ESV)
“What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Boooyahhhhhhh!!! They just got owned!!! lol
I guess the idea here is that God is > man
God tells us to go and make disciples of all nations, and so if a man tells us to do otherwise, we have to take God’s authority over his.
…and that means to evangelize!!!! Not to just talk about getting out there and telling people, but to actually, physically do it! We need more Christians to be doing this!!!!! (actually, we need ALL christians to be doing this. God didn’t command only a small group of Christians to spread the word but all of them. That includes you.
excited for tomorrow’s chapter!!! It has some of my favorite verses in it. d:- )
AWESOME comment Jeremy! This definitely includes me! I am one of those people who talks about evangelism but needs to do it WAY more! Thank you for spurring me on this morning!
haha that was exactly what I was thinking! As I was reading it I was like “mmmmmmmm amen to that!!!!!”
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
I love how even though they were locked up in jail, when they got out they still prayed to God to give them MORE boldness to proclaim his word. This truly shows how gifted these two were and how much they believed in what they were doing for God.
Nice seein you on early in the morning Tanny! <3
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We must repent and become saved because this is the ONLY way to heaven. Christianity does not mean that you get into heaven by good works or good deeds but to repent and trust in God, the good deeds will follow. We need to make sure that we have salvation in God and that we will be in heaven with him forever.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Peter doesn’t beat around the bush! When asked a question, he gets straight to the gospel – salvation through Jesus Christ! He sets an example for us in evangelism. We need to always be bringing the conversation back to Jesus and what he has done. May we have this boldness in True North!
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
I loved this verse so much because I feel we as Christians sometimes get made fun of. I was remembering Pastor Bobbys sermon on how sometimes it will be hard and we will get made fun of. All of the laughing does not matter as we have the holy spirit of God. What really counts is that we stand up for God and that’s what they did. They prayed and went to god as they Faced this diffuicult time.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Boldness is a key word in the book of Acts. The apostles had a Spirit-inspired courage and confidence to evangelize in the face of danger and persecution. I can have the same boldness when I witness to the lost because the same Spirit lives within me! Knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who emboldens me to proclaim the gospel with His words and power motivates me to let go of any fear or awkwardness that might dissuade me from sharing my faith with others. Lord, please help me to remember that it is You who gives me the courage and confidence to share the truth about sin and salvation. It has nothing to do with me making a fine-sounding argument for Christianity, and everything to do with Your Spirit within me speaking the Truth of Scripture, which is what changes hearts!
Great posts today! Salvation by no one else!!!
Acts 4:33-35 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Not only is eternal life paid for by Jesus but great grace was given in this life to those who were doing His work! I want that kind of freedom in this life too: focusing on sharing the gospel and knowing that God always provides contentedness in that!
Acts 4:1-4
4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
what i really liked about these verses, is what peter did hes following God instead of men..hes living to tell the gospel of Jesus Christ. this really helps me out cuz it gives me the courage to go do the same at my school and even outside of my school. Sometimes i get scared or worried when i wanna tell someone at my school, because everytime i do they back fire on me then i dont kno what to you. But now i kno its not me thats talking its the holy spirt talking and tellling me what to say…so i shoudnt be worried thats bad. i also like it how they through them in jail if i found out that would happen to me in my mind i would be like i would for God. but in my outside i would be like “ok ill stop talking bout him” NO we shouldnt who and whats better then are awsome God?
Anita, great comment! :) So encouraging.
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Peter and John get told that they cannot preach the gospel anymore. But they continue to do it, because they cannot help but do it. They chose to fear God rather than men. They would rather be thrown in jail for preaching the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ rather than disobey the God who save them! I need to learn from their example. While preaching the gospel hasn’t been made illegal, it certainly is looked down upon. The campus lunches have had opposition, and having the gospel preached to you at the movies in a Saturday night isn’t the funnest thing to experience. Yet I need to not back down and fear men! I need to fear God like Peter and John and continue to spread the good news! I am praying that the Lord will give me the boldness of these two men, that I may further the kingdom of God!
What a chapter! I’m loving the book of Acts!
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul…” (vs.32).
Once again, God has set the bar way high in the sky for us who are Christians and members of the family and body of Christ. We are the Church, and these people acted like it!
The fact that the whole, full number (not one missing), complete, entire church body of believers loved and treated each other as such, as one body, is amazing! Weren’t there like up to 5,000 believers there?! How many do we have at True North? Far less. Yet everyone of them were knit together in care and mutual concern for the other. How much more should we be like this at True North. Lord, may this be the future of True North!
First, I need to start with the way I treat others, and Christ led the example that there is no way to love another then by being ‘here to serve’. Christ humbled himself by washing the disciples feet. Likewise, I need to humble my self and serve my brothers and sisters in Christ! Here to serve! I’m excited for True North tonight!
I agree Spence! There’s a lot of friendship and brotherhood at True North, but compared to the early church, it seems like we’ve gotten pretty lazy. Treating others with love is the first step towards building a church with a more solid foundation.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
I loved reading these verses!!! This is amazing to me. I love reading how God answers their prayers so they could speak the word of God with boldness! What an awesome prayer, I want to pray for boldness and words to speak when I am sharing the gospel.
ELLO… I read
I like verse 31,”And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
I like this verse because it talks about GOD giving the apostles courage. When I need to stand up for GOD I must remember to pray. if I don’t pray then I am not showing faith. I must pray whenever I need courage to preach. I need GOD to help me with everything.
CYA
Wow, Acts just gets better and better!! :)
Two separate sections really stood out to me, personally.
Verses 8-10 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.’”
AND verse 32: “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.”
Verse 8-10 really stood out to me because it is showing that Peter had courage because he was in the Holy Spirit, and he stood up for God when he was being tried. We as Christians always know that we need to stand up and tell people the honest truth about Christ, but Peter didn’t hesitate a second. He didn’t worry about how it would affect him, he just jumped in and said what the Holy Spirit had urged him to say. I find that to not only be impressing, but a really good reminder as well. Peter did it when his life could have been at stake, so why am I not doing it NOW? Verse 32 stood out to me because, to me it seemed like, because we are in God we are all one. Like the verse, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” We are all one in Christ and He is the basis for our communal happiness.
I’m enjoying Acts & praying to the Lord that reading it will help me to act more like the disciples did.
See you tonight @ broom hockey & church! ;)
18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
This is awesome! Peter and John are getting persecuted by being thrown into jail by preaching the name of Jesus (Gospel)! The authority is asking them (in past verses) how they’re doing this and they give God the glory by saying it was all Him! Here, they are telling Peter and John not to preach the Gospel, but they fear God rather than man and they say NO! The authority can’t punish them because they’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, there is a revival starting! People are starting to get saved and praising God! We should be like Peter and John! What are we waiting for? Are faith is so easy to just to tell. Let the person you know you are Christian (not trying to look righteous in a prideful way) & share the Gospel!
Preaching the Gospel is all in our minds, we can make it hard or no big deal. Are you gonna fear what man is going to do to you? Have we really counted the cost if we are not willing to at least preach the Gospel?
Thanks guys for all the encouraging comments yesterday! Love you all!
The first half of the chapter I was so excited, it actually got me pumped to go out there and spread the Gospel! XD I was just like “Peter, you rock!” (budumpsssss). Peter even laid down an old prophecy in the Old Testament where it says Jesus is the cornerstone and without it, the building would just fall. WE neeeed Jesus. They obviously, didn’t understand that. Peter had the fire for God! The 5000 that were saved had the fire for God! SO COOL! Can you imagine all the students at Aliso or Dana, having a heart for God just praising Him? THAT WOULD BE SOOO AWESOME! We would still have to add a 1000 to that in order to get 5000. That’s so incredible! Lord I pray that that time will come where many will be praising You, Jesus Christ, the maker of Heaven and Earth and that I will be bold in sharing the Gospel. May the Holy Spirit give me the words to speak and the courage to speak against a lost world. God is good! :)
Maranatha.
“Peter, you rock!”
Love it. :)
Great comment! I agree that it’d be awesome to see that many people get saved at our school!
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This paragraph is so powerful to me. Peter is completely and 100% unashamed as he boldly proclaims the power of Christ, and calls out the people as the ones who rejected and killed Him. If Peter can make a statement like this in front of all the leaders and elders of a city, people that held the power to kill him, I should be able to be this bold at my school, with my friends, or wherever I go.
Great comment.
14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
I absolutely love this part – Jesus healed this man, and he is living proof of God’s powerful spirit. He is undeniable… no one can argue that! It’s such a simple, yet powerful statement.
YESSS praise the Lord for His awesome power Kailey! :D
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
How awesome would this be if true north just started shaking one weekend because our faith and prayer was just so strong. Sometimes during worship i feel like this is happening, its awesome how all of us are together worshipping the Lord!! I pray that everyone at true north, including myself can speak God’s word with boldness!!
Good comment Jenae! We need to be bold! It would be awesome if True North literally shook! But I agree with you that sometimes it feels like it is shaking with all that God is doing!
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
Jesus came down to earth to save us–but, according to His plan, was flat out rejected by the people He came to save, being killed. But this didn’t stop Him at all; on the contrary, He then raised himself from the dead to show that He is God! Now He is the most important part of our entire lives (even if some people won’t accept it). It’s amazing how powerful and kind our God is.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I really love the boldness shown here. Proclaiming the Word in front of all these people, and being firm in their faith so that no matter who told them to stop, they kept preaching it. I’m on board with Jeremy’s comment here – a lot of people, I think, talk about evangelism in a positive way, but need to really act on it more. I include myself in that group. I really ought to be more bold when it comes to talking to people I know about the Gospel.
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
This verse really stresses brotherhood in the church. It reminds me of something Mr. Cox is constantly telling me – no matter what background we may come from, or what our interests may be, we always have one thing in common as Christians: Jesus Christ. Our love and fervor for him should be enough to look past any superficial differences, such as what we like to do in our spare time, or what our hobbies are.
Amen!
The apostle Peter is such a bold person. I understand that Peter himself is not bold, but the Holy Spirit within him giving him the boldness to do the will of God. It’s amazing how much the church has grown in such a short time. Only by God can these things ever have happened. It’s evident that the pharisees and scribes when it says of them, “when [the rulers and elders and scribes] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished” (v. 13). Clearly, Peter and John were not saying these things because they were good and intellectual speakers, but because some outside forced helped them out. That outside force, obviously, is God. Without God, the expansion of the church would be stopped by the religious leaders of the day. Even more, the church wasn’t just a religious belief, but they were a family. Such is clear when Luke writes: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (vv. 34-35). Their giving and love towards each other demonstrates that God is present among them. This is how a church must act. We can’t be people who show up to hear the sermon then walk away. That’s not enough. We need to come together as the church family and support and encourage and love one another. I always loved this description of the church because I know that this is how it’s supposed to be. Compass Bible Church is an amazing church where many, if not all, the people love and encourage one another. I am blessed to have found this church.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Christ is the one and only way. Even though the road to an eternity in Heaven may be narrow, it is far more worth it than traveling the commonly traveled wide road of the world which leads to hell. We should be careful not to get distracted by the things of this world, but always put God first. That means when you have to define who you are, the first thing to come to your mind should be: I am a Christian, because I choose to be a disciple of Christ. I’ve learned that though there may seem to be many great things in this world, Christ is the only one who satisfies and can remain a strong cornerstone to build a house of faith upon.
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
I liked this verse because its an awesome reminder of how important prayer is and how through it God will help us to be bold when speaking the word to non-believers. I pray that God would continue to help me be bold when I go out and tell others of Him. :)
19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Oh my gosh the apostles are awesome!! The apostles kept getting called back to the scribes and rulers and elders, and they kept on praising God and spreading the gospel. How awesome. They were BOLD, like the heading for verses 23-31 say. How incredible. I need to be more like that.
Verses 19-20 show how the apostles WANTED to obey authority (see 1 Peter 18-19) but since they were asking them to go against God’s will, they poitely said that they would not. What strikes me the most is how they did it with a cool spirit. They did not get offended and start yelling at the authorities.
Verse 31 reminded me that I need to be praying for BOLDNESS. Boldness against Satan, boldness for serving, and a boldness for Christ! I pray that this coming week I will be BOLD!
This chapter gets me pumped up to rep Christ! I want to be bold to tell people that there is no other name by which they can be saved (verse 12!)
33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
The apostles were able to speak with great power because they were receiving great grace! We should all be able to live boldly for Christ because we have God’s grace in our lives! This is what we are going to talk about tonight at True North! Hope to see you there!
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I love this verse because it is straight to the point, as well as Peter who preached the gospel boldly! I want to be more like Peter and strongly talk to other people in sharing the gospel with them. Many people need to hear it and do not know the Lord, and I know its my job to be the one they hear it from! it might only be the first time so I want to set a good example and represent Christ in all I do. You can only get saved if God wants that and works in your life! He is the only one who can save you, there is no good deed to do in order to earn some free ticket to heaven. As a Christian, I know I can plant seeds, but the outcome if that person becomes a Christian is all because of God! The Lord is so powerful and holy and I do not know why he would humble himself and take the punishment we deserve! We are all sinners who do not deserve any of what God has given us, yet he is so good ALL the time! I want to have an attitude of that where I am in constant praise and worship! There is so much to be thankful for, and all the glory goes to God! I want to step it up in evangelism and be bold and courageous, which Peter sets a good example of. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me the words to say when I talk to other people and that I will really make sure I do a good job with explaining the gospel! It starts with you. It starts with me!
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
When we turn to God and put our full trust and faith in Him, He is faithful and He will use us to accomplish great things. Instead of being frightened or discouraged by the threats they received, Peter and the others immediately turn to God and ask Him to continue to give them boldness and courage. They understand that God is using them to advance His kingdom–and they want to serve Him faithfully. God hears their prayer and rewards their faith. No trial I face should shake my faith in Christ or prevent me from telling about His goodness and mercy. I need to continually call upon the Lord for boldness and strength so that I will always proclaim His name with all the glory and honor it deserves. If I don’t proclaim God’s name, He will find someone else who will–and I don’t want that to happen; I want God to trust me with His good work.
4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
This verse sticks out to me, not because of the 5,000 new Christians (although that is amazing!), but that it is thrown in the middle without much exclamation. When churches begin to ficus on getting a large number of people saves it is awesome at first. Then the amount of people going to the church is what they are focusing on. We should always remember that souls saved is more important than how many people are going to church. Church is for Christians to be trained up to go spread the gospel and for fellowship like a community so we can help each other grow. One things about Compass I love is the realism of the saved people. We’ve got Christians at our church, but we still need to spread the gospel at church to the unsaved because there are some.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
I want to be so bold for Jesus that people notice it! Praying that God will give me this boldness and the right things to say for His glory!
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
How cool is this? I want to be bold too and to live a life that make people go, Wow, she loves Jesus! I want everything I do to reflect who he is and make my life all about him. Being bold for the gospel is something I am always praying for. It’s not always easy to bring up, but then I remember that if I love that person, I will speak truth to them and it’s also being obedient to the Lord. My prayer today is that I stay bold for Jesus, not allowing satan to make me think I shouldn’t speak up for what I believe in.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness
Peter just stood up in front of the religious leaders of the day and boldly preached the gospel, and now He is praying for even more boldness! He did not try to ignore the danger he was in; rather, as this verse shows, he acknowledged it, but relied even more heavily on God to give him the strength he needed! We are most likely not in danger of losing our lives or being thrown in prison, but we do face hostility to the message of Christ nearly every day. When this happens, I need to turn to God for the strength to keep going, being bold no matter what those around me say!
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Every day I feel like I understand just a little bit more of how HUGE the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is. He really is the only thing that’s going to save us and it’s not just about knowing that, but having a relationship with him because you are saved in him. As Hunter said on the senior take over sermon, if you are idolizing other things besides God, he is just going to let you have them. God is the only thing to strive for and Jesus Christ is the only way to get to Him.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This just shows God’s masterful plan. God knew that Christ would be rejected and hated by many, but He still chose Jesus as the King of heaven. Those who would believe in Him would be with Him for eternity. Christ Jesus is the only one with the power to save and the only way to be saved is to put your trust in Him and know that He did die to save us.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Peter and John are amazing! This kind of persecution is not something we face today, and yet they are out there evangelizing more than most people today! The boldness they have is awesome, and something i think i could definitely work on. We hardly have consequences, if any for sharing the gospel, and it does not even come remotely close to the persecution they endured. we should be evangelizing that much more!
Yesssss we should beee!!!!!
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We either believe God’s Word or we don’t. And it’s funny how sometimes we as people want to even mis-use the word, “believe.”
If my smoke detectors go off in the house, my response will prove my belief. If I sit there and continue to make my dinner, disregarding the alarm, I do not believe it. Even if I leave the kitchen real quick to go silence it or flip the button off so that it stops–if I go back to my kitchen and pick right back up where I left off, this is proof that I do not believe it. Even if I SAY I believe it! If I do not radicaly change my course of action, and STOP what I WAS doing (so that means I should turn off the burners on the stove and quit making my dinner), and then CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY regarding my actions, then how much do I REALLY BELIEVE it, if I don’t CHANGE?
“But I’m so hungry–I’ll just have dinner FIRST real quick, BEFORE I get outta this burning house.”
REALLY?! Hey, if flames are flying at you, you get OUT! Your appetite goes away! Your brain re-prioritizes things, and you get the heck outta Dodge!
“But what about cleaning up after myself? I can’t just LEAVE it.”
REALLY?! Oh, you LEAVE it sister (or Mister)! It’s all about to get swooped up by the fire ANYhow!
“But what about my loved ones or my pets?”
YAH, NO KIDDING! You don’t keep the fact that your house is on fire a SECRET, for crying out loud! You TELL your loved ones! You stick to your plan of safety, but you URGE them to get out of the fire, TOO!
Isn’t this what we’re TALKING about, living in this life with the fire of hell burning after us? We SEE the smoke, we SMELL it, some even have third degree burns to PROVE it.
So…do we BELIEVE it? What sort of evidence do we have that proves our declarations of belief…?
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
I definitely need to be praying to God like this more. I pray that I can speak His word with boldness instead of worrying about what will happen. Next time when I am evangelizing I will keep this verse in mind. They are such great examples of evangelism and I pray that I can have such boldness!
21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened
It’s amazing that the Apostles were sent to jail because they were spreading the Gospel. many today are ridiculed, tortured, or even killed just cause they were telling people about Christ. what then about me, who lives in a place where there isnt a lot of intolerance towards Christians. I pray for serious boldness so that I can spread the Gospel.
One can feel the tension between the council and the apostles now!! In this chapter, the holy spirit is mentioned twice as the source behind their boldness in speaking the gospel. It’s funny how some people think that the holy spirit leaves them as they start to walk off the path to righteousness and comes back when they decide to repent. The holy spirit is with us the day we become christians and stays for the rest of our lives!! The holy spirit is what gives us the power to overcome sin and be bold for Christ. Sometimes, I depend on myself too much to do things and stumble, forgetting that my reliance needs to be on God. Thank you God for your grace in giving us your holy spirit to get us through each day!! :D
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Throughout history people are persecuted and even put to death for preaching the name of Jesus. It is a powerful name, and because enemies of it know that it is the truth, they are afraid of it and the response is to punish those who are spreading the news. I want the boldness that Peter and John have
4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.
That is definitely a revival that broke out and that got me thinking what if that broke out in that oc. that would be soooooooo cool. This verse makes me want to pray for revival in the oc. Also the boldness of Peter and John encourages me to be bold for christ and go evangelize to every one that I can.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I love acts! I loved when we talked about this at church. It is awesome. Our salvation comes directly from the grace of Jesus. We cannot be saved by anyone except Jesus. jesus is the only one with the power and grace to save us! He did this all through his death and resurrection on the cross. God grace also gives me the strength to be Bold, just like John and Peter. Now i must take God’s power, trust in Him, and put it to use!(:
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts is such an encouraging book! Verse 11 talks about Jesus being rejected by the people around him. It comforts me to know that God will never reject us or forsake us, no matter what happens. Jesus is our cornerstone to hold us up high and strong in his name. God is the only one who can save us and he is the only one to praise and worship. It would be a complete waste of time to be worshiping a false god when I can be worshiping a mighty and loving God!
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
-God is the ONLY one who gives us salvation and we need to know “we can’t do it by ourselves only God can”
Also I LOVED the sermon tonight! SO good to know that God’s grace gives us strength! :)
Verse 4
5,000 people! That’s crazy! They were proclaiming the true gospel and they were thrown into to jail overnight for it. But look at how many people were saved. This reminds me to not be timid if you’re out-numbered while evangelizing and to get punished for sharing the gospel is completely worth it no matter what.
19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
I love these two verses! Peter and John are saying they have to listen to God over man. They did not allow the Pharisees to intimidate them. They truly feared God over man. I want to follow their example in my life and not fear what other people will do to me but make sure that I follow all of God’s commands.
Vs 4
this verse makes me think of one word: Revival. It’s extreemely hard to fathom 5000 men getting saved within days of the church starting, but then again, anything is possible with God. I think we need to keep this In mind as the last day of school is approaching and we are coming closer to being out of time.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
This verse is my prayer, that no matter what threats or opposition I may face for repping Christ, that God will grant me his grace to open my mouth and never stop talking about Jesus Christ!
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
BAM!! Peter and John held nothing back when they were put in front of the council. The very people that crucified Jesus were trying to stop these me, yet they did nothing to step down. Its kind of embarrassing when I am afraid to talk to someone because Im afraid that they wont agree with me. If these guys could put their lives on the line, to preach the gospel, then surely I could tell my fellow students about Jesus. This gives me courage and hope to know that if these men could risk their lives, than I can spare a few friends to spread the Gospel!! Let’s start getting out there no matter what tries to stop us!!!
Acts 4
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
This is the same response that we should have when we encounter opposition to standing up for Jesus Christ. In who are we to be fearful of in judgment man of God? I love how Peter was given power thru the Holy Spirit to silence the highly educated high priests. This is the same power given to us thru His Holy Spirit when we stand up and evangelize others in the name of Jesus Christ. Again we see thousands of people come to believe in Jesus Christ. God gives the power of His Spirit to empower His faithful servants to lead nonbelievers to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I just love this analogy. Jesus was rejected by the elders but yet He is the ONLY way to be saved.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
God can do incredible things! Peter and John were probably less educated than even me, a high schooler. They were fisherman, a lowly job, and the didn’t have high social status. Despite all this, God used them as Apostles to do INCREDIBLE things. This is just one example, as the Pharisees were amazed at the boldness of these ordinary men. Peter and John were ON FIRE for the Lord! I want to like them and I know that God can and will do amazing things with me if I offer myself to him to do his work!
Another intense chapter about the start of the church! So glad we’re going through this book. Boldness seems to be one of the main, recurring themes. As Bobby mentioned in his Sermon today, Peter went through a radical transformation — from scared of being associated with Jesus to proud to suffer for Him. We Christians have that same power of the Holy Spirit, yet how often it seems we hide behind lame excuses like “well I’m not a super-Christian.” Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit. Every Christian has the power of God living in them! Let’s be encouraged by that fact and live in the victory and power we have received from God.