Acts 4

Devotional by Jeremy Hamblen

Read Acts 4

Acts 4

Peter and John Before the Council

4 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.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

There’s nothing like the local church when the local church is working right, and in today’s reading the first local church is just showing off. Following the healing of the lame beggar and Peter’s message in the temple, chapter four documents the first persecution of the Christian church and her response to it. The Sadducean leaders did not believe in resurrection, so they found Peter and John’s preaching offensive, leading to their arrest and trial before the Sanhedrin. Filled with the Spirit, Peter boldly responds to the charges without giving an inch, and together with John, they effectively say, “sorry, not sorry” to the council’s warning to cease preaching in Jesus’ name.

If you put yourself in their shoes, this was an incredible scene, and it explains why their experience inspired the Christians to gather and pray for boldness in their mission, further embodying and expanding the renown of their unity.

Taking chapter four as a whole, we can see that Luke is highlighting three key disciplines of the ideal church, especially in the face of persecution. These are churches that:

1) Proclaim truth (v. 1-22): As Peter and John stood firm in the face of daunting peril, we must also hold steadfast to our mission of sharing the good news amidst our trials, anchored in the unshakeable confidence that our God is faithful to his promises, and in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that works through us.

2) Pray together (v. 23-31): In the manner of the early believers who fervently sought God’s strength for missional fortitude in the face of certain persecution, we too should approach the throne of grace with similar resolve, recognizing our utter dependence on him, and seeking to align our hearts and wills with God’s divine purpose.

3) Provide for each other (v. 32-37): Like the Christian community that was so unified that Luke described them as having “one heart and one soul,” our mission extends beyond mere togetherness; it involves actively meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those within our fellowship and beyond.

You may have noticed that in all these disciplines, there is an additional characteristic that binds them together: Unity. Peter and John were unified in message and mission, the church prayed together corporately, and their provision was a communal activity. These are the hallmarks of a church working right, and there is nothing like that church!

Social media and the internet can make it easy to experience cheap unity (you can find anyone just like you behind that smartphone!), but when it comes to your local church, how can you foster a greater sense of unity, and how can that help you demonstrate boldness in the way you proclaim, pray, or provide today?

28 thoughts on “Day Four | The Book of Acts”

  1. Father, touch your humble servants during our quiet time. May we be determined to share the Good News today allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us. Hear the pleas of your saints: dry their tears, calm their fears, bring physical and spiritual healing. May we learn to pray at all times in all things. Father, move through your saints today, using each. May we be willing.

  3. Unity truly supports the ability to be bold, it builds confidence and strength and is encouraging….
    To find that in church you have to get involved, attending service and listening, learning, growing in the word is definitely important but it truly doesn’t foster unity the same as involvement – life groups, activities, socials etc truly function to allow a deeper bond with like hearted individuals.

  4. I feel we can foster a greater sense of unity if we stay connected through church and our life groups. Also if we can go to meetings and be involved in our church’s devisions about giving , building etc we will feel we are a part of the church body. Getting connected and staying involved is the key. Also we need to do our part in spreading the word, inviting our neighbors and friends to church and above all …speak only positively about our church and it’s mission .

    1. There are so many lessons to draw from this chapter. But i will share few as the Lord helps
      me. Firstly, we can see the boldness and confidence in the way Peter answered the rulers by the help of Holy Spirit baptism he received. Before he has denied the Name but after the Pentecost, he could not be threatened or fearful anymore.

      Secondly, we saw that the rulers/ devil has problem with Name of Jesus, to the extent that the disciples were told not to mention the Name of Jesus because the devil in the rulers couldn’t stand The Name of JESUS CHRIST. And the response from Peter was that should we listen to you or God? And that reminds that as a Christian and a true believer of Christ, I must not abide by any law of the land that stand against my Savior Jesus Christ. Mostly at schools, Christan teachers and students are not allowed to preach or pray in school, why should we yield to that kind of rules,since Apostle Peter stood against it , I believe we should do the same. Regardless of what will be the consequences just like the way the disciples were persecuted for going out against the law. And we saw that when they went back home to the other Brethren, and
      they explained what transpired between them and the rulers. They encouraged them, by praying with them for more boldness to do to stand for Jesus and not discouraged them with fearful talk. Now, the question we must ask ourselves is that do we love Jesus to the extent that we can also take our stand for our Faith in the Name JESUS without wavering, with joy. We can boldly pray for our teachers, students, patients, our bosses or colleagues in the public or private without being ashamed or worried about the law of the organization. That will only occur in the life of Christians that have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit… Act1:8

      Thirdly, I learnt that the early church were actually living in love, oneness and unity. They were not after material gains or pleasures. Also there is a display of Humility because those that sold their belongings were not laying claims or bragging about their good deeds but the Bible says in Act4:32b “neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. Halleluyahhhhh 🙌.

      My prayer to our FATHER is to help HIS Church in this generation, to pour out HIS Spirit into us and upon us like the early Church , so we can all live in Love of Christ in Jesus Name…🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

  6. This is an encouraging anduplifting chapter. I always wonder about how the Saducees and other high and mighty church officials felt when Peter and John told them that they preached and proclaimed the truth in the name of Jesus…the man that THEY had put to death.
    I serve a risen Saviour!

  7. The name of Jesus and the Gospel message cannot be silenced. As believers , we can boldly testify to the hope we have in Jesus in the face of threats and persecution.

  8. I am so GRATEFUL that CFBC is my “Church Home”. Last night our church had a challenge and we demonstrated all 3 of these principles.
    1. We came together (Unity) and provided comfort for each other
    2. We PRAYED together and WORSHIPPED our One True God
    3. Through our PRAYERS and WORSHIP we Proclaimed the GOODNESS OF GOD

    We are a church after God’s own Heart, not shaken by emergencies but STANDING FIRM on God’s Promises 🙏🏾❤️

  9. To foster a greater sense of unity requires an awareness of those around me whom I haven’t connected or experienced community with. In observing them and who they are, the next step would be to initiate conversation, discover their needs and find a practical and tangible to satisfy one of them. Of course the key component in this pursuit is the dependency of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can follow these steps and the outcome could be perceived as
    unity but the great Helper is the only one who can bring forth lasting fruit.

  11. Yes, they were definitely unified, but they were also INVESTED. They took the time to invest in each other’s lives. I agree with several people, who have already commented, on getting involved in a Life Group. We may not be brought before a Jury and tried, but we will come in contact with people who do not agree with our beliefs. As demonstrated by Peter and John, it is important to share with other Believers about our daily lives. It is important that we INVEST in each other.

  12. Being unified is encouraging. We must be bold when it comes to proclaiming The Word of God. It’s a great example to the world around us. I’ve been ministered to so much being a part of local churches. It’s great to be lifted up during the hard times. We must stand strong when life throws curve balls our way. God will see us through. And we are thankful to The Holy Spirit who protects and helps us even when we may not know it. Being connected to other believers in the church is important. We aren’t meant to go through life alone. 🙏🏾

  13. Lord help to stand from on your word and to boldly witness about your salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.❤️

  14. Brothers and sisters,
    Be advised that opposition is our occupation. We do so in a winsome way when telling others about Jesus. Yesterday I had the privilege to serve as a friend at the CMC. That day 15 families came for food in the space of an hour! One of the couples I met with was from Russia. They professed to be Jehovah’s Witnesses. I attempted to share the gospel but no response came. When I offered to pray with them, the husband said, ” We don’t need prayer!” The devil will do anything to keep people from the kingdom of God. But, remember, he is a defeated Enemy! We have the victory in Christ Jesus! So, don’t lose heart if those you are trying to witness to don’t respond right away. We are commissioned to tell, The Holy Spirit does the saving!

  15. Wow! What a powerful chapter! I long to be more like Peter and John, to be bold and to stand up to those who are nay sayers. Our God is almighty and he truly is the one solid unifying force throughout all of our lands, amongst all of his people and it is our jobs, my job to continue to share his word, love and faithfulness to my fellow brothers and sisters!

    Connecting to the church and also finding unity there is important to me as well and as a newby to CFBC I look forward to doing so!
    Amen!

  16. I really like my life group and have only been attending for about six months. It is a very diverse group of women all with different needs. Every Sunday I ask God to help me love the ladies because without the help of the Holy Spirit, I am quite selfish. Each Sunday we break into small groups of four and pray for the needs of each other. I try to sit by different ladies each week so I can get to know all of them and their specific needs and continue to pray for them during the week.

  18. We do not want to hear this term used and if you were a slave owner in the early year of our history and there is a momentum in our county honoring you the left has torn it down. In this chapter the disciples say they are slave of God. Being a slave of God certainly is not same as to an indidividual.

    If you have followed weekly CFBC news at the bottom is amount of weekly giving. The weekly giving runs between $300,00 and $400,00 but for last three Sundays that has not been the case. We have a few individuals God has blesses financial and and they have given more than a 10% and from what I know from past monthly giving this is just ball park estimate is $1,6 million.
    Because they did that and individuals keep giving as in the past we will be able to meet the budget and do all that the staff has planned.

  19. This is almost similar to the scripture of when it will be with Acts 1:8 where there will be witnesses to the ends of the earth. This is incredibly intriguing.

  20. I believe that attending our church services, being active within the church community, and participating in Life Groups will foster a greater sense of unity, which in turn will strengthen our boldness and confidence in prayer and providing for others

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