Acts 4
April Memory Verse: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 NIV
Read: Acts 4
Two words come to mind from this passage: Courage and Unity.
Courage (v. 1-22)
There are about 5,000 believers when John and Peter get called before the council. 3,000 of them became believers on one day (Acts 2:41). That is a huge movement! But Peter and John get called before the council because the religious leaders are upset with what is happening (v. 2).
Where we see courage is in two places: first, Peter’s reply to the council (v. 8-12). Peter tells the council that the lame man, who was healed (Acts 3:1-10), was only healed because of Jesus. The same Jesus who the religious leaders crucified (v. 10). I mean, WOW! I cannot imagine how much courage it took for Peter to stand in front of the religious leaders, who crucified Jesus, and call them out for what they had done and their denial of Jesus.
We also see courage in verses 19-20. The council does not know what to do to Peter and John and so they tell them not to proclaim Jesus anymore. Peter and John’s reply is perfect. They are going to speak of what they have seen and heard, which is the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.
Unity (v. 23-37)
After Peter and John speak before the council, they go and report all that they experienced. And I love verse 24, because it says, “all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God”. All of the believers felt the need to pray, and not only to pray, but to pray for boldness.
We see unity in prayer, but we also see unity in how they share their possessions to take care of one another (v. 32-37).
Some takeaways for us: We should strive to be courageous like Peter and John. We will probably not stand face to face with people who killed our best friend, but we do often fail to evangelize because we are fearful. We shouldn’t be people of fear, instead we should be people of hope, and our hope should push us to be courageous. Also, I think we need a reminder: it’s easier to have courage when you are united with others. This is why church is so important. You need to be around others who can encourage you to have courage in difficult situations. The Christian life is not made to happen in isolation.
How does Peter and John’s example of courage give you hope?
What steps will you take to have more unity in the church?
By: Brice Stockton
Read: Acts 4
Two words come to mind from this passage: Courage and Unity.
Courage (v. 1-22)
There are about 5,000 believers when John and Peter get called before the council. 3,000 of them became believers on one day (Acts 2:41). That is a huge movement! But Peter and John get called before the council because the religious leaders are upset with what is happening (v. 2).
Where we see courage is in two places: first, Peter’s reply to the council (v. 8-12). Peter tells the council that the lame man, who was healed (Acts 3:1-10), was only healed because of Jesus. The same Jesus who the religious leaders crucified (v. 10). I mean, WOW! I cannot imagine how much courage it took for Peter to stand in front of the religious leaders, who crucified Jesus, and call them out for what they had done and their denial of Jesus.
We also see courage in verses 19-20. The council does not know what to do to Peter and John and so they tell them not to proclaim Jesus anymore. Peter and John’s reply is perfect. They are going to speak of what they have seen and heard, which is the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.
Unity (v. 23-37)
After Peter and John speak before the council, they go and report all that they experienced. And I love verse 24, because it says, “all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God”. All of the believers felt the need to pray, and not only to pray, but to pray for boldness.
We see unity in prayer, but we also see unity in how they share their possessions to take care of one another (v. 32-37).
Some takeaways for us: We should strive to be courageous like Peter and John. We will probably not stand face to face with people who killed our best friend, but we do often fail to evangelize because we are fearful. We shouldn’t be people of fear, instead we should be people of hope, and our hope should push us to be courageous. Also, I think we need a reminder: it’s easier to have courage when you are united with others. This is why church is so important. You need to be around others who can encourage you to have courage in difficult situations. The Christian life is not made to happen in isolation.
How does Peter and John’s example of courage give you hope?
What steps will you take to have more unity in the church?
By: Brice Stockton
7 Comments
I live this passage! It shows the church being the church! Standing together, praying for each other, sharing with those in need... this is what God wants His church to look like.
When I read this I thought about the sacrifice the believers made by giving up their possessions and giving what they had to the body of believers. Then I thought about how they probably didn't see it as a sacrifice at all. When we put our money toward something we hold dear we don't think of if as a sacrifice....these actions flow easily from us. This is were we need to be in our own attitudes toward our Heavenly Father. None of what we do for the Kingdom in His name should feel like a sacrifice. It should come naturally, like breathing. Please Father, help me get there, through the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus and for Your glory!.
I love the model here of the church taking care of one another. We can’t even begin to fathom what that would look like nowadays. Sure, we give our tithes on Sundays, but when was the last time someone sold their land to take care of others? Not saying that doesn’t happen, but talk about being all in for the cause! Great reminder of the sacrifices we should be willing to make for others in the name of Jesus. Praying that I can have that mindset and look for ways to serve with that kind of love.
The courage I feel from Acts 4 is that of having the same Holy Spirit in me as Peter and John. They had the scriptures opened to them and the council was amazing because "they were uneducated and untrained men" (v.13). I am uneducated and only trained through discipleship. Truly an encouragement to passionately share.
For me pursing unity in the church is beginning to build relationships with adults in the church. Since I am a college student I do not know that many, but it is awesome to see so many adults pursing Jesus. Another way to pursue unity is to connect BCM (Baptist Campus Ministry) students and Cru students together in worship and outside the church. To me sometimes it is an "us versus them" battle when we all just want students to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
The main encouragement I see in this passage is that the boldness John and Peter had was not from within themselves, but rather through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is the same Holy Spirit we have. So, we are encouraged to continually submit and rely on the Spirit for all of our spiritual fervor and effectiveness.
I like they way it’s worded when people gave their money from selling their possessions and “laid it at the apostles feet” to me it says, they weren’t expected a thing back!
I appreciate the theme of unity in the church in this passage. It’s something I see emulated at CPC (and just took for granted). It’s really something you have to prayerfully pursue as it’s not always easy to get along, even with believers.