The Way - Day 028 (Acts 4)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Acts 4
Peter and John had healed a lame man who was sitting at the gate of the temple begging for money (3:1-10). Upon performing this miracle, Peter spoke to the crowd which had gathered to see by what power they had done this thing. He quickly deferred attention from himself to God (3:12-13) who had empowered them through the Holy Spirit to do this great work, but also was calling them to repent of sin and believe in Jesus Christ (3:14-26). Not everyone was happy that Peter and John had brought healing to this lame man and were preaching repentance to the people. The "priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead" (4:1-2). Because of their displeasure, this group arrested Peter and John; however, Luke writes that still "many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand" (4:3-4). This was a huge choice for the people to make considering that preaching this message had landed Peter and John in jail. In the days of the early church, placing your belief in Jesus Christ could result in going to prison or possibly even result in death.

The day following the apostles' imprisonment, the Sanhedrin (ruling body of the Jews) gathered together and asked the apostles, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" They wanted to know who gave them permission to heal this lame man. Instead of apologizing for their offensive message and the power given to them by the Holy Spirit to heal the lame man, Peter declares that there is not "salvation in any other, for there in no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (4:12). This was an extremely bold statement considering that they were already being held captive for their radical message. It would have been easier for them to back down, but they knew the resurrected Christ had given them a mission to spread the message of salvation to all people. Apologizing for their exclusive claims of salvation through Christ alone would have destroyed this very important message to the world.

The Sanhedrin reacted to the courage of Peter and John by recognizing that they were uneducated and untrained men; however, "they had been with Jesus" (4:13). The apostles’ time with Jesus had provided them with a bold faith and commitment to the truth. These men realized that there was something different about these men even though they were not educated according to worldly standards. The Sanhedrin decided that they could not deny the miracle which had taken place, but they also wanted to make sure that the message Peter and John were spreading would go no further. Luke writes that the Sanhedrin "called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (4:18). Peter and John answered that they would not stop preaching Christ (4:19-20). The Sanhedrin threatened them a little more thinking they would give in, but Peter and John remained committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and were released (4:21-22).

The two apostles returned to their friends reporting what had happened to them and praised God for His power and protection (4:23-28). They prayed together with other Christians that God would give them more boldness to speak the truth and that He would continue to enable them to perform miracles in the name of Jesus Christ (4:29-31). This incident should empower us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) to those who need to repent and place their belief in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. In a world which scoffs at the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation (John 14:6), we must be bold in our witness of His death, burial, and resurrection for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). Most of us who live in the United States do not even have to fear physical persecution for our faith in Jesus Christ, but we fear what others may think if we speak up. May God grant us boldness to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as He gave the apostles courage.

After the questioning from the Sanhedrin, Peter and John were released from prison and returned to the other followers of Christ (4:1-22). They praised God and prayed together that He would provide them with more opportunities to speak the truth about Jesus Christ even if it resulted in persecution (4:23-31). The apostles could not keep silent because they believed with all their heart that Jesus Christ had paid for the sins of men through His death on the cross and evidenced that He was truly God by resurrecting from the grave.
 
Following this incident, Luke focuses on some characteristics of the early church which made them great. He writes, "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common" (4:32). Since they were convinced that God had given them all things they possessed, they kept a loose hold on their possessions in case someone else had a need. The spirit of giving was so prevalent in the early church that Luke says, "Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need" (4:34-35). The early church was filled with people from differing economic backgrounds; however, money was not what unified them as a people. Those who owned land or houses would sell them if someone had a genuine need. Luke even mentions that Barnabas, who later becomes a companion of Paul on his journeys, sold land so that others could be helped (4:36-37). This is a pretty radical thing. I wonder how this attitude toward giving would change the modern-day church.