ACTS CHAPTER 4

MAIN THINGS

I really want to be more concerned with obeying God rather than men. I am easily driven by people’s thoughts and perceptions of me. I hope that I may walk in accordance with what God has placed before me and not worrying about how I look or feel. I also love the prayer here and I am challenged by this prayer to pray like this to God. I want to pray expectantly and ask God to do the miraculous in my life because He is still capable. I want to be filled with courage, and that only comes from God.

QUESTIONS & THOUGHTS

vv. 1-4 – It is awesome to see what kind of a stir Peter and John were causing with the message of Christ. It divided people and caused men to choose against the residing government. This had to be hard for everyone, it says that the priests were greatly disturbed. Never take scripture lightly when it says stuff like that, literally it means that they were fatigued, grieved, troubled, and displeased. Would anyone of another religion or government have any reason to be worked up at your life, or your preaching? Would anyone have reason to throw you in jail if Christianity was outlawed? Will people be added to our number because of your witness?

vv. 5-7 – Do any of these names ring a bell? Caiaphas was the high priest who helped crucify Jesus. These others I am sure were part of it as well, but the notable name was Caiaphas. They knew what question they were asking. Would you have been pretty nervous here? What would your response be?

vv. 8-12 – WOW! That would probably not have been my response or even Peter’s response only the Holy Spirit could have stood with such courage and boldness. I bet in verse 10 when the name of Jesus was spoken there were probably some gasps and then Peter didn’t stop there he called them out for Jesus’ death. He then shares that salvation is found in Jesus. Remember the Holy Spirit is responsible for this not Peter and John. The Holy Spirit is still alive and active in us today, will you stand with the same courage and boldness by letting go of yourself and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill (direct and empower) you?

vv. 13-17 – They were astonished at the courage of Peter, but they did not know that God himself had spoken to them through this fisherman. The miracle had silenced their rebuttals. The officials took note that these men had been with Jesus and that they had been changed. Is it evident in your life that you have been with Jesus? How has Jesus changed you?

vv. 18-22 – Peter and John said that they must obey God rather than men. Is this true of you? If you are faced with obeying God or winning approval which do you choose? This is hard, but something we need to do a gut check on. What are some things you can look back on that you have seen and heard that help solidify your faith?

vv. 23-26 – How would you respond after being threatened by the high priests? It is cool to see their trust in God and worship of God directly after this event that was hard to go through. They viewed this event as fulfilled prophecy and knew that they were directly in the will of God. How can you tell when you are in the will of God? Is it when everything is going smooth or when you are meeting with Him most regularly and listening to His voice and sometimes going through the hardest times?

vv. 27-30 – They recognize here that Pontius Pilate, Herod, and the Gentiles did not kill Jesus but only completed what God had already put into place. Jesus’ life was not taken, but given. I love their response to the threats, basically its saying we want some mo, we want some mo, we want some mo. They asked God to do more miracles through them and that all of them, not just Peter and John would speak the word of God boldly and courageously. What a picture of faith. How does your prayer life compare with this prayer? Are you bold and expectant or are you still just giving God the same prayers that you have prayed for years? Where does your prayer life need to be developed?

vv. 31-37 – This is an awesome picture of church. It doesn’t say that they provided for everyone, but they did provide for their own. They were unified completely and continued to speak boldly to outsiders. This is the type of community that could shake the walls with their prayers and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that we are probably not going to all move in together into a commune, but what strides can we make to see that our communities mimic this early expression of love and community? What do you need to lay at Jesus’ feet as your offering to Him to use for the building up of His church? Some it might be money, others it is probably something else like a gift, talent, obsession, time, what is it for you?