The Book of
Acts 4
37 verses≈ 6 min4 peopleBSB
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In this chapter
Peter and John before the Sanhedrin
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
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Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family.
The council
They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
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Peter
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
This Jesus is
‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
The Name Forbidden
When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in response. So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
The council
“What shall we do with these men?” they asked.
The council
“It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”
The council’s dilemma
Whiteboard
The rulers cannot deny what happened, and they cannot accept what it means. So they reach for the only tool left to them: a warning. They never ask whether the message is true.
Question
Quick question
The rulers looked at two fishermen with no formal training and noticed something.
What did the rulers realize about Peter and John?
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.
Acts 4:19–20
After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
Reflect
What you have seen and heard
Peter and John said, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” They were not trained speakers. They simply told what Jesus had done. What have you seen Him do, in your own life or in someone else’s? Write it down, and think of one person who needs to hear it.
The Believers’ Prayer
On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord.
After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31
Sharing among Believers
Stylised map · locations approximate
Where it happened
A Levite from Cyprus
Barnabas came from Cyprus, the island west of Syria, and sold a field to give to the church in Jerusalem. Cyprus will come back: believers carry the gospel there, and Barnabas sails home with Saul on their first journey.
Pray
Pray for boldness
Threatened by the rulers, the believers did not ask God to remove the danger. They prayed, “enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness.” Pray that prayer for yourself and for believers who face real threats today. Ask God to make you open-handed, too, like the church that “shared everything they owned.”
You’ve experienced
Acts 4
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A verse to carry with you
Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
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