Acts 4:1-37
As I read this chapter today, I was struck with the stark contrast between the disciples and the new believers and the Jewish council. The council has all of the official power but they are full of fear because they are committed to lies. Peter and John have virtually no power from a human perspective yet they are filled with confidence and joy because they are committed to the truth. What a wonderful thing to know the truth! This is what stuck out in my mind today.
THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLES: When questioned about the miracle and their preaching, they boldly proclaim that the healing was done in the name of Jesus Christ whom the counsel had crucified but God had raised from the dead. Can these be the same guys who ran from Jesus in the Garden? Now they are in the judgment seat and they refuse to back away from the truth of Jesus Christ. The counsel decides that they cannot afford another mess so they let them go with a warning to never preach in the name of Christ again. Peter and John can't take a hint and they won't back down, they simply say "we will obey God before we obey you and we will continue to preach Christ no matter what." What an amazing testimony to the grace of God in these men's lives! What an amazing testimony to the power of God to transform and use any who place themselves at God's disposal. May He grant us the boldness and courage to speak as these men spoke.
THE WORRY OF THE COUNSEL: As much as I hate all that these men stand for, their pride, stubbornness, sin and manipulation; I truly feel sorry for them. They were blinded by their pride to be able to see the truth about Christ. They thought that if they could just get rid of Jesus that all of their problems would just go away. Now here they are with a resurrected Jesus that they are trying to cover up, and all of His disciples now proclaiming the message of Messiah from the housetops and on the corner of every street. To top it all off, they are doing the same miracles that Jesus was doing and the crowds are following them and listening to them. They try to shut these men up but that is not working and they feel powerless to do anything more because all of the people are praising God for a miracle. This has been a very bad and very long several years for these men and it does not seem to be getting better. My question is this: Why don't they give up? I think that the answer is that power and pride make us blind to our own foolishness and rob us of all hope. May God protect our hearts from such calamity!
THE WORSHIP OF THE SAINTS: This point is really deserving of an entire post or four, but I will try to be brief. We see in the final part of this chapter what, in my opinion, is a summary of what church should look like. There are four different aspects each of which are vital. PRAISING: When Peter and John give their report the people break out into praise of the Lord and His power in protecting His servants and all that He had done. When we gather together as a body of believers we must genuinely praise God for His greatness. He must be the focus of our worship and we must not mumble meaningless words as we sing or speak of God we must praise Him with a passion that burns deep within our souls. PRAYING: They spent time praying together as a body for protection and power as they went forward to proclaim the Word of God. This is what prayer meetings should look like. We should not fear the world and the multiple problems that the world presents to us, we should pray about it together. God really is able to move mightily in the world and in our lives. PREACHING: The apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of Christ. They taught the people about Jesus, who He was, what He required and the hope He offers. Our preaching must center on Christ and what He has done and can do. PARTICIPATING: The entire congregation was participating in the lives of one another. They loved each other, helped meet the needs of one another and they encouraged one another. We must not go to church just to sit and then run away as soon as possible, we must get involved in the physical and spiritual well being of one another.
THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLES: When questioned about the miracle and their preaching, they boldly proclaim that the healing was done in the name of Jesus Christ whom the counsel had crucified but God had raised from the dead. Can these be the same guys who ran from Jesus in the Garden? Now they are in the judgment seat and they refuse to back away from the truth of Jesus Christ. The counsel decides that they cannot afford another mess so they let them go with a warning to never preach in the name of Christ again. Peter and John can't take a hint and they won't back down, they simply say "we will obey God before we obey you and we will continue to preach Christ no matter what." What an amazing testimony to the grace of God in these men's lives! What an amazing testimony to the power of God to transform and use any who place themselves at God's disposal. May He grant us the boldness and courage to speak as these men spoke.
THE WORRY OF THE COUNSEL: As much as I hate all that these men stand for, their pride, stubbornness, sin and manipulation; I truly feel sorry for them. They were blinded by their pride to be able to see the truth about Christ. They thought that if they could just get rid of Jesus that all of their problems would just go away. Now here they are with a resurrected Jesus that they are trying to cover up, and all of His disciples now proclaiming the message of Messiah from the housetops and on the corner of every street. To top it all off, they are doing the same miracles that Jesus was doing and the crowds are following them and listening to them. They try to shut these men up but that is not working and they feel powerless to do anything more because all of the people are praising God for a miracle. This has been a very bad and very long several years for these men and it does not seem to be getting better. My question is this: Why don't they give up? I think that the answer is that power and pride make us blind to our own foolishness and rob us of all hope. May God protect our hearts from such calamity!
THE WORSHIP OF THE SAINTS: This point is really deserving of an entire post or four, but I will try to be brief. We see in the final part of this chapter what, in my opinion, is a summary of what church should look like. There are four different aspects each of which are vital. PRAISING: When Peter and John give their report the people break out into praise of the Lord and His power in protecting His servants and all that He had done. When we gather together as a body of believers we must genuinely praise God for His greatness. He must be the focus of our worship and we must not mumble meaningless words as we sing or speak of God we must praise Him with a passion that burns deep within our souls. PRAYING: They spent time praying together as a body for protection and power as they went forward to proclaim the Word of God. This is what prayer meetings should look like. We should not fear the world and the multiple problems that the world presents to us, we should pray about it together. God really is able to move mightily in the world and in our lives. PREACHING: The apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of Christ. They taught the people about Jesus, who He was, what He required and the hope He offers. Our preaching must center on Christ and what He has done and can do. PARTICIPATING: The entire congregation was participating in the lives of one another. They loved each other, helped meet the needs of one another and they encouraged one another. We must not go to church just to sit and then run away as soon as possible, we must get involved in the physical and spiritual well being of one another.
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