Acts 4

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-12

  • Verse 2. The gospel includes preaching that the dead will be raised and given a new body in heaven - this is something that the sect of the Saducees did not believe, so they arrested Peter and John. But seizing believers does not stop the message of the Word from spreading and saving souls. Share the Word even if people try to stop you. Some WILL be saved from it.
     

  • Verse 7. The Jewish authorities asked Jesus the same question (Mark 11:28). Know that we acknowledge Jesus' name when we pray and preach because it reminds us and our hearers that only through Christ can a person be saved and have their prayers heard and answered.
     

  • Verse 8. The Spirit can come upon you to convict you to speak. If you do, you will be given boldness and the words to say. Pray to be able to hear the Spirit asking you to do this, and take action!

  • Verse 12. A key verse to memorize. Teach boldly that Jesus is the only way to be saved(also see John 14:6). There is no salvation from sin or death in any other religion. But everyone has the ability to find the truth in Jesus if they seek it out (Acts 10:34-35).

 

Verses 13-14

  • Boldness/confidence and power comes from knowing Jesus by personally studying the Word and putting it into practice.

    • Do your best to learn from the Word and the Spirit for yourself. This will be more effective than any formal, Christian education. Being "schooled" without personally studying and obeying will not do much for you.

 

Verses 15-17

  • Even though these Jews could not deny that a miracle had happened, they did not come to believe in Jesus.

    • Remember that seeing is not always believing. Do not think that you have to show miracles to all people to make them believe.

      • Some people believe when they see a miracle (John 14:11, 20:29), but some people will not (Luke 16:31).

      • In any case, it is better to focus on sharing the Word than trying to work a miracle. Focus on sharing the Word, and God will grant miracles where it's necessary.

 

Verses 18-22

  • Verse 19. Do not obey authorities in anything that would cause you to sin or disobey God. Example: Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents IN THE LORD..." - obey in everything that agrees with what the Lord says. 

  • Verse 20. Personal experiences and testimonies from taking action on the Word brings greater excitement, and this excitment will make you bolder to speak. Take actions in obedience to the Word - take actions that emulate things the believers did in Acts. This will gain you exciting experiences that will grow your boldness to preach to others. In fact, you won't be able to help it - the words will just bubble out of you because of your passion for it.

  • Verse 16,21. Let the fruit of your actions speak for themselves. Even if people want to harm or punish you or criticize you for what you believe, when they see that the word that you follow brings good fruit and great signs and wonders, they will have nothing bad to say.

 

Verses 23-31

  • In your actions, focus on being more bold for Christ (pray for boldness), and Christ will bring you greater power. 

    • Want what God wants for you—to be bolder for Him—and He'll be able to give you more of what He has to give. Pray for boldness.

    • Verse 31. After you pray, don't stop there. Take action always!

 

Verses 32-37

  • Be close with your community, do your best to be at peace with them. Together, have one passion and one goal - to serve God. 

    • Don't say anything is "yours" in the sense of understanding that everything really belongs to God and we are just managers of His wealth. As such, do what God wants with His stuff. Work hard to provide for your household and to have extra time and money that you will use to serve and bless others. A simple thing that anyone can do is sell what you don't need (as you desire) and use the money for something productive, or save it for the future.

    • Verses 34-37. Those who sold their lands and houses did so, in part, to prepare for coming persecution. They needed to not be tied down in order to flee easily.

    • Why was the extra money given to the apostles to manage and distribute? 1. Leaders are entrusted with knowing the needs of a community, so they know how to use money properly to meet those needs. 2. Elders have the character to be trusted with using money wisely. Not everyone knows what to do with their extra money, so giving it to a trusted person who will make it grow and/or give it wisely is a good thing. 3. This money wasn't given to the apostles for their personal benefit - it was given for them to manage charitable giving on behalf of others. 4. You don't HAVE TO give your extra money to leaders to manage. It's your own choice.