Acts 4:1-4
1
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
Group 1: Pharisees
The priests and the captain of the temple were hyper-spiritual people on the surface, and they were insanely legalistic.
Group 2: Sadducees
The Sadducees were the ones who were kind of the opposite: they were the oness that made up their own license to do whatever they want.
Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees (who don’t even like each other) are mad that these apostles.
Acts 4:5-12
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Luke 12:11-12
11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible:
Acts 4:13
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
I don’t want anyone to look at me and say, “how great is that man?” I want people to look at me and say, HOW GREAT is a God that can use, even THAT man! That is what is happening here.
When people look at you, do they see someone who’s trying really hard, or someone who’s pretty good at things, or someone who tries to have everything together… or SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN WITH JESUS?
Keith Wheeler -
Along the way, I’ve found that God has been more interested in reaching all of my heart than in me reaching all of the world. I have found that when He has someone whose heart is completely His, then He has someone that He can use to reach all the world through. I’ve found that, even though His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, He doesn’t just want to lead us with His voice…He wants us to draw us so near to His heart that He can lead us with His heart. I’ve also found that Jesus has many servants, but very few friends. And though we would point out that He no longer calls us servants but friends, I have found that it is one thing to be CALLED a friend; it is another to BE His friend.
At the end of my life, I don’t want to look back and talk about all the incredible things that I’ve done for the Kingdom, I want to look back at my life, and think about all the incredible things that JESUS DID, that I had a front row seat for.
Don’t waste your life trying to be an extraordinary person, spend your whole life pressing into Jesus… the one who died for you, to give a purpose and a passion for something bigger than yourself.
John 14:12
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Acts 4:14-22
14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
