We, The Church: Acts 4: Troublemakers

Announcements

Check out the calendar for upcoming events

September 20 Greek Festival Outreach

September 21 Next Steps Course

New Course on Apologetics will be released tonight.

Happy Birthday to Brother Joe

Congratulations To Patrick and Angelica

Appreciation

Introduction: Christian Troublemakers

Premise: If you are afraid of trouble—you should stay away from Christianity. For, it was the normal result of the Christian community to stir up trouble wherever they were found.

John Lewis was a civil rights activist who joined Dr. Martin Luther King in non-violent resistance. He often urged people to “make good trouble, necessary trouble,” especially in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequality. Lewis first used the phrase when reflecting on his experiences as a young man in the 1960s civil rights movement—joining sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and marches that challenged unjust laws.

The idea behind it is that not all “trouble” is bad; sometimes, disrupting the status quo is necessary to bring about justice and positive change. Over time, the phrase became a rallying cry for activists and is now widely quoted as an encouragement to speak up, resist oppression, and act courageously.

✦ Origin: John Lewis coined and popularized it in the context of civil rights.

✦ Meaning: Engage in bold, disruptive action when it is morally right.

✦ Legacy: It remains a powerful call to stand against injustice, even if it means causing discomfort or breaking unfair rules.

Movement 1: Christian Troublemakers

What we are reading about is a cataclysmic shift among God’s people. God is slowly replacing the worn out system of religion with a fresh new community of vibrant believers who will represent His name well. He has begun with His Son Jesus, and Jesus has now laid the foundation for a new dwelling place for God.

The church is the new temple or dwelling place of God.

During our bible study on Wednesday we noted that the healing of the lame man was actually a testament to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead. However, the apostles’ witness did not simply stop at the healing of the lame man. Rather, it demonstrated that the resurrection was a reality that those who believe would participate in. The healing of the lame man by the power of Jesus’s resurrection was a sign that resurrection had already begun. Accordingly, Peter is stating that the resurrection is not coming, but rather it has already begun.

This is why Luke notes that Peter was preaching that there is [not will be] resurrection of the dead. Acts 4:2 demonstrates this in the Greek as well. (Is is written in the present tense.) That is resurrection has already begun! Paul agreed when he wrote,

1 Corinthians 15:23 “23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.”

The question we must ask ourselves, why would this sort of preaching make the religious leaders so upset?

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, which means this reality and inauguration of the resurrection beginning would threaten their doctrine and their leadership.

The Pharisees believed that the resurrection the true, theoretically only. however, the Christians believed in the reality of the resurrection and that it had already begun—threatening their sometimes passive approach and submission to the Roman government.

However, the Christians believed that God was active among them and that they were given resurrection power to do something as a result of the Messiah’s resurrection. They understood that they were to indulge in a share of suffering as they awaited the final arrival of the Messiah. Furthermore, this new resurrection reality gave the believers hope that they would someday shed this non-glorious body and receive a new glorious body like Jesus. In short, their shame would be exchanged for glory.

Philippians 3:20-21 “20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Therefore, resurrection for the believer was about glorification. It was about being on the right side of the covenants.

One notable takeaway from this courageous message is the growth of the church. It had grown from 3,000 to 5,000. Essentially, we take away this point:

Point 1: The church got into trouble by courageously telling the truth.

Here are the two truth statements Peter declared:

Christ has become the cornerstone (Acts 4:10-11)

Salvation is only through Jesus (Acts 4:12)

This message caused all sorts of trouble. However, the first believers remained committed to the name of Jesus, without wavering.

Movement 2: Prayer for Courage

Working in the kingdom of God requires courage. It requires one to endure the challenge of representing a kingdom that is altogether different from anything the masses have seen. In this instance of persecution, the new believers prayed the psalms (Psalm 2).

Acts 4:23–30 NLT

23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ 27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Acts 2:23–30 NLT

23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. 27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. 28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ 29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne.

**NT Wright Quote**

What do we learn from this prayer:

Matters of adversity and opposition should be addressed with prayer.

Acts 4:24 “24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—”

Matters of adversity and opposition should be addressed with Scripture.

Acts 4:25–26 “25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’”

Matters of adversity and opposition should be addressed as if God determined it.

Acts 4:28 “28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.”

Conclusion: Get Into Trouble

The mandate for us this morning is simple. Get into good trouble. The example has been set over the year for us.

Early Church & Roman Empire (Post-Biblical but Historical)

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD) – Preaching boldly against pagan practices in Antioch caused unrest. He was arrested and executed in Rome after being accused of disrupting civic unity.

Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 155 AD) – His refusal to stop preaching and acknowledge Caesar as lord led to riots in Smyrna. The people demanded his execution, which resulted in his martyrdom.

Medieval & Reformation Era

Jan Hus (Bohemia, 1415) – Preached reform and gospel-centered teaching against corrupt church practices. His sermons in Prague stirred civil unrest, which eventually led to his arrest and burning at the stake.

Martin Luther (Germany, 1517–1521) – Posting his 95 Theses and preaching justification by faith caused riots, division across Europe, and eventually wars (the Peasants’ War, Thirty Years’ War).

Modern Era (1700s–1900s)

John Wesley & George Whitefield (England & America, 1700s) – Their open-air preaching disrupted Anglican order. Crowds often rioted, and angry mobs attacked them for stirring up the working classes.

20th & 21st Century

Watchman Nee (China, 1920s–1950s) – His gospel-centered house church movement was seen as subversive to political control, leading to his imprisonment. His preaching stirred suspicion of Christians as “troublemakers.”

Deborah Samuel, a 19-year-old Nigerian Christian student lynched in 2022 by a mob for alleged blasphemy.

Eunice Olawale, a Nigerian Christian evangelist who was murdered in 2016 while evangelizing in Abuja.

Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick share superficial similarities as Christian quarterbacks who were known for kneeling on the field, but their actions had vastly different motivations and consequences: Tebow knelt in private prayer, praised by supporters, while Kaepernick knelt in public protest against racial injustice, leading to his ostracization from the NFL.Their divergent paths highlight differing views on the role of public faith and social activism within American Christianity, with Tebow representing a widely accepted, personal faith and Kaepernick embodying a more transformative, public gospel that challenges societal norms.

Everywhere Christians are to be found there’s trouble. This was to be expected, because Jesus was considered a radical, a trouble-maker. Listen to His words,

John 15:18-25 “18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’”

The earliest Christians made good on this motif. In fact, the passage we have considered today is the start of the ongoing example of the earliest Christians commitment towards causing trouble through their witness of Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus is Lord, Savior, and King, I don’t pick a side; I create one!

Politics

Sexuality and Gender

Social/ Economics

Ethics