Acts 4:1-31

Text: Acts 4:1–31

Acts 4 finds Peter and John fresh from healing the lame beggar at the temple gate (Acts 3). Crowds gathered, Peter preached Christ, and thousands believed.

But boldness for Jesus immediately brought conflict. The same authorities who crucified Christ now arrested His followers.

What do Peter and John do? They go against the grain, stand bold in the midst of trouble, and show that true love speaks truth.

Charlie Kirk often says: “Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.” That’s Acts 4 in real time.

1. Believers Go Against the Grain (Acts 4:1–12)

The priests and Sadducees were “greatly disturbed” (v. 2) because Peter and John were preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

The grain of the world says: “Don’t offend. Don’t make absolute claims.”

But Peter declares: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (v. 12).

That is the definition of going against the grain.

Application: You cannot walk with Christ and blend into the crowd. Romans 12:2 — “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed…”

Charlie Kirk: “If you live just to fit in, you’ll never stand out for Christ.”

2. Believers Stand Bold in the Midst of Trouble (Acts 4:13–22)

Verse 13: The rulers were astonished at the courage of “unschooled, ordinary men.” Why? Because they had been with Jesus.

Even when threatened, Peter and John answered: “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”(v. 20).

Boldness is not arrogance — it is Spirit-filled conviction that truth is too important to be silenced.

Illustration: Think of Daniel in Babylon or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before the furnace — boldness is costly, but it changes history.

Charlie Kirk: “Courage is more rare than genius, and more needed than ever. One bold person can change the culture around them.”

Application: Your school, your workplace, even your family may pressure you to be silent about Jesus. But silence in the face of error is not love — it’s compromise.

3. Genuine Love Speaks Truth (Acts 4:23–31)

After release, the believers gather — not to complain, not to strategize, but to pray: “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (v. 29).

Their love for God and for people moved them to keep speaking, even when it might cost their lives.

Love without truth is sentimentality. Truth without love is harshness. But Spirit-filled love proclaims the truth that Jesus saves.

Ephesians 4:15 — “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow…”

Charlie Kirk: “If you love people, you will tell them the truth about sin, salvation, and Jesus — even if it costs you friends or followers.”

Application: Don’t confuse silence for kindness. The most loving thing you can do is to share the truth of the gospel.

Conclusion & Charge

Acts 4 shows us the pattern for Christians today:

Go against the grain of this world.

Stand bold in the midst of trouble.

Speak truth as the highest form of love.

When the world says, “Be quiet,” the Spirit says, “Be bold.”

When the world says, “Blend in,” Jesus says, “Follow Me.”

When the world says, “Truth is hate,” we declare, “Truth is love.”