A Study in Acts...Chapter 4
Peter and John on trial
RISKS AND REWARDS
Peter and John shared the gospel and ended up in jail. That’s not likely to happen to Western believers today. Still, there are risks in trying to win others to Christ—being misunderstood, rejected, ridiculed, ostracized, stared at, whispered about. We might be willing to face a night in jail if it would bring five thousand people to Christ, but shouldn’t we also be willing to suffer for the sake of one lost soul? What do you risk in witnessing? Whatever the risks, realize that nothing done for God is ever wasted. And no matter how great the risk, the reward will certainly be greater.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” Jesus had told his disciples, “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:18–20 NIV). Peter, the rough ex-fisherman, stood before a room of disapproving, scowling faces and, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak. There are two kinds of courage: reckless courage that is unaware of the dangers it faces, and the courage that knows the peril and yet is undaunted. Peter’s boldness is of the latter variety.
Empowered with supernatural boldness by the Holy Spirit, Peter:
• demonstrated respect for his opponents (rulers and elders of the people);
• noted with irony his and John’s imprisonment for merely having performed an act of kindness;
• called attention to the former cripple (he had been either imprisoned with the apostles or brought in to testify);
• attributed the man’s healing to the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
Then Peter explains what this means: There is no salvation in anyone else (the salvation which they hoped to be brought by the Messiah is not in anyone other than Jesus), “for there is no other name under heaven given to men [human beings] by which we must be saved.” “Must” (Gk. dei) is an emphatic word indicating compelling necessity. If we do not find salvation through the name (Person) of Jesus, we shall never find it. Nowhere in the entire world is there another Savior—there never has been and never will be.
As soon as they were released, Peter and John “went back to their own people,” the assembled believers who most certainly had gathered to pray for them. The Early Church was a close-knit body. When one of their members was in trouble or having difficulty they did more than say a brief prayer. They learned on the Day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit works powerfully through a body of believers who are in one accord in one place. So Peter and John reported all the high priest and elders had said to them, holding nothing back.
PRAYING THROUGH PROBLEMS
Notice how the believers prayed. First they praised God; then they told God their specific problem and asked for his help. They did not ask God to remove the problem but to help them deal with it. This is a model for us to follow when we pray. We may ask God to remove our problems, and he may choose to do so. But we must recognize that often he chooses to leave our problems in place and then give us the strength and courage to deal with them.
God did not fail them. After they prayed the place where they were gathered “was shaken” (by the Spirit, not by an earthquake),62 indicating a mighty move of God. At the same time they were all “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and in His power they all continued speaking the Word of God “with boldness” (KJV et al.; Gk. parrēsias; see v. 13 and 28:31). This was as great a work of the Spirit as the miracles. That they continued to speak with great boldness is further emphasized in 5:42.
The Greek (of v. 31) indicates again a new, fresh filling of the Spirit. Some writers contend that only the new believers (the five thousand mentioned in 4:4) were filled at this time. But the Greek does not uphold this. All the believers, including the apostles, received this fresh filling, empowering them to meet the continued need and the pressures upon them. New, fresh fillings of the Holy Spirit are part of God’s wonderful provision for all believers. Just as we can give more of ourselves to Him, He can give more of himself to us.
BIBLICAL BOLDNESS
Boldness is not reckless impulsiveness. Boldness requires courage to press on through our fears and do what we know is right. How can we be more bold? Like the disciples, we need to pray with others for that courage. To gain boldness, you can:
• pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to give you courage;
• look for opportunities in your family and neighborhood to talk about Christ;
• realize that rejection, social discomfort, and embarrassment are not necessarily persecution; and
• start where you are by being bolder in small ways.