SPEAKING WITH BOLDNESS

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

CHAPTER 4

          Now, as we rejoin the Apostles, guess who’s back on the scene. Why of course, it’s the Religious rulers of Jerusalem, the priests, the captain of the Temple, and the Sadducees. They were upset that Peter and John were teaching the people about Jesus and preached through Jesus about the resurrection from the dead. (Remember, the Sadducees don’t believe in resurrection.) So they took them into custody overnight because it was evening.

          But, many of the people who heard the word that day, believed, and that was about 5,000 men. The next day, the rulers, elders and scribes, and Annas the high priest and Caiaphas (who Jesus was taken to first, when He was arrested), and John and Alexander, and the family of Annas, were gathered together at Jerusalem. They brought Peter and John to their wanna be court and asked, Under whose authority have you done this? (Does that sound familiar to you? Remember they asked Jesus the same thing when He was teaching in the Temple (Matthew 21:23.)

          Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered, You rulers of the people and elders of Israel, If today we’re questioned about the healing of the lame man and how he has been healed, let it be known to all of you and the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead . . . Through Him, this man stands here before you, made well. Jesus is the stone that was rejected of you builders, that has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22) - (Isaiah 28:16). There is salvation in no other, for there is none other under Heaven through which we can be saved.

          When the leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John, and sensed that they were uneducated, they were surprised, and they realized that they’d been with Jesus. Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they couldn’t say anything against it. They dismissed Peter and John from the council and discussed among themselves what they should do with these men, because indeed, a remarkable miracle had been done by them, for all of Jerusalem to see, and they couldn’t deny it. BUT ... So that the news of this wouldn’t spread any further among the people, they decided to strictly threaten them. They called Peter and John and ordered them not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus, but Peter and John answered and said, If it’s right in the sight of God to listen to you before God, you judge. We must speak the things that we’ve seen and heard. When the council threatened them further, they let them go, finding no grounds to punish them, for fear of the people, because they all glorified God for the miracle that was done. After all, the man was more than forty years old who this miracle of healing was bestowed on.

          When they let them go, Peter and John went back to the other disciples and told all about what the priests and elders said to them. When they heard, they all prayed together:

          When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. All those who believed were of one heart and of one soul, and none of them said that any of the things he possessed was his own but they shared everything in common. (Commonwealth) None of them wanted for anything, because whoever joined the Christian movement and owned lands or houses sold them and brought the money of the things that were sold and laid it at the Apostles’ feet, and the Apostle's distributed it according to everyone’s need.

          A man named Joses, who the Apostles called Barnabas, which means, The son of consolation, a Levite from Cyprus, sold his land and brought the money and gave it to the Apostles. You’ll be hearing more about Barnabas throughout the book of Acts as he will be used as a tool for God.

          Well, as you can see again, Peter has come a long way from the fear of saying, I don’t know the man, to boldly proclaiming, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the only way on earth to be saved! As today’s Christian disciples, we have to take a lesson from the Apostles. If you lack confidence in being bold about spreading the Gospel, or if you think that you’re not wise enough or worthy enough to glorify the Lord, just remember a couple of things that that Paul said. In (I Corinthians 1:26-27) he said, Not many educated, mighty, and well respected are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, and the simple things of the world, and things that are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are as nothing, to bring to nothing, things that are.
Paul explains this yet again in (I Corinthians 3:18-21) Let no man be deceived. If any of you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise (Proverbs 3:7). For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness (Job 5:13), and also, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they’re vain (Psalm 94:11).

          Let that be the reason why Jesus had no respect of persons. That means that it didn’t matter to Him if someone was rich or poor, educated or uneducated, strong or weak, etc. As you’ve just learned, the Holy Spirit, speaking through you, is all the Lord wants. He doesn’t need you to be a scholar, or anything other than His vessel that He can speak through. The only thing you have to be . . . Is WILLING.