This will be a relatively short blog. I listened to a sermon and read the Bible along with the sermon. God laid a thought on my mind. I'm going to post below the scripture I read below from Acts
Chapter 3 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Preaching in Solomon’s Portico11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham,‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
As you can read but I'll summarize really fast. Peter and John heal a lame man outside the gate of Solomon. This man jumps up, praises God, and all the people are in amazement. The people come running to Peter and John knowing that the man had been lame but now walks. They begin explaining to all the people that it wasn't by their power but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and then goes on to explain the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Then something happens the priest, captain of the temple, and the Sadducees come and arrest Peter and John, not before 5,000 people believe however.
Now in Acts 4
Peter and John Arrested4 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.Addressing the Sanhedrin5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved
After Peter and John are arrested. They are asked "By what power do you do these miracles?" Peter replies almost sarcastically "Are we on trial for doing a good deed to a helpless man, if you really want to know, Let it be know to YOU all, 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 stands here before you whole. Can you hear the statement Peter makes here, boldly, how adamant Peter is about how this man became whole? Jesus is real to this man. Not only that Peter goes ahead right there in verse 12 and shares the gospel with them, the people who arrested them. When you God makes a huge impact in your life you can't help but shout it to the world.When God saves you, brings you into relationship with Him, convinces you of the grace He has shown you in spite of your sin, the gospel becomes beautiful to you.
The Name of Jesus Forbidden....
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
The Pharisees see the boldness of Peter and John. They spoke with boldness, they spoke and the power of God was on their words. So, how to speak about Jesus boldly? How do you get boldness? Do you will it up inside you, do you think I can do this, I can do this, do you set your mind on a positive outcome? I don't think so, even if you are a believer in the power of positive thinking somewhere in the back of your mind you know that the negative could still happen. So how to you become bold for Christ? Verse 8 " Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit... this is your answer. Now you may be thinking.. .that's it? The Holy Spirit filling your life is the most person in your life, He gives you the boldness, He gives you courage, He gives you the words. I talked with a student the other day and he said "that's humanly impossible, that goes against human nature." Yes, that's the point.... You need God's help, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in your life. Do you think you could love you enemies in and of your own strength and will power. You were never intended to.
18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
Listen to God or to man....
They command them not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus. Problem is, they know the Pharisees, know that God has performed a miracle on this lame man. Peter and John respond yet again sarcastically, Whether it is right for us to listen to you more than to God, you have to judge that pal! Remember I'm paraphrasing. What makes you get to a point where you care less about what your church, your community, your family, your friends, your world thinks about you than what God thinks about you? Verse 20 is our answer, "We can't help but speak of the things we have seen and heard." Let me ask, what have you seen God do? What have you heard? Have you been captured by the gospel? Is the gospel precious to you? Is your relationship with God precious to you? If so, you will give up the opinions of all those people and begin to speak about what you have seen and heard!
Why were the apostles persecuted....
The apostles were not persecuted for privately believing in their heart that Jesus was the Messiah. They were arrested because they were telling everyone about it and everyone was believing. You will never be persecuted for the private belief that Jesus is Lord. If you are a Christian you believe something along the lines that Jesus is Lord, He directs your life and your path, you are totally and completed surrendered to Him. That you were a sinner but God loved you enough to send His son to die in your place. You believe that God is the one and only true God, all the other gods of other religions are just imaginary, only existing in their minds. The disciples believed this and told everyone about it. Another similar Old Testament story was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Were their others in the crowd of Israelite slaves under the rule of Babylon that loved God, thought the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob was the one true God. I'm sure their was, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego however did not just privately believe this in their heart, but openly proclaimed to the opposing king that he wasn't not god, but I AM was God. Luke 6:45- For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The truth hurts...
America has made it almost criminal to speak out against the religion of another person. We all have equal rights to do as we please correct? Within our society today, telling a person that your religion worships a false god and I worship the true God is almost social suicide right? We think I'll do my thing and you do your thing and we'll see who's right in the end? How heartless is that really though? I get that it seems insensitive and intolerable to tell a person that their beliefs are wrong, but is it not more insensitive to know the true God and not share it with them, to let them spend an eternity out of relationship with God? Not telling people what you believe privately in your heart may keep your from persecution but will undoubtedly leave the world around possibly going an extremely terrible eternity. The gospel by its very nature is offensive. Paul speaks of this in Galatians 5:11. You're going to offend people, but God is going to save some of those using you as a conduit of which to deliver His message. The Bible never explicitly says this but if you read the accounts of where Jesus shares the truth with people, many of them their first reaction was not freedom. It was generally anger. I am not trying to rewrite the Bible but merely drawing a conclusion, the truth typically angers you before setting you free.
Chapter 3 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Preaching in Solomon’s Portico11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham,‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
As you can read but I'll summarize really fast. Peter and John heal a lame man outside the gate of Solomon. This man jumps up, praises God, and all the people are in amazement. The people come running to Peter and John knowing that the man had been lame but now walks. They begin explaining to all the people that it wasn't by their power but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and then goes on to explain the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Then something happens the priest, captain of the temple, and the Sadducees come and arrest Peter and John, not before 5,000 people believe however.
Now in Acts 4
Peter and John Arrested4 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.Addressing the Sanhedrin5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved
After Peter and John are arrested. They are asked "By what power do you do these miracles?" Peter replies almost sarcastically "Are we on trial for doing a good deed to a helpless man, if you really want to know, Let it be know to YOU all, 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 stands here before you whole. Can you hear the statement Peter makes here, boldly, how adamant Peter is about how this man became whole? Jesus is real to this man. Not only that Peter goes ahead right there in verse 12 and shares the gospel with them, the people who arrested them. When you God makes a huge impact in your life you can't help but shout it to the world.When God saves you, brings you into relationship with Him, convinces you of the grace He has shown you in spite of your sin, the gospel becomes beautiful to you.
The Name of Jesus Forbidden....
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
The Pharisees see the boldness of Peter and John. They spoke with boldness, they spoke and the power of God was on their words. So, how to speak about Jesus boldly? How do you get boldness? Do you will it up inside you, do you think I can do this, I can do this, do you set your mind on a positive outcome? I don't think so, even if you are a believer in the power of positive thinking somewhere in the back of your mind you know that the negative could still happen. So how to you become bold for Christ? Verse 8 " Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit... this is your answer. Now you may be thinking.. .that's it? The Holy Spirit filling your life is the most person in your life, He gives you the boldness, He gives you courage, He gives you the words. I talked with a student the other day and he said "that's humanly impossible, that goes against human nature." Yes, that's the point.... You need God's help, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in your life. Do you think you could love you enemies in and of your own strength and will power. You were never intended to.
18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
Listen to God or to man....
They command them not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus. Problem is, they know the Pharisees, know that God has performed a miracle on this lame man. Peter and John respond yet again sarcastically, Whether it is right for us to listen to you more than to God, you have to judge that pal! Remember I'm paraphrasing. What makes you get to a point where you care less about what your church, your community, your family, your friends, your world thinks about you than what God thinks about you? Verse 20 is our answer, "We can't help but speak of the things we have seen and heard." Let me ask, what have you seen God do? What have you heard? Have you been captured by the gospel? Is the gospel precious to you? Is your relationship with God precious to you? If so, you will give up the opinions of all those people and begin to speak about what you have seen and heard!
Why were the apostles persecuted....
The apostles were not persecuted for privately believing in their heart that Jesus was the Messiah. They were arrested because they were telling everyone about it and everyone was believing. You will never be persecuted for the private belief that Jesus is Lord. If you are a Christian you believe something along the lines that Jesus is Lord, He directs your life and your path, you are totally and completed surrendered to Him. That you were a sinner but God loved you enough to send His son to die in your place. You believe that God is the one and only true God, all the other gods of other religions are just imaginary, only existing in their minds. The disciples believed this and told everyone about it. Another similar Old Testament story was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Were their others in the crowd of Israelite slaves under the rule of Babylon that loved God, thought the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob was the one true God. I'm sure their was, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego however did not just privately believe this in their heart, but openly proclaimed to the opposing king that he wasn't not god, but I AM was God. Luke 6:45- For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The truth hurts...
America has made it almost criminal to speak out against the religion of another person. We all have equal rights to do as we please correct? Within our society today, telling a person that your religion worships a false god and I worship the true God is almost social suicide right? We think I'll do my thing and you do your thing and we'll see who's right in the end? How heartless is that really though? I get that it seems insensitive and intolerable to tell a person that their beliefs are wrong, but is it not more insensitive to know the true God and not share it with them, to let them spend an eternity out of relationship with God? Not telling people what you believe privately in your heart may keep your from persecution but will undoubtedly leave the world around possibly going an extremely terrible eternity. The gospel by its very nature is offensive. Paul speaks of this in Galatians 5:11. You're going to offend people, but God is going to save some of those using you as a conduit of which to deliver His message. The Bible never explicitly says this but if you read the accounts of where Jesus shares the truth with people, many of them their first reaction was not freedom. It was generally anger. I am not trying to rewrite the Bible but merely drawing a conclusion, the truth typically angers you before setting you free.