Just a few weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit rocked the world of the new believers in Acts 2. In Acts 3, the apostles began performing some of the same miracles that Jesus had done. This included healing a lame man in the “name of Jesus”—a name that disturbed the Jewish leaders, since they thought they’d dealt with the Jesus problem at the crucifixion. This led to a confrontation in Acts 4, where we pick up the action.
1. Digging In (God, Show Me!)
Get Acts 4:1-13 in front of you, either using your Bible, an online Bible, or by printing out the passage. As you read the passage do a couple things to notice detail:
- Circle or highlight every reference you see to a Jewish leader. Don’t forget to mark pronouns like “they.” Be sure to notice how much time passes in these verses.
- Draw an ichthus (the sign of the fish) over, or highlight, references to the apostles.
When you’ve finished reading, look at your references to Jewish leaders and list as much detail about them as you can on a sheet of paper or in an e-doc. Who were they? What was their attitude? What was their social status?
Then, write out what you learn about the apostles. How were they described? What traits did they display?
2. Taking It Inward (God, Teach Me!)
Did you catch the contrast in this scene? The Jewish leaders were elite, powerful, intimidating, and antagonistic toward the apostles. The apostles, as described in verse 13, were unschooled and ordinary. They were fishermen who probably smelled like fish. Keep that contrast in mind for a minute. The turnaround in this scene is remarkable. Use the questions below to bring the power of this scene into your own life.
How would you describe the attitude of the Jewish leaders before Peter’s speech?
How would you describe their attitude after Peter’s speech? Why did it change?
What gave the apostles confidence and courage?
How does this scene speak to your life personally?
What “Jewish leader” type situations do you have in your life? Your “Jewish leaders” situations would be people or things that make living out your Christian faith difficult—temptations, people who belittle you, etc. Write these down.
3. Seal the Deal (God, Change Me!)
Two big things you may have noticed that gave Peter and John their courage: the Holy Spirit (v. 8), and they had been with Jesus (v. 13). So this leads to a couple questions:
- What do you need to change to trust the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?
- What do you need to adjust so that you can spend the kind of time with Jesus that gives you confidence and courage in facing situations that are detrimental to your faith?
Over the next few days, trust the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and spend more time with Jesus than you usually do. Schedule a mini-retreat and read one of Jesus’ big teachings, such as Matthew 5-7 or John 13-17.