Written ~ 06-06-2024
Read Acts Chapter Four
Acts 4
Chapter four is a continuation of chapter three. In Acts 3:4-5, Peter and John had healed a lame man, then confronted a crowd of people that by their unbelief they crucified the Lord, the very One whose name they spoke in to bring glory to Him. In chapter four we see the reaction of the religious leaders. Peter had provoked such anger in them by speaking in the name of Jesus. Peter and John were thrown in jail so the leaders could figure out what to do with them.
In John 15:18-21 it says…
18“If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. 19The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you. 21They will do all this to you because of Me, for they have rejected the One who sent Me.”
Jesus was preparing His disciples for this kind of reaction from the religious leaders. Those words from Jesus would be fresh in the minds of Peter and John, I don’t believe they were surprised at being arrested. Jesus said it would happen.
Because of everything Peter had said to the crowd in verses 3:12-26, this is the result, look what it says in Acts 4:4…
4“But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.”
Peter and John were seeing the power of the Holy Spirit working through them, they were not in any way discouraged. In fact they probably felt it was just another opportunity to talk about the Lord. Let’s see what happens when these two apostles are brought before the council…
Acts 4:7-12…
7“They brought in the two disciples (Peter and John) and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’
12There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Salvation is found in no one else. This is the message of the entire Bible. These two men were diligent in doing the work of the Lord no matter what kind of opposition they came up against.
So… here we have Peter and John, they have been arrested for teaching the people of Jerusalem about Jesus and performing miraculous signs. The next morning they were brought before “the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law.” (Acts 4:5) The main topic the high priest wanted to discuss was “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” (Acts 4:7) This was in reference to the lame man who was healed in Acts 3:1-11.
Peter spoke to the council, he spoke with boldness, the Holy Spirit filled his words and he spoke with power. He was not intimidated by the council, nor did he flinch when they questioned his miraculous deeds. He stood and proclaimed it is “…by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene…” that we do the things we do. He proceeded to quote Scripture, the religious leaders and the high council would have been quite familiar with his words as he said, “The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” In the Old Testament the Lord is described as the “rock” in many instances, it is this rock (or stone) that the religious leaders chose to ignore and eventually sentenced to death on a cross. But even though the Jewish leaders and teachers of religious law completely missed who Jesus Christ was, that did not affect who Jesus was and is today. They tried to kill Jesus on more than one occasion and thought they had succeeded when they saw Him hanging on the cross. But we know the outcome don’t we? Christ was raised from that grave, fully alive and as glorious and powerful as ever. Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of the temple of God and everything holy. Look at what it says in…
Ephesians 2:20-21,
20Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. 21We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
When I did a little bit of research I found this explanation of the importance of a cornerstone and when you relate this explanation to Christ, it’s pretty awesome:
- A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
So, when we think of our lives as believers in Christ Jesus, His position (at the right hand of God) is the determining factor for the faith, trust and acceptance we have in Jesus the Son of God. And it is why His message, the Good News message is just as powerful today as it was in the days of the Apostles, like Peter, John and Paul. Christ’s placement as the cornerstone is where we start and we build our entire lives from that point. That cornerstone isn’t going anywhere, it is unmovable, uncrushable, it is steadfast. So think of a structure, visualize a stone structure, the cornerstone has been placed, Jesus Christ the Lord, then more stones are added, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, the Apostles and disciples of the New Testament, Christians from each century all the way through to you and to me! We are a part of this huge structure, built on the promises of God and our salvation comes only through that one stone. The Cornerstone.
Acts 4:12…
12There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Now look at what the reaction is from the members of the council…
Acts 4:13-16a…
13The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
16a“What should we do with these men?” they asked each other.
They were amazed! Maybe a little perplexed! They had no idea what to do with Peter and John. But the only thing they could think of and what they decided to do was to warn the apostles never to speak or teach in the name of Jesus ever again.
I absolutely love the reply given by Peter and John…
Acts 4:19-20…
19“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? 20We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
Even with the warnings and threats from the religious leaders and members of the council, the Name of Jesus would be taught and miraculous signs would continue.
When Peter and John were released they went back to the other believers and told them everything that had happened. Instead of displaying anger and rioting over the arrest of their beloved teachers, look at what the believers did!
Acts 4:24-30…
24When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, Your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against His Messiah.’
27“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your holy servant, whom You anointed. 28But everything they did was determined beforehand according to Your will. 29And now, Oh Lord, hear their threats, and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word. 30Stretch out Your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
This prayer shows there was not going to be any backing down. The Apostles and the other believers were going to endure persecution and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, they were going to continue to perform miraculous signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus!
Let’s think about something for a moment…the report Peter and John gave the other believers was one of warning and threats, they were told never to speak the Name of Jesus ever again. With seemingly bad news, what would you suppose a proper response would have been? Agree not to do it again? Back down? Obviously not, the response from the believers was lifting their voices together in praise to the Almighty God!
Their reaction to the religious leaders’ warning and threats was to ask the Lord the following…
Acts 4:29-30…
29“Oh Lord, hear their threats, and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word. 30Stretch out Your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
What is our response when things don’t go quite as planned? Do we back down when things get a little tough? Or do we praise God even when we receive a bad report? Do we lift our voices to Heaven and ask the Lord for boldness to carry on? The believers in the Book of Acts were not willing to shrink back in fear. Instead they asked for GREAT BOLDNESS!
Look what happened after the believers finished praying!
Acts 4:31…
31“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.”
How awesome is that!! Verse 4:4 says there are now a total of 5000 new believers…
That means 5000 people were just filled with the Holy Spirit and verse 4:31 says THEY preached the Word of God with Boldness!! Through the Holy Spirit revival is taking place!
What if Peter, John or Paul were alive today, preaching with such boldness, doing the miracles we read about in Scriptures, do you think they would come up against as much opposition today as they did from the religious leaders in their time? A lot of people only followed Jesus because of the miracles He did, do you think it would be the same today?
Often I read the Bible and think to myself, “How in the world did they miss it? How did they miss who Jesus was?”
But look at the world today. There are a sea of faces out in the world, each seeking something. But are they seeking the cornerstone? Are they seeking the One who can bring them Salvation? The members of the high council and the religious leaders missed it. Let’s pray for the eyes of the non-believing person to be open, for their ears to hear the message of Jesus Christ and believe. Let’s continue to pray for leaders like Peter, John and Paul to be lifted up and speak with boldness and power through the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit where we hear of more miraculous signs and wonders around this globe. Let’s continue, even with opposition, to proclaim the truth of the Bible and the promise from God that Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Praising the Father today for the Cornerstone in my life! Thank You Father for giving me Your Son to build an unshakable foundation for my life to be built upon. Thank You for Salvation. Thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ.
~AMEN~
- Has the message of Jesus Christ reached your ears? Is the cornerstone missing from your life? Do you seek everything but Christ to fill your heart? Why not stop pursuing empty things of this world and place your trust in the cornerstone. Salvation is near, it is here right now… place your faith in the only One who can save and bring everlasting life… Pray this prayer…
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
- If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! You are now another stone placed in the structure situated on the cornerstone.
- It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.