We can't help but talk about Jesus! Acts 4

Acts 4 is my FAVORITE chapter in Acts. I absolutely LOVE it, and when I am feeling defeated or discouraged, I read it and immediately the Spirit gives me encouragement and boldness. It's so incredible. I hope y'all read it.

Here's a few things from my commentary:
v. 3 - talking about the Sanhedrin arresting Peter & John and putting them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
-The Sanhedrin was the Jewish high court, and they met in the mornings. Since it was evening, the two apostles were placed in detention for the night. Detention for Jesus, though! :] I'd take it!

v. 11 - "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone." cross referenced with Isaiah 28:16 & Psalm 118:22

v. 13 - "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
Boldness (Greek - parresia) is an important word in Acts which depicts Spirit-inspired courage and confidence to speak in spite of any danger or threat. "Uneducated" and "common" ("nonprofessional") men like Peter and John were not expected to speak so confidently before the supreme court of the land. The two words do not mean that they were illiterate or unintelligent but rather that they had not gone through the advanced training of the rabbinic schools.
"they had been with Jesus" - It is impossible to imagine how much the disciples would have learned from spending three years in close association with the Son of God living on earth, listening to him teach, hearing him pray, and watching him interact with the most difficult challenges. They knew Jesus, and in knowing him they knew much more than all the learned scribes of the Sanhedrin.

v. 16 - "What shall we do with these men?" - The religious leaders didn't know what action to take, since the healing of the man was well known and punishing his healers would displease the people. Official leaders often act from fear of the people rather than from fear of God. Interesting.

v. 23-31 - The Christian Community Prays for Boldness in Witness
I love this. Even though Peter and John displayed amazing boldness in front of the Sanhedrin, they got home, grabbed some friends, and prayed for more boldness! What passion they had for Christ and the spreading of His name.
v. 25 - "who through the mouth of our father David...said" - Scripture is truly and totally the word of God even though it comes through flawed men like David. Even as they are persecuted, they address God as master and are in service to His will.

v. 28 - In their prayer, reported with approval by Luke, the believers affirm both God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Whatever includes all of the evil rejection, false accusation, miscarriage of justice, wrongful beatings, mockery, and crucifixion that both Jews & Gentiles poured out against jesus. These things were predestined by God, yet the human beings who did them were morally "lawless"(see 2:23, 36); they were responsible for their evil deeds (see 3:13-15) and they needed to repent (see 2:38, 3:19). This prayer reflects both a deep acknowledgment of human responsibility and a deep trust in God's wisdom in His sovereign direction of the detailed events of history.

v. 29 - their prayer for boldness in witness shows a determination to directly disobey the command of the Sanhedrin. I love it. They do not pray against those who persecute them but pray for their own faithfulness in witness.

***v. 31 - one of my favorite verses.
"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."
The place they gathered was SHAKEN!! My commentary says: God answered the believers' prayer. The place where they were gathered was shaken as if by an earthquake, and the Spirit descended upon them in a way they could perceive. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit indicates that people could be "filled" with the Holy Spirit more than once, for Peter was among them and he had already been "filled with the Holy Spirit" (v. 8) and all the disciples present at Pentecost had been "filled" with the Spirit as well (2:4). The Holy Spirit's power did not come on them automatically but in answer to their expectant, believing prayer.

INCREDIBLE.

v. 34 - there was not a needy person among them... - there should be no poor in the community of faith. How cool that Christians would sell some of their goods and bring the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to the needy. This should not be seen as communal ownership, but instead as what we are called to do. Over and over Scripture tells us to care for the needy and the poor and oppressed. Through loving and serving these people, we are loving and serving Jesus Christ. How cool that the Christians there were so selfless and sacrificial. It's beautiful.

v. 36 - interesting info on Barnabas: Barnabas would not have been cited as an example of sharing if the practice had not been voluntary. Barnabas is introduced in the Acts narrative at this point; he is a major character in later chapters, particularly as Paul's companion on his first mission. That mission began on Cyprus, the home of Barnabas. The nickname son of encouragement fits his personality well. He introduced the newly converted Paul to the apostolic circle when everyone else was suspicious of him (9:27). He brought Paul to Antioch to participate in the outreach to the Gentiles (11:25-26). And he stood up for the young John Mark when Paul did not want to take him with them (15:36-39).

I love how this chapter emphasizes the power of prayer, the power of community, and such boldness. I absolutely love how Peter & John challenged the Sanhedrin in v. 19&20, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard." May we have that kind of boldness - we can't help but share what Christ has done and what He is currently doing in our lives!

*commentary taken from the ESV Study Bible.

Keep seeking His Word, y'all. This is awesome. :]
Much love.
-Keri