March 18, 2018 Preaching | Bro. Marco Pulmano
Last Sunday, we continued with our series ‘Don’t Go to Church, Be the Church’ with Acts 4. This chapter comes after Peter and John healed a man who had been lame since birth, and boldly proclaimed that it is through the name of Jesus that this man was able to walk. Here, we follow Peter and John to see and learn from the results of their preaching, their trial before the Sanhedrin, and the Church’ response to persecution.
Peter and John’s miraculous healing and bold preaching of Jesus’ resurrection was a powerful testimony that Jesus is indeed who He claimed He was – the Messiah. It was a truth so powerful that ‘many of those who had heard the message believed’ (v4). Sadly, this same truth also threatened the priests and religious leaders. They had no explanation for the empty tomb or the miracle of healing, that they felt compelled to arrest Peter and John. Jesus’ death and resurrection from the cross is a truth so powerful, we can choose to trust and believe in Him.
The Trial of Peter & John
The story continues on the next day after Peter and John’s arrest. They now stand in the center of the Sanhedrin, and questioned about their actions. This was a moment that Jesus prepared and equipped them for – ‘If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you’ (John 15:20), ‘When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say’ (Luke 12: 11-12). Peter, filled by the Holy Spirit, once again proclaimed the lame man’s healing in Jesus’ name. He then pushed it even further saying, ‘He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else’ (v11-12). Unfazed, Peter continued to speak boldly even in front of the very people who persecuted Jesus, and even when the religious leaders asked him to stop. Peter and John spoke so confidently that their audience were not only amazed, knowing them to be uneducated and untrained men, but they also began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Jesus is not only worthy of our trust, He also equips and empowers us to do the work that He wants us to accomplish, to do more than we could with our own strengths and abilities.
The Response of the Church to Persecution
When Peter and John were released, they went back and shared what the chief priests and elders said to them. Instead of responding in fear, the Church cried out to God in prayer. Instead of requesting God to deliver them for persecution, they praised Him and asked Him to continue the work He began in them – to give them the strength to speak with confidence, and to continue extending His hand to heal, and do signs and wonders. It is to this prayer that God responded, ‘And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness’ (v31). Jesus hears our prayers and responds to our desire to do His will.
Bringing It All Together
As we reflect upon Acts 4 and learn not just to Go to Church but to Be the Church, let’s ask ourselves:
- Who is Jesus to us? Do we believe in the powerful truth of Jesus as the Messiah, our Lord and Savior who died and rose again?
- For us Christians, do others see the presence of Jesus in our lives? Do we like Peter and John follow Jesus’ example of grace and truth as we share of Jesus and respond to those who oppose us? Do we lead others to recognize the power of Jesus in our lives?