Revival Continues | Acts 4:32-36

Important points to keep in mind:

Acts 4:32 ~ All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

The unity that is seen here is a wonderful evidence of God's work among the believers. Because of their unity, they regarded people as of more importance than anything else. 

The believers had all things in common. They recognized that God owns everything. Everything belongs to God and His people. Because God had touched their lives so deeply, they found it easy to share all things with those in need.

There was also probably an immediate reason for this significant sharing of all things in common. Since Pentecost there was a large number of those who believed and many of them were from distant lands. Without permanent homes and jobs in Jerusalem and Judea, those who stayed in Jerusalem to learn more about being followers of Jesus needed special support from the Christian community.

The great power that is mentioned in verse 33 is both the result and the root of the attitude we have seen in the previous verse (verse 32) - the believers put God first, people second, and material things a distant third.

Notice again the central place the resurrection of Jesus held in the message of the first Christians. They preached a resurrected Jesus.

Great grace was upon them all. Grace is God's favor. God's favor is evident everywhere.

Acts 4:34-35 ~ 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

This radical giving was absolutely necessary to meet the needs of this rapidly growing church. Remember, many of these Jerusalem Christians who responded to the Gospel on the day of Pentecost lived as refugees from abroad.

People didn’t wait for others to give. When a need arose, they gave what they had to help others.

They distributed to each as anyone had need: Unfortunately, this generosity of the early Christians soon began to be abused. Later the Apostle Paul taught regarding who should be helped and how they should be helped. Paul’s directions were that:

•             The church must discern who the truly needy are (1 Timothy 5:3).

•             If one can work to support himself, he is not truly needy and must provide for his own needs (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:11).

•             If family can support a needy person, the church should not support them (1 Timothy 5:3-4).

•             Those who are supported by the church must make some return to the church body (1 Timothy 5:5, 10).

•             It is right for the church to examine moral conduct before giving support (1 Timothy 5:9-13).

•             The support of the church should be for the most basic necessities of living (1 Timothy 6:8).

Remember: This is radical. There are people who only speak today about the power of the Spirit and how people speak in tongues and do miracles. But actually in Acts, the Spirit goes deeper than that. The Spirit transforms us from the inside so that we serve God gladly. We are then devoted to one another and we strive to meet the needs of others. There were a lot of very poor people in Jerusalem, and they wanted to make sure that everybody is taken care of. All of this took place as people started believing in Jesus and professing their faith in Him. Both in words and actions. 

"32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all" ~ Acts 4:32-33 (NIV)

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Prayer & Praise In The Face Of Persecution | Acts 4:23-32

Important points to keep in mind:

After their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

The people who received Peter and John lift their voices and praise God in one voice. They are praising God in the face of persecution. Remember what Jesus had said with regard to persecution: Blessed are you when people hate and insult you. 

In response to their release, they praised God and prayed. Important moments led them to prayer. The prayer was a spontaneous prayer.

•  They raised their voices together in prayer. They had mass prayer and maybe individual prayer.

•  They prayed in unity. They had no strife or competition among them.

•  They prayed to God, who made the heavens and the earth. The disciples had power in prayer because they knew who they prayed to.

•  Paul praised God in the same way. Acts 16:25 - About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

•  They prayed in light of the Scriptures.

•  The prayer had some quotations from Psalm 2.

God can even use the wicked to execute his own plan. The cross was his plan. God used Syria to discipline the northern kingdom of Israel. God even judged Syria for their arrogance after this.

•  God is so sovereign that he is able to accomplish his will even by allowing people a measure of free choice, so that people have responsibility for what they do with their life. But through this God accomplishes his purpose because God foreknows what we are going to do and works everything together for His plan. That is how sovereign God is. People may do evil to us but not a hair from our head will fall without God's knowledge. God’s will will prevail over all.

They prayed for more miracles and more opportunities to preach. God will continue to stretch forth his hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through his holy servant Jesus. They were asking for more miracles like this man’ healing, so that they will have more opportunities to for public preaching.

• God answered their prayer. Acts 4:31 - After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Remember:

• The early church went through persecution.

• They praised God and prayed in the times of persecution.

• They were united in God. Church community emphasis.

• God gave them boldness.

• God filled them with the Holy Spirit.

"31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had." ~ Acts 4:31-32 (NIV)

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Honoring God’s Authority Above All | Acts 4:13-22

In this passage Peter and John are arrested by the Jewish Sanhedrin for the healing of a crippled man (healed in Jesus' name). Now, they are given with a choice to obey God or the Sanhedrin and they boldly choose to obey God.

Important points to keep in mind:

* The disciples were unschooled. They had no training in rhetoric speech. 

* “Unlearned:” Not trained in Greek rhetoric like the priests. Certainly they were uneducated in one sense – they, like Jesus, had no formal rabbinic education according to the customs and standards of that time. 

* Yet they were educated in two  important ways: they knew the Scriptures, and they had been with Jesus.

Looking at Acts 4:14-22 we understand that:

* Peter answered them boldly.

 * The reason for their uneducated boldness: They had learned from Jesus (Acts 4:13).

* Philosophers often stressed obeying God more than people. Socrates said that.

* Old Testament prophets modeled this boldness (Nathan confronted David, Elijah confronted Ahab, and Jeremiah confronted kings).

* Apostles were being witnesses here. They were just speaking what they have seen and heard.

* Temple authorities tried to suppress the truth using their power.

* The man who had been healed was a living testimony. No one can challenge your testimony.

* Peter and John were sent away with a threat.

The temple authorities were trying to work in their power to suppress the truth. They normally got their way because of their political power. They were not expecting Peter and John to speak back to them because they were considered unlearned.

What was the result of the trial that Peter and John had to go through?

* 2,000 more people came to believe in Jesus.

* Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit again.

* Peter got to preach about Jesus to the leaders of the Jews.

* Hostile examiners confirmed a miraculous healing.

* The enemies of Jesus were confused.

* Peter and John were bolder for Jesus than ever before.

* God was glorified.

Remember:

Let us honor God’s authority. The Scripture also gives us guidelines to obey earthly leaders as well. But God’s authority comes before any other authority.

13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.  ~ Acts 4:13

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ~ Acts 4:18-20

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