Recently I preached a sermon on Acts 4:1-12. Here's the setting:
The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and his presence was unmistakable. Acts 2:43 says, “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” Chapter three provides a perfect illustration of this. Peter and John are headed to the temple to pray, where they encounter a lame man begging for alms. Peter and John have no money, so instead of giving the man alms, they give him legs! Word gets around, and before you know it, a crowd has gathered. Peter preaches essentially the same message he did at Pentecost. He points the people to Jesus, saying, “You killed him, but God raised him up, and he is the one who has healed this man. If you repent, God will blot out your sins, he will bless you with times of refreshing, and he will bring you into his eternal kingdom. – It was a great miracle and a great message, but it was met with great annoyance.
Here's the first part of the text -- Acts 4:1-7:
4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Can you imagine being in such an intimidating situation? After all, this was the same mob who had condemned Jesus to death just a few months earlier! How on earth would the disciples respond?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”Peter's response is nothing short of astounding. Everything about his response is connected to the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. Peter was filled with the Spirit, and his words flowed from the Spirit. Instead of backing down in this intimidating situation, Peter declared the gospel with great boldness. In R. Kent Hughes' commentary, he referred to this type of response as "gracious aggression." What a great term!
1. Expect opposition.
Jesus said, “Students are to be like their teacher. If they have treated me, the Master, this way, then how much more will they malign you!” (Matt. 10:25).
2. Be willing to suffer.
In his first epistle, Peter writes, “if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you” (1 Pet. 2:20 NLT). Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12).
3. Be filled with the Spirit.
Saturate yourself with the Word of God, and go to him in prayer, asking him to grant you boldness and clarity in presenting the gospel (see Eph. 6:19-20; Col. 4:5-6).
4. Share the gospel boldly.
Take advantage of every opportunity God gives you to speak up for Jesus, believing that the Holy Spirit will give you the words and the wisdom necessary to be a faithful witness for him.
Of course the bottom line is, do you care enough to witness to the lost?