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September 20 - Acts 4 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. And you have tapped on play and
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  you and I are going to continue our adventure of reading another
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  book of God's Word today. Not a whole book cracking.
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  Who's got time for that today? No, another chapter of God's
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  Word. We are going to keep on reading
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  through the book of Acts and this is an awesome chapter.
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  This is like a huge juxtaposition as we think about
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  the the disciple Peter and we think of him so bullish, so you
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  know, ready to jump the gun, shoot from the hip.
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  But when all the chips were down and Jesus is being arrested, he
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  just flees and denies Jesus to his great shame.
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  But here we see that his courage is restored and the Holy Spirit
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  brings this to him. So if you ever feel like, no, I
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  just don't have enough courage to do the stuff that God wants
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  me to do. Holy moly, that is me.
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  I think I just, I cannot step into the space that God is
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  calling me. I just don't have what I need.
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  Take heart, friends, because it's not our courage, but it's
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  the Holy Spirit in us that can give us the courage that we
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  need. This is very good timing for me
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  to hear this message, and I hope for you too.
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  So let us hear about Peter in the thick of it again, but this
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  time with God's Spirit bubbling over inside of him, giving him
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  such courage to speak truth even to ears that don't want to hear
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  it as we read together. Acts Chapter 4.
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  While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they
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  were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple Guard,
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  and some of the Sadjussies. These leaders were very
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  disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that
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  through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead that
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  arrested them, and since it was already evening, put them in
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  jail until morning. But many of the people who heard
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  their message believed it so the number of men who believed now
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  totaled about 5000. The next day the council of all
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  the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in
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  Jerusalem. Anas, the high priest was there,
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  along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other relatives of
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  the high priest. They brought in the two
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  disciples and demanded by what power or in whose name have you
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  done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy
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  Spirit, said to them rulers and elders of our people, Are we
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  being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a
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  crippled man? Do you want to know how he was
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  healed? Let me clearly state to all of
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  you, and to all the people of Israel, that he was healed by
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  the powerful name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, the man
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  you crucified, but whom God has raised from the dead.
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  For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says
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  the stone that you build is rejected, has now become the
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  cornerstone. There is salvation in no one
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  else. God has given no other name
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  under heaven by which we must be saved.
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  The members of the council were amazed when they saw the
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  boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were
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  ordinary men with no special training in the Scripture.
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  They also recognized them as the men who had been with Jesus.
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  But since they could see the man who had been healed standing
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  right there among them, there was nothing the council could
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  say. So they ordered Peter and John
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  out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves What
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  should we do with these men? They asked each other.
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  We can't deny that they have performed A miraculous sign, and
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  everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.
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  But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we
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  must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus name again.
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  So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never
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  again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
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  But Peter and John replied, Do you think God wants us to obey
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  you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about
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  everything we have seen and heard.
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  The council then threatened them further, but they finally let
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  them go because they didn't know how to punish them without
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  starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
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  for this miraculous sign, the healing of a man who had been
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  lame for more than 40 years. As soon as they were freed,
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  Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them
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  what the leading priests and elders had said when they heard
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  the report. All the believers lifted their
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  voices together in prayer to God, oh sovereign Lord, creator
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  of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them.
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  You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit, through our ancestor
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  David, your servant, saying, why were the nations so angry?
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  Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
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  The kings of the earth prepared for battle.
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  The rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his
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  Messiah. In fact, this has happened here
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  in this very city, For Herod, Antipas, Pontius Pilate, the
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  Governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united
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  against Jesus, your holy servant whom you appointed.
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  But everything they did was determined beforehand according
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  to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their
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  threats and give us your servants great boldness in
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  preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with
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  healing power. May miraculous signs and wonders
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  be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
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  After this prayer the meeting place shook, and they were all
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  filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of
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  God with boldness. All the believers were united in
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  heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not
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  their own, so they shared everything they had.
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  The apostles testified powerly to the resurrection of the Lord
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  Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all.
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  There were no needy people among them, because those who owned
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  land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the
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  apostles to give to those in need.
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  For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed
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  Barnabas, which means son of encouragement.
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  He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of
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  Cyprus. He sold the field he owned and
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  brought the money to the Apostles.
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  Jesus, you have a Spirit of courage that you give us.
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  Lord. As we hear about these disciples
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  praying boldly for your courage, let us do the same.
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  Holy Spirit, give us your courage, your courageousness,
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  that we would stand tall, shoulders back, and speak
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  clearly about you and your love for us, and your forgiveness for
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  all who would receive it. Thank you that you do not ask us
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  to hide in the corners and live quiet lives of submission, but
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  to stand tall and to Share your story with anyone who would hear
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  it or give us your courage. Give us your sensitivity to know
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  when to speak these words, and may your spirit prompt, empower,
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  and use us to further your Kingdom.
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  And no matter how much or how little of that happens, we know
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  that it is you and your sacrifice for us that saves us,
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  not how smart we are with our words.
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  So we just thank you for that free and beautiful gift of mercy
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  and forgiveness and salvation. We are so, so grateful for you,
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  Jesus, and we pray all of this in your loving and saving name.
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  I'm in.