Today’s passage: Acts 4:1-22
Helpful thoughts:
- 5,000 men could mean just as many women and however many children. The church was growing quickly!
- Peter and John were set before the Jewish leaders for questioning not long after the night before Jesus’ crucifixion. Peter’s response, by the grace of God, was far different.
- The Jewish leaders had every bit of evidence to believe in the miracle and to believe that Peter and John were disciples of Jesus. They never even denied it. They simply rejected Jesus.
- Peter and John were put on trial and the Jewish leaders were found guilty. But they refused to repent.
Questions to consider:
- Why were Peter and John brought in before the rulers in the first place (Verse 2)? What did the chief priests want more than to be pleasing to God? What other desires do we have that can pull us away from valuing God most highly so that we obey Him?
- What was the ruling of the court? Why was that an impossibility for Peter and John to obey? When does the government overstep their God-given authority?
- Will winning an argument result in repentance and salvation? Will all the evidence convince people into getting saved? Why should this encourage you to share the Gospel without fear? Has God commanded us to win arguments or something else?