Bold Christians Acts 4:23-31
It is striking that wherever there are dictatorial regimes that the population find oppressive, the church tends to grow. The message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is thrilling for those under pressure. Peter acknowledged,
“You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16
It is this affirmation that is the foundation of the church.
“ . . . on this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18
Proclamation of the lordship of Jesus is much more important than social activities, that rightly the churches does become involved with.
In his first book Luke emphasises who Jesus is, that he is a person who is also God. He begins to demonstrate his kingly power by what he taught, by his miracles and especially by his resurrection. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is his message. This theme continues in his second book which is all about the ongoing word of the Spirit of Jesus at work, primarily through the Christians. His power is demonstrated by the rapid growth of the early church amongst, at first, Jewish people.
After Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost many responded to the appeal to change the direction they were living their lives, to repent, and to go public in their commitment to Christ, to be baptised.
“Those who accepted the message were baptised and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41
Those new Christians met together in the temple courts to be taught what Jesus had been saying by his apostles. These Christians were open about their love of the Lord Jesus and they behaved well so their effect on society was not surprising,
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47
After healing a man crippled from birth who had been begging by the gate Beautiful in the temple, Peter explained to the resulting crowds that it was Jesus who had healed the man they could see prancing around with joy. He explained the gospel that ‘Jesus Christ is the risen Lord’. Peter and John were arrested and tried before the same Sanhedrin that just a few weeks before had passed Jesus on to the Romans to be crucified.
“But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” Acts 4:4
The new believers continued to meet together in the temple court and, although people were apprehensive about joining the church their impact was astounding,
“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:14
The church grew through teaching. The apostles were insistent, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord - therefore we must all repent.” t the end of Peter’s pentecostal sermon came the plea,
“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. . . . Repent and be baptised . . .” Acts 2:36,38
It is astounding to hear how, whenever the message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is preached and lived out the church grows. Peter Cameron Scott was one of the first missionaries to go to Kenya. He landed at Mombasa with fifteen fellow missionaries. Within a year only one was left, the others had either died or left. My wife’s grandfather was went there as a missionary in 1920. They stated boldly that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. Today there are around 50 million Christians in the country, which is about half the population. It is a similar story in Nigeria, The early missionaries had a tough time fighting malaria, other illnesses and local opposition. Now there are over 20 million Christians in that country.
Unfortunately in Europe the picture is not as strong because the message of churches as a whole has been weaker, withsome glorious exceptions. Where is the urgent message, that people must repent because Jesus Christ is king, being preached passionately? Many church leaders seem to feel more comfortable talking about political or social issues than Jesus.
Jesus has promised that he will build his church wherever the gospel about him being Lord of all is preached. When Peter acknowledged to Jesus,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16
Jesus then went on to tell him,
“ . . . on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18
Jesus will build his church wherever the gospel is proclaimed and the essential message must be ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
The phrase ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is repeated 13 times in the New Testament, it was obviously a catchphrase of the apostles.
Boldness of the early Christians
The boldness of Peter and John is remarkable. After a man crippled from birth had been miraculously healed and Peter had explained that this had happened through the power of the risen Lord Jesus, both Peter and John were arrested and put on trial before the same Sanhedrin that had arranged for Jesus to be crucified. It would be expected that they would be cowed into submission but the very opposite happened, they were emboldened. Peter spoke out,
“If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” Acts 4:9-10
To speak out like that in such an oppressive situation takes guts! Peter went on to quote an Old Testament prophecy that his judges would have recognised as being about the Messiah,
“He is ‘the stone you builders rejected which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to me by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11
The capstone of an arch is the final stone that holds everything tightly together. The effect of this bold reply was impressed their judges,
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
Being with Jesus does fill people with courage to pass on the message that ‘Jesus is Lord’ confidently and boldly. Peter and John were eventually released and commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. No christian could ever agree to that. They replied,
“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather that God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20
The High Priests and the Sanhedrin didn’t know how to punish them because all the people were praising god for what had happened so after threatening them again they released them. Peter and John then went back to the church and reported all that had happened and then they prayed together. Part of their prayer included a reaction to the threats given by the Sanhedrin,
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4:29
The effect of this attitude and prayer was obvious,
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31
This phrasing is very significant. They had previously been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. He had come to dwell permanently in them. But here they experienced an effect of the Spirit and were filled with a longing to please him.
This boldness to speak about Jesus and share what he taught is one of the proofs that a person really has the Holy Spirit within them – Christians love Jesus, they love his people, they love his word, they love his righteousness and love to share him.
This spiritual boldness comes from both the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God and a real work of the Holy Spirit.
Convictions about the Word of God
Early in their prayer the church was reminded of what god had taught in the Scriptures. Psalm 2 is quoted from,
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.” Acts 4:25-26
They realised that this was precisely what the Sanhedrin had done, the ‘rulers gathered together against the Lord.” the prayer continued,
“Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against you holy servant Jesus whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Acts 4:27-28
They knew that the Scriptures were given to encourage the Christians by demonstrating that God knew how people would react to Jesus. God is indeed omniscient and omnipotent.
Psalm 2 is a remarkable psalm as it powerfully describes how people even today respond to God and his Son.
1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.
8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
This psalm emphasises that God the Father is distinct from his son yet they share the same lordship. God repeated these words loud at both Jesus’ baptism and his transfiguration. The psalm starts with an analysis of what will happen – an open rebellion against God and his rule. Yet God just laughs and scoffs at this. His power and rule is in no way diminished by their rebellion. He responds by saying that he will install his king in their place. This chosen one or Messiah or Christ will rule on behalf of his Father. His kingdom will extend throughout the nations. This is why God insists that people must come to their senses and bend their knee figuratively before God and his Son.
It is laughable for a six year old child to take on and hope to win against their Head Teacher, but it is even more laughable for us to try to take on God. The consequences of this rebellion will be disastrous. The roof that such actions are stupid can be seen in the resurrection of Jesus. The evidence that that really happened is extraordinarily strong. The disciples were clealry convinced to have acted so boldly. Subsequent generations of christians can testify that the power of god has changed them into becoming more like the Lord Jesus.
Experiences of the Holy Spirit
We have already seen that it was the personal experience of the holy Spirit that also motivated the Christians to witness boldly for Christ. Undoubtedly the supernatural miracle performed by Peter and John did help to heighten people’s awareness about Jesus.
There are some who try to replicate this today but their miracles are not the same and too often are associated with theatrical showmanship! It is significant that in the next chapter were are told who performed these miracles. It was not the ordinary Christians.
“Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together . . .” Acts 2:43
“The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” Acts 5:12
The writer to the Hebrews says that even by that time miracles were a thing of the past,
“God also testified to it by signs and wonders and various miracles . .” Hebrews 2:4
Paul denigrated the role of miracles, saying,
“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:22
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, which was deeply troubled by false ‘super-apostles’ and false teaching, and he urges them only to follow true apostolic teaching.
“I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not the least inferior to the ‘super-apostles’, even though I am nothing. The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonders and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.” 2 Corinthians 12:11-12
The use of the past tense and the wording of these sentences make it clear that miracles were no longer occurring. The true apostles had been ratified.
When I first became a christian I understood that I must have been given the holy spirit because I had asked Jesus to come into my life. His presence is far more than a doctrine. His presence gives us a real experience. If we do not have the experience of the Holy Spirit growing in our lives we should query whether we are real Christians. Paul wrote,
“You however are controlled, not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9
How do we know we have the Holy Spirit living in us. These will be some of the growing experiences we will have:
1. We will increasingly love the Lord Jesus and be thrilled that he died for our sin and chose us to be one of his people.
2. We will increasingly love God’s word, the Bible. We will want to read it and know it more.
3. We will increasingly love God’s people and want to meet up with them to both encourage them and be encouraged.
4. We will increasingly love behaving in Godly ways and increasingly hate the sin that so easily crowds in on us and our society.
5. We will want to find ways to share the gospel about Jesus with others by inviting them to come and learn what you have discovered. Our boldness will increase.
6. We will want to share all that goes on in our lives with our heavenly Father, we will pray.
7. We will have our eyes focussed on going to live in heaven with our Lord. Death will lose its sting.
With time, these should all be part of a Christian’s experience.
Further reassurances
God calls people to himself from all different backgrounds and gives all of us his Spirit. Consequently:
a. We don’t need to be exceptional people for God to use us. Peter and John were clearly ordinary uneducated men, but the members of the Sanhedrin noted that they had been changed through being with Jesus.
b. It is not a special gift to be able to talk to people about the Lord Jesus. This passage teaches us,
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31
Undoubtedly they wanted to learn how to get around to talking about Jesus when they met people and because of this longing they developed techniques for steering the conversation round to him. All Christians have a duty to learn how to do this. There is an unfortunate phrase that has been wrongly attributed to St Francis,
“Preach the gospel and use words if necessary!”
There is no evidence he ever said anything like this and he never would have done so as he was an ardent preacher who knew that people could only learn about Jesus and what he taught if words are used. Obviously the impact of our words will be much greater if people can see our lives have been changed by the news we are sharing. God communicates with us through his Word and we also communicate with others with words.
c. Prayer is vital. We can share the gospel with others but only a work of God will produce a lifelong change. They knew their role was to persuade as many people as possible about their need for Jesus and the forgiveness he alone can offer but God needs to do his work.
Paul clarifies this apparent tension between God’s role and our role in his second letter to the Corinthian church.
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
That is our role, to let as many know as possible that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. But then he goes on to explain that it is God himself who then applies this message and makes this message shine in people’s hearts. It is God who enables us to grasp the significance of Jesus and so change the direction of our lives.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
The Lord has given us, his people, the responsibility to pass on the message that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. It is a grave misunderstanding to think that we can leave the winning of people up to him and just pray that he will change people’s lives when we have not been sowing any seed!
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6
So in our prayers, let us focus on those we have talked with that week about the Lord Jesus, given Christian literature to, invited to church or to our Bible study group. Let us pray how we may follow them up effectively and ask that God will step into their lives and give them his Spirit. Let us not be so preoccupied about temporal problems, such as about Aunt Maud’s bad knee, that we forget people’s eternal needs,. This is the primary work that Christ has chosen his people for.
What a joy it has been in the last day to hear from two people who have been involved in the present Christianity Explored group. Both have been talking to others about what they have learnt and one is bringing a friend to hear the news for himself.
BVP
February 2022
