Dust off Their Feet (Acts 4)
A Boldness Not of Their Own
15 March, 2015
Derrick Hills
Acts 4. 13-22
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. (v 13)
* The boy and the President
* Looking both ways, (again) …!
Conviction, power and multiplication (Verses 1-12)
Prayer, boldness, proclamation and commonality (Verses 14-37)
* Peter and John’s secret
Being with Jesus (Verses 13-18)
“… these men had been with Jesus.” (v.13)
“… unschooled, ordinary men …” (v.13)
(Verse 11) “… the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.” (Ps. 118.22)
“… the courage (= boldness) of Peter and John …” (v.13)
(Verse 16) “What are we going to do with these men?”
(Verse 21) “They could not decide how to punish them …”
(Verses 17 -18) “But to stop this thing from spreading any further …” “… commanded them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus.”
* A Clash of Loyalties
(Verse 19) “But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!”
* A Boldness of Not Their Own
C.H. Spurgeon converted at 16, began preaching at Park St Chapel … “Unschooled!”
“From every town, village, and hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London … and so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. Your business is, when you get to a text, to say, ‘Now, what is the road to Christ?’ and then preach a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis-Christ.”
* Extraordinary Events … Acts – stories of new boldness, new lives, new community, new creation!
Believing on faith and truth in Jesus Christ and acting accordingly – ‘Freedom in Christ’
Remember …
Imagine the bold assurance …?
So how do I have or renew a relationship with Jesus?
Questions
1) If it’s not theological training that makes men and women bold in their proclamation of Christ what is it? Does book learning have any part in this, and if so what part?
2) Have you been in a place where pressure has been on you to capitulate in holding a line of faith and trust in God? What did you do, what were the pressures, and what was the outcome? Might you be persuaded to do it differently next time?
3) What was at the heart of Charles Spurgeon’s preaching success, and what might we learn from him in our faith and our ministries?
4) How pivotal do you think the record of verses 13-22 are to what is recorded before and after in Acts 4? Without the testimony (crux) of verses 13-22, how different might the rest of Acts 4 be in it’s account?