Exceedingly Abundant Love

Acts 4:32-37

Continuing on with the Book of Acts:

Recall that the early church – the first believers – now numbered in the thousands. After the miracles of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the miraculous healing in Acts 3, all of Jerusalem was talking about these things. Included were the Jewish leaders, who saw all this as a severe threat to their positions of authority and comfort. They had confronted the new believers, throwing Peter and John in jail for a night and warning them not to talk about Jesus ever again. Peter and John had received other threats from them as well. After they were released, they went to pray with the other Christian leaders. This brings us up to Acts 4:31.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. – Acts 4:31

The Believers' Prayer

Acts 4:23-4:31The story in Acts 4:23-31 continues the story of the healed beggar that we have been discussing the last two weeks. Recall that Peter and John met with a beggar who was crippled from birth and who sat every day at the temple gate. Peter commanded him to walk and helped him up, and he was instantly healed. The beggar greatly enjoyed his new abilities, walking, jumping, and praising God. A crowd assembled at the temple, and Peter gave a speech explaining the gospel – “repent and turn to God!” – and explained that the Jesus they killed was raised from the dead. Peter and John explained that they were actual witnesses of this.

Amidst massive numbers of conversions to Christ, the priests (mostly Pharisees) and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John and arrested them. They held them in jail overnight. The next day, Peter and John were made to appear before Annas and Caiaphas, the leaders. These two people had been opposed to Jesus’ ministry for a really long time and were the very ones who had overseen Jesus’ death.

The Testimony of Healing

Acts 4:1-22

I began with a review from last week. Recall that Peter and John were going up to the temple one day and locked eyes with the beggar who was crippled from birth who sat every day at the gate called Beautiful. Peter said “Look at us!” The beggar did, expecting some money. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” The beggar was instantly healed, jumped up, and walked. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking, jumping, and praising God. Crowds came running when they realized what had happened.

Then Peter gave a powerful speech. First, he explained that it wasn’t by his or John’s power that this man was walking. Then he told them about Jesus – and he was quite blunt about it. He said, “You killed the author of life.” No political correctness there. Then he said, “But God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this!” And then, “It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him.” Peter next called on the crowd to repent and turn to God, so that their sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing would come, and that ultimately Christ would return for them.

Giving What You Have

Acts 3:1-3:26

I began this message by recalling what had happened in Acts so far. The amazing miracle of the sound of wind, the tongues of fire, Peter’s speaking the gospel with boldness, 3000 people becoming believers in one day, the beginnings of a new kind of life among the believers, sharing things, loving one another, homothumadon, and koinonia.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. – Acts 3:1-5

Doctor Luke, the human author of Acts, was a man who paid attention to details. There are some interesting details in this passage!