Acts-To the Ends of the Earth – Day 04

With All Boldness

Acts 4 is easily one of my top three favorite chapters in the entire book. The boldness of the Apostles truly shines here. When faced with pressure and intimidation from the Jewish leaders, Peter and John simply refused to be silenced. Instead, they called their bluff and stood their ground.

After healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, Peter and John were teaching to a crowd. That’s when the trouble started.

Acts 4:1-4 — Audacious Preaching Sparks Opposition

While Peter and John were speaking, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came to confront them. These leaders were deeply disturbed because Peter and John were teaching the people and boldly proclaiming the resurrection in Jesus. They arrested the apostles and put them in jail for the night. But here’s the beautiful twist: many who heard their message believed, and the number of believers swelled to about five thousand.

For context, the temple captain was second only to the high priest. The Sadducees, who accepted only the Torah, denied the resurrection and preferred to keep their peace with Rome. Peter and John’s explosive teaching and the undeniable miracle offended their religious pride and threatened their influence.

Acts 4:7-12 — Unapologetic Truth

The religious leaders asked, “By what power or name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, answered, “If we are being called to account for an act of kindness to a lame man, know this. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this miracle happened. Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else.”

Peter spoke only after the Holy Spirit filled him. His answer was clear, direct, and courageous. He told them without apology that Jesus, whom they rejected, was the source of the miracle and that there is salvation in no other name.

Acts 4:13 — Ordinary People, Extraordinary Boldness

When the leaders saw Peter and John’s boldness and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were floored. All they could see was that these men “had been with Jesus.” That’s what made the difference. Jesus had transformed them.

Today, ask yourself: Can people recognize that you have been with Jesus by the way you speak and live?

Acts 4:17-22 — Choosing God Over Comfort

The authorities ordered Peter and John to stop speaking and teaching in Jesus’ name. But the apostles replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you or to Him? You be the judge. As for us, we cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard.” When intimidation failed, the rulers threatened them, but Peter and John chose obedience to God over human approval.

Are you avoiding God’s call because you’re afraid of discomfort? Are you hiding your faith to please people instead of living the mission He’s set for you?

Acts 4:23-31 — A Community That Prays Boldly

Released at last, Peter and John rejoined their fellow believers and shared everything the leaders had said. What did the church do? They prayed. Their prayer was not for persecution to end but for God to grant them even more boldness. They asked, “Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they met was shaken; the Holy Spirit filled them all, and they continued to speak God’s word with courage.

What a powerful model. When faced with fear, the early church did not retreat. They united, worshipped, and prayed for strength to keep proclaiming God’s truth.

Acts 4 gives us a picture of believers who were not shaken by opposition or fear. They stood bold in the face of rulers, institutions and threats. They spoke truth with clarity. They refused to trade obedience to God for the approval of people. And when pressure came, their first response was prayer and unity with other believers. This is what a Spirit-filled church looks like.

The same Holy Spirit who filled Peter and John fills us. The same power that made them fearless is available to us today. When we know who we have been with, and who has sent us, boldness is the only response. May the world look at us and recognize the evidence that we have been with Jesus.

Prayer
Father in Heaven
Thank You for the example of boldness we see in Acts 4
Thank You for the same Holy Spirit who empowers us today
Fill us again with courage to stand for Your truth
Grant us boldness to speak Your word with clarity and love
Help us to choose obedience over approval and purpose over comfort
Let our lives reflect that we have been with Jesus
Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders in our generation
Make it undeniable that You are God and that we belong to You
Strengthen our hearts fill us with Your Spirit
And send us out with holy fire and confidence in Your name
In Jesus name
Amen