Boldness (Acts 4:1-31)

This last week we had a guest speaker covering this passage so I only have some simple outline-style notes which I post here in an effort to maintain continuity as we work our way through the Book of Acts. 

This section of Acts is characterized by the Apostle’s “boldness” (παῤῥησία parrhēsía) as witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This word is used several times in Acts 4 and provides us with a "bold" outline for this chapter. It should also be noted that such boldness produced “great annoyance” on the part of the Jewish religious leaders of that day. It is good to be reminded occasionally that doing the will of God is no guarantee of favorable circumstances. Here, those who were doing the work of Christ were arrested and held overnight before being threatened by their leaders. Yet, Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit” spoke with parrhēsía when brought before the council. What does this parrhēsía mean? Its NT usage is related to not just a freedom or unreservedness in speaking, but to proclaiming openly the truth in word and deed. Some have noted that this includes,

a.    Speaking openly, frankly, without hiding what we really mean (as a politician or diplomat might speak)

b.    Proclaiming a message without ambiguity, waffling, or double-speak. There is no “spin” and no “walking back” of one’s comments. It is speech that often comes as a result of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

c.    It can also refer to direct speech without the use of figures and comparisons. It is a manner of speech that “cuts to the chase” and is to be taken at face value. It is not the mood of nuance nor does one have to “read between the lines” when one speaks with parrhēsía.

While parrhēsía is linked to confidence, it is not self-confidence. It is neither a brash arrogance nor cocky confidence. Rather it is the Holy Spirit-empowered speech of those who communicate a message that they are fully convinced is true. There is no reservation for personal safety in such bold speaking. It should be noted that such Spirit-filled boldness arose from a life of dedicated daily prayer and study of the Word of God.

Take time to read through the passage below (with the addition of my outline headings).

A Bold Testimony (v.1-12)

   And as they were speaking to the people,

                                   the priests and

                                   the captain of the temple and 

                                   the Sadducees came upon them, 

                                                                             greatly annoyed because

               they were teaching the people

                              and proclaiming in Jesus

                                                   the resurrection from the dead.

   And they arrested them and 

                          put them in custody until the next day,

                                                 for it was already evening. 

   But many of those who had heard the word believed,

            and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

                                                                                      On the next day

                                   their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together

                                                                                                in Jerusalem, ,  

                                    with Annas the high priest and 

                                           Caiaphas and

                                           John and

                                           Alexander,

                                             and all who were of the high-priestly family. 

  And when they had set them in the midst,

                   they inquired, 

                         “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

   Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,

            “Rulers of the people and elders, 

                       if we are being examined today 

                                             concerning a good deed

                                                                          done to a crippled man,

                                             by what means this man has been healed, 

                        let it be known to all of you and

                                                to all the people of Israel that 

                                             by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

                                                  whom you crucified, 

                                                  whom God raised from the dead—

                                             by him this man is standing before you well. 

    This Jesus is the stone that was rejected

                                                         by you, the builders,

                                 which has become

                the cornerstone.

    And there is salvation in no one else,

                         for there is no other name under heaven

                                           given among men by which we must be saved.”

A Bold Legacy (v.13-22)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,

                     and perceived that they were uneducated, common men,

                     they were astonished.

              And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

    But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, 

                     they had nothing to say in opposition. 

     But when they had commanded them to leave the council,

                    they conferred with one another, saying, 

                                                        “What shall we do with these men?

      For that a notable sign has been performed through them

is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

and we cannot deny it. 

But in order that it may spread no further among the people,   

              let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 

         So they called them and charged them

                  not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 

But Peter and John answered them, 

    “Whether it is right in the sight of God

          to listen to you rather than to God,

                           you must judge,

                 for we cannot but speak of what 

                      we have seen and heard.”

And when they had further threatened them,

                 they let them go,

                      finding no way to punish them,

                                                           because of the people,

                      for all were praising God for what had happened.

For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed

                was more than forty years old.

A Prayer for Boldness (v.23-30)

       When they were released,

they went to their friends and reported

                                                 what the chief priests and

                                                          the elders had said to them. 

And when they heard it,

                 they lifted their voices together to God and said,

“Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and

                                             the earth and

                                             the sea and everything in them,

                           who through the mouth of our father David,

                                       your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
          and the peoples plot in vain?

                            The kings of the earth set themselves,
          and the rulers were gathered together,
                       against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

        for truly in this city there were gathered together

                                        against your holy servant Jesus, 

                                                               whom you anointed,

                   both Herod and 

                           Pontius Pilate,

                           along with the Gentiles

                                     and the peoples of Israel,

      to do whatever your hand and 

                              your plan had predestined to take place. 

   And now, Lord, look upon their threats and

                            grant to your servants 

                                     to continue to speak your word

                                                               with all boldness, 

        while you stretch out your hand to heal,

                                          and signs and wonders are performed 

                   through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

A Bold Answer To Prayer (v.31)  

And when they had prayed, 

                     the place in which they were gathered together

                                    was shaken,

and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and continued to speak the word of God

                                                with boldness.

So, as we apply this passage to our lives, let’s ask a few questions…

• Is our testimony of Christ bold or do we hem and haw when asked for an explanation of our message?
• Do people recognize the plain-spoken power of Jesus in the words we speak, the works we do, and the way we live our lives?
• Are we more committed to praying for boldness in the face of opposition than for relief from the opposition?
• Do we expect a “bold answer to our prayers”?

If our answer to these questions is not a bold “Yes!” then we have something to pray about this week! 

“Such As I Have”: Miracle, Message, & Mandate (Acts 3)

This week, we continue our journey through the Book of Acts by examining Chapter 3.

1) A Miracle: A Lame Beggar Healed (v.1-10)

      Now Peter and John were going up         to the temple

                                              at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 

  And a man lame from birth was being carried, 

                    whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple

                     that is called the Beautiful Gate 

                            to ask alms of those entering the temple. 

  Seeing Peter and John about to go           into the temple,

                                  he asked to receive alms. 

       And Peter directed his gaze at him,

                    as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 

  And he fixed his attention on them,

                                 expecting to receive something from them. 

       But Peter said, “I     have no silver and gold,

                  but what I do have I give to you. 

                    In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

                                             rise up and walk!” 

  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up,

                          and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

  And leaping up he stood and began to walk,

                                                       and entered the temple with them,

                                                                walking and

                                                                  leaping and

                                                                    praising God. 

  And                   all the people saw him walking  

                                                             and praising God, 

             and recognized him as the one

                        who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,

                                  asking               for alms.

And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This “time of prayer” was the last of the three daily times of prayer (9 am, Noon, 3 pm). The early church continued to participate in the customary times of prayer. One interesting observation is that two named apostles headed to the temple together and were used by God to pronounce healing on this lame beggar. Why two of them? This glimpse of Peter and John ministering together is in keeping with the ministry methodology established by Jesus when he sent out the 12 and also the 70. Witnessing in pairs was normal for them and meshed perfectly with the cultural expectation that required the testimony of at least two witnesses to establish the truth of a matter.

The lame beggar was at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. Giving alms was highly regarded in the Middle East. However, to beg, you had to be deserving of it due to illness or disability (e.g., blind, lame, leprosy); you couldn’t just panhandle because you didn’t want to work. Beggars would then give a blessing in return and declare the praises of the one who gave to them. In this case, Peter and John engaged him more personally than was customary. They didn’t just throw a coin in his cup, but he looked steadfastly at him and got the beggar’s attention as well. The picture is one of an eye-to-eye human connection. The apostles didn’t avert their gaze in superiority or aloofness; neither did they allow the beggar to remain distant by going through the motions mechanically. This certainly led the man to expect to receive something. He got what he needed, which far exceeded what he asked for.

I have always loved this story because I have fond childhood memories of my Grandmother singing the chorus based on the KJV translation of Peter’s words.

“Silver and gold have I none;

but such as I have give I thee:

In the name of Jesus Christ

of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

Each morning, during our summer visits to her home, my brother and I would wake to hear her singing this song while using an old carpet sweeper, in the next room, that would squeak twice at the end of each line, “Silver and gold have I none [squeak, squeak]”! Go ahead and sing along!

Two things I want to point out from this situation. First, Peter and John gave what they had, not what they didn’t have. They didn’t have money, which would only have marginally maintained the man’s miserable existence. But what they did have—Jesus’ authority—they gave to the man. Jesus has given his authority to work transformation in the world.

Second, before we get to all of the walkings, leapings, and praisings, we should notice that when the man was told to rise and walk, he did nothing. This is understandable since he had been lame since birth. He had never been able to stand and walk…so why would he think in a moment that he would be able to do so? We have probably done the same thing ourselves. In his classic reference set, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Robertson wrote, “Peter had to pull him up on his feet before he would try to walk.” We, too, may have to be willing to grab the needy by the hand and help them to stand before they will be made strong to walk, run, and leap.

When God moves personally in power, people will notice. Jerusalem was no different. When the people heard that the familiar lame beggar had been healed, they were “stopped in their tracks” with wonder and “beside themselves” with amazement. When the Lord works healing in our lives (spiritual, emotional, physical, relational), people notice!

Our God is a miracle-working God!

2) A Message: Peter Pointed People to Jesus (v.11-18)

  While he clung to Peter and John,

         all the people, utterly astounded,

                       ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 

    And when Peter saw it he addressed the people:

                   “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this,

                                       or why do you stare at us,

                         as though by our own power or piety

               we have made him walk? 

             The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, 

              the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus,

                                                       whom you delivered over

                                                                 and denied in the presence of Pilate, 

                                 when he had decided to release him.

                                                 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One,

                                and asked for a murderer

                             to be granted to you, 

                                                   and you killed the Author of life,

            whom God             raised from the dead.

                                                                  To this we are witnesses. 

                And his name—by faith in his name—

                                                                   has made this man strong

                                                                                  whom you see and know,

                             and the faith

                                  that is through Jesus has given the man

                                                                                          this perfect health

                                                               in the presence of you all.

   “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance,

                                                             as did also your rulers. 

       But what God foretold by the mouth of all      the prophets,

                                  that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 

The miracle produced a wonder beyond measure—it was like the whole city dropped what it was doing and ran to the spot. This led Peter to do a lot of explaining. 

     “Why do you wonder at this,

  or why do you stare at us,

                            as though by our own power or piety

                                      we have made him walk? 

Peter and John took no credit for the miracle, but pointed people to Jesus, for it was Jesus’ name and authority that had healed the man. It’s as if Peter and John said, “We didn’t do it!” They made it clear that it was not their power, nor their piety (i.e., their godliness, merit, or spiritual maturity) that had accomplished the miracle. They didn’t say, “I meant to do that!” Instead, they established that it was the covenant-keeping God of Israel’s patriarchs (v.13) that had done it, even though the people and their leaders had turned Jesus over to the Romans and denied that he was their king. In Greek, this is a paragraph of emphatic pronouns. Perhaps we should read it with such intensity, “You, yes you!”, “he had decided, yes, him”, and “You denied him, yes, you!” You killed the prince of life and asked for a murderer instead. Yet God raised the Messiah—Jesus Christ—from the dead! This was the real miracle of which Peter and John were witnesses.

Peter perhaps softened his emphatic accusation of their delivering and denying Jesus Christ by recognizing that they and their leaders had acted in ignorance. Jesus had said this from the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) and Paul would write of this to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 2:8). It makes me wonder what things I do because I am ignorant of the purposes of God in any given circumstance.

3) A Mandate: Repent & Turn Back (v.19-26)

   Repent therefore, and turn back,

                      that your sins may be blotted out, 

                               that times of refreshing may come

                                         from the presence of the Lord, and

                      that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 

                                                              whom heaven must receive

                until the time for restoring all the things about which

                    God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Moses said,

    ‘The Lord God      will raise up for you 

                                                         a prophet like me from your brothers.

                         You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 

And it shall be that every soul

              who does not listen to that prophet 

                                                   shall be destroyed from the people.’ 

And                                        all the prophets who have spoken,

                    from Samuel and those who came after him,

                                                             also proclaimed these days. 

                  You are the sons of the prophets and

                                        of the covenant that God made with your fathers,

         saying to Abraham, 

           ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 

                         God, having raised up his servant,

                                                      sent him to you first,   

                                                           to bless you           

                                   by turning every one of you from your wickedness.

The mandate that Peter and John delivered to this audience (a different group from that in Chapter 2) was the same. Summed up as, "Repent and return to the Lord. Turn away from your wickedness and turn back relationally to the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ." Peter cited their most revered prophet, Moses, as the one relaying the mandate to listen to Jesus. Moses basically said, “Pay attention! If you don’t listen, you will be destroyed from out of the people.” The truth is, they were already headed for destruction, but Jesus’ words were calling them away from certain death. Certainly, there was also a connection with the approaching destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Peter followed this with a second witness in the Abrahamic covenant specifically referring to God raising up “his servant” a reference to the Messiah as the “suffering servant” as found in Isaiah (42:1-4; 52:13-15; 53:5-6)

In the final verse of this chapter, we find that God sent Jesus the Messiah “to you first” [Why?] “to bless you...” [How?] “By turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Chapter 4:4 tells us that many heard the word and believed, bringing the number of men in the church to 5,000 (counting women and children would probably have brought the number closer to 20,000 or more.

Silver and Gold Have I None…

Let me conclude this post by asking three questions that arise from this passage…

1. What is it that has you begging? This man had been lame from birth through no fault of his own. Some of us are “lame” because of our choices, and some because of the choices of others. Too often, instead of being transformed by God, we just settle into the role of victim and beggar, assuming nothing will ever change. So what keeps us from being a giver instead of a taker? What are the handicaps and disadvantages in our lives? What are the physical, mental, emotional, behavioral, economic, racial, and educational challenges we face?

This man had always been lame and considered a helpless beggar. He had settled into that unchanging life. All he expected to receive was what he had received in the past…a coin or two. It is one thing to be content; it is another to lose hope. Where have we become settlers? What do we expect to receive from the Lord? (See James 4:2b-3; Hebrews 11:6)

2. What am I willing to give to others?

Can we say with the apostles, “What I have, I give to you”? Such a concept did not begin with them but with a Trinitarian concept of ownership. “The doctrine of the social Trinity, however, claims that God’s owning is not grounded in self-possession but rather in self-giving.”[1] If God’s ownership of all things is established not by possessing but by giving, how should that affect the way we view that which has been entrusted to us? We would then realize that we have it for this very purpose…to give it to the one who needs it. In fact, what we have needs to be given. Some gardeners grow their produce for the food bank, some who knit make "prayer shawls" for those in the hospital, others repair bicycles, some can cook, while others can pull weeds and mow grass really well.

Peter and John declared the authority of Jesus over the lame beggar, and he was completely strengthened and made whole. The Greek word for “salvation” (sozo) is not unlike the Hebrew word for peace (shalom) in its holistic effects. Here, the apostles had the authority and compassion of Jesus Christ to bring to bear upon the man’s condition, and they did so freely.

3. What needs to change in my life? (v. 19-22)

In verse 19’s call for the people of Jerusalem to repent and return, do we see our own need for our sins to be blotted out? The Greek word is exaleiphō, and the blotting out took place at the cross of Christ. As it is written,

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. (Col. 2:13-14)

If we have put our faith in Christ and been led by his love to turn from our sins, we may still need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring godly changes to our lives. So, is there something in my life that is delaying the arrival of “times of refreshing”? Nazareth missed out on times of refreshing because of their unbelief, their resistance to extending the goodness of God to the nations, and in rejecting Jesus’ work in their midst.

God has given us all things in Christ so that we might share his goodness with the world instead of keeping it for ourselves!

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[1] M. Douglas Meeks, in God’s Life in Trinity, edited by Miroslav Volf, 18.