Acts 4 records the fallout of the healing of the crippled man (Acts 3). As Peter and John teach the gathered crowd about Jesus and proclaim “in Jesus the resurrection of the dead” (2), temple guards come and arrest them (and the newly healed man). The following day they stand trial before the religious leaders. Peter, filled with the Spirit, boldly links the miracle to the resurrected Christ and pins the responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion on these men. The leaders, aware that it is politically incorrect to punish people for doing an “outstanding miracle” (16), command Peter and John “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (18). Peter acknowledges their authority as rulers but doesn’t agree to their demands. Back with the other believers, the apostles unite their hearts in prayer. They affirm God’s sovereign control and sovereign work through Christ and pray for boldness to witness for Christ as ask for more miraculous evidences of God’s power. The room where they are praying is “shaken”, the believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continue to speak “the word of God boldly” (31).
I’m drawn to examine the mentions of courage and boldness in this chapter: “when they saw the courage of Peter and John” (13); “enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (29); “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (31). All three verses use the term parrésia. According to an excellent article in The Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Logos Edition), the word is used in the gospels (almost exclusively of Christ) as meaning to speak with freedom, candor and clarity. In the book of Acts, it carries the twin nuances of speaking with both confidence (assured of truth) and courage (audacity to proclaim truth). Peter speaks with parrésia on the Day of Pentecost (2:29) and before the Sanhedrin (4:13). Paul proclaims Christ with parrésia in Damascus (9:27-28), Pisidian Antioch (13:48), Iconium (14:3), Ephesus (19:8) and before Agrippa (26:26) and while in prison in Rome (28:31).
The boldness in witnessing was a direct result of the filling of the Holy Spirit: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them” (8); “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (31). The word Luke uses for filled is a word that has the idea of filled up. It can refer to a physical filling (satisfied with food after eating) or of a spiritual filling (filled with the Holy Spirit).
The filling of the Spirit is given for the purpose of empowering a witness for Christ; the filling enables bold speaking. In this chapter, the filling of the believers comes as a direct result of the believers’ prayers for “great boldness” in testifying for Christ (29, 31). We are not expressly told that Peter had prayed for boldness when he and John spent a night in prison prior to their trial before the Sanhedrin. However, it’s not hard to imagine that they did pray for God’s strengthening to speak for Christ, especially in light of Peter’s previous failure the night Jesus was arrested.
Theologically, the filling of the Spirit in Acts is a special empowering by the Holy Spirit that enables believers to bear witness for Christ (in line with Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8). This filling is episodic, given at the point of need. This filling comes as a gift from God (“give to your servants”—29) in response to prayer. This filling of the Holy Spirit is the dynamic that turns natural fears into faithful proclamation. For example, in verse 29 Peter and John tell the Jewish leaders: “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” However, there was a recent time when Peter did not speak about what he had seen and heard. Although he had seen Jesus do many miracles (greater than the healing of one crippled man), he went silent and even denied Christ three times (Luke 22:54-62). So just seeing and hearing Jesus’ do the miraculous was not enough, in itself, to give “boldness” to his witness. The reality of what he saw and heard had to be combined with the filling of the Spirit to make silence impossible—especially in the face of hostility.
Application: If I hope to have “great boldness” (29—literally “all boldness”) in my witness for Christ, I will need the filling of the Holy Spirit. As such, I will need to pray for the gift of this filling, expecting the Lord to answer. The result is that I will be enabled to speak with confidence and courage, even when facing skeptics or those hostile to the faith. My witness should be bold, not tepid or apologetic. How people respond is beyond my control. The Sanhedrin rejected Peter’s bold witness. Others in Jerusalem believed and joined the church.
The believers’ prayer, recorded in verses 24-30 is a rich blend of theology, biblical insight, faith, and kingdom-oriented petition. The prayer is founded on a sturdy understanding of God’s ultimate rule over the rulers of the world as its creator and master (“Sovereign Lord”). They already evidence an understanding that the Scriptures point to Christ, quoting Psalm 2 as a prophetic prediction that human leaders would conspire to fight against the “Lord and against his Anointed One” (26). Their prayer evidences a nuanced theological understanding of the way God’s will is done through human wills (a compatibilist view of the world): “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (28). Instead of asking for protection and safety, they ask for courage to speak “with great boldness” (29) and for God’s affirmation of their witness through “miraculous signs and wonders” done through “the name of your holy servant Jesus” (30). God answered their prayer by shaking things up (“the place where they were meeting was shaken”—31) and filling them with the Spirit so they could speak “the word of God boldly” (31).
Application: O Sovereign Lord, may my (our) prayers be more like this prayer. May they be richly shaped by a grand theological vision of your greatness, based on a biblical, Christ-centered view of life, and focused on asking for the power to be Your witnesses in the world. Shake us and fill us and use us for Your glory. I ask this in the name of your holy servant, Jesus.
Last week, I asked you to pray for Linda and me as we spoke at a Marriage Retreat for Benton Street Baptist Church. By God’s grace, we had a wonderful weekend, sensing God’s strength and grace. It’s always refreshing to us to see how God’s Word gives such practical and needed help for the realities of life. Allowing His Word to direct and correct our marriages is the only way to find true satisfaction in marriage.
This week we are at a conference hosted by ABHE (Association for Biblical Higher Education). Please pray for a time of refreshment as well as for strategic connections for Heritage.
This healing was done by God’s power in conjunction with human faith. Peter and John obviously believed God could heal this man (“what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”—6). The crippled man also evidenced and exercised faith as well (16). Here is the answer as to why Peter didn’t heal every needy person in Jerusalem. This man had “faith in the name of Jesus” (16). From another angle, we could say he had “faith that comes through him [Jesus]” (16). Faith is both a gift from God and the response of individuals who believe. It comes from Jesus and it’s focused on Jesus. Even the faith to believe is a gift; He gives faith so we can put faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9).
A few comments on Peter’s impromptu sermon (11-26): He does a masterful job in beginning with the immediate situation (a formerly-crippled man now healed) and moving the focus to Jesus. Peter doesn’t ignore the man’s story; he uses it to emphasize the importance of faith (16). Peter doesn’t dodge the questions of how he and John were able to speak healing to this man (12). But he quickly and decisively directs attention to Jesus. Jesus is the hero of the story.
What it week it’s been! This year’s missions conference was very impactful for students, faculty and staff. The messages given by Tim Watley (Ethnos Canada) and Brooks Buser (Radius International) were riviting, inspiring and challenging for all of us. (You can listen to them 
As I read and reflect on the tongues that surrounded the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, it’s difficult for me not to see a close link to the spiritual gift of tongues spoken of in 1 Cor 14. It’s hard to see how the first believers would have seen the spiritual gift (a Spirit-given gift) as different than what took place on Pentecost. In both cases, the same term is used (glṓssa) and a similar function is described: speaking the wonders of God. However, in 1 Corinthians, a spiritual gift is needed to interpret the gift (as opposed to simply needing someone who knows the language being spoken).
The 3000+ people who repented (of their sins and rejection of Jesus) and were baptized (showing their allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Christ) joined the 120 others to form the first church. Verses 42-47 gives us a glimpse of the life of the newly formed church, made up of Jews (and proselytes) from all over the Roman Empire (Hellenized and Hebraic Jews). They devoted (all in!) themselves to “the apostle’s teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (42). They saw evidence of the grace and power that left them with a sense of awe. They shared possessions freely–perhaps with some who had come to Jerusalem from distant places and needed financial help. They met in the Temple courts and in homes for meals. The Lord was at work to draw in others to become part of this fledgling fellowship. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”(47). These new believers were some Peter had previously referred to as “all whom the Lord our God will call” (39).
I (Rick) am posting this just before heading off to teach an all-day course on pastoral leadership at Heritage Seminary. As I’ve looked over the roster of the eleven students signed up for the class, I’m excited. God is entrusting us with some godly, young leaders to train for ministry. What a privilege to invest in their lives. Please pray that God will enable and empower me to teach well.
Next week at Heritage, we have our annual Missions Conference. This is one of the high-points of our entire year. This year’s theme focuses on Unreached People Groups and their need to hear the life-giving gospel of Christ. Please pray that God works powerfully in the lives of our students, giving all of us a greater heart for those who need to hear the gospel. 
n the book of Acts, the kingdom is mentioned eight times. Jesus begins the book by talking about it, so the implication is that Acts will continue his understanding of the kingdom. Philip and Paul both proclaim the kingdom and the name of Jesus (8:12; 28:31). So the kingdom and the Church are merged together. Those who believe and follow Jesus (the Way) become part of the Church and part of the kingdom of God. This doesn’t exclude the future dimensions of the kingdom that will fulfill the promises of God to Israel (restoring the kingdom to Israel—1:6). However, it means that until Jesus returns, the kingdom and the Church are functionally synonymous.
One interpretive issue that surfaces in chapter 1 is the use of the Old Testament by New Testament preachers (Peter) and writers (Luke). Twice in chapter 1 we hear Peter citing an Old Testament passage and applying it to a contemporary situation. He alludes to Psalm 69:25 and 109:8 and applies both to Judas.