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Book of Acts Sermon Starters Week 6

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Background

The miraculous healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate (see week 5) set a series of events in motion. The most immediate was Peter's second sermon recorded in Acts 3:12-26. (The first sermon occurred on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 people repented.)

Luke's use of the term "all the people," (Acts 3:9,12) is reminiscent of Old Testament references to Israel as the house of Israel, those who belong to God, who were promised restoration and renewal by God. The miraculous healing of the lame man thrust the people into encounter with God and examination of their beliefs about this miracle-working God.

Peter addressed this crowd in the midst of their reflection. He criticized them for Jesus' crucifixion, and their ignorance of God's purposes revealed to Abraham. The crowd, divided between following the apostles or the opponents of Jesus, must decide whether or not to seize the opportunity to repent and be restored.

The next event was the arrest of Peter and John (Acts 4:1-22). This arrest sheds light on the growing division between the priestly leaders of "official" Israel and the apostolic leaders empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Notes: Acts 4:1-22

The passage begins with an interruption of Peter's sermon by the Sadducees and other leaders -- who will become the Christian movement's greatest opposition. The Sadducees were probably devout laity from wealthy (mostly priestly) families in Jerusalem. They had close connections to political and financial institutions of Judean culture. Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection. (See Matthew 22:23 and Mark 12:18.) Although they had no direct influence over temple protocol, the Sadducees represented the Jewish group most responsible for creating a divided Israel.

Beside the Sadducees came priests and the captain of the temple -- people there to protect the temple's interests. This group had Peter and John arrested.

The inclusion of interruptions serves a literary purpose in Scripture: the introduction of a question, a key person, or a theological problem (Acts 4:1-4).

The next day Annas, the high priest, and Caiaphas, John and Alexander, all of the high-priestly family, joined the opposition's ranks. The gathered group was the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of justice for the Jews. The group asked, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" referring to the healing of the lame man. Peter, emboldened by and filled with the Holy Spirit, addresses the same rulers he had earlier accused of acting in ignorance regarding Scripture's prophecies about Jesus (Acts 3:17-18). Peter clearly names Jesus, "whom you crucified, and whom God raised from the dead," as the name and authority responsible for the man's healing (Acts 4:5-10).

Peter further states that Jesus was the cornerstone that they, the builders, rejected. Stone is used as a messianic metaphor in reference to Jesus. To reject Jesus was to reject the cornerstone of Israel's promised salvation (Acts 4:11-12).

Instead of heeding the call to repentance, the interrogators became fixed on the boldness of Peter and John, uneducated, ordinary men. The term uneducated referred to rabbinical training, that is, mastery of biblical argument. The Holy Spirit enabled this newly displayed ability in Peter and John (Acts 4:13-14).

With the former lame man conspicuously present, the accusers could not refute the miracle. So they conferred privately to determine a political response. They decided to order Peter and John to stop preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:15-18).

Peter and John responded with unwavering boldness: "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (4:19-20).

The last verse in the passage mentions that the former lame man was forty years old; a key detail for the following reasons: His miraculous healing was highly remarkable because he had reached the age at which people believed it highly unlikely that a cure for a congenital defect would occur. He was a mature man whose testimony would be considered credible and many people would have known him. Because of the strength of this man's testimony and the vast number of people (about 5,000, Acts 4:4) who had witnessed the miracle and believed in Jesus Christ following Peter's sermon, the council let Peter and John go (Acts 4:21-22).

Putting the Sermon Together

Bold. How many Christians embrace this word? What does it mean to be a bold witness for Christ?

Often, the term bold, used in relation to Christian witness, generates images of brash, obnoxious people, trying to strong-arm others into believing the Christian faith. In this week's passage, Peter demonstrates a Holy Spirit-produced boldness to preach, teach, and heal in the name and authority of Jesus Christ. How does his boldness compare with our notions of being a bold witness?

The United Methodist Church pioneered a Holy Boldness ministry to engage in urban evangelism, eradicate racism and other forms of oppression, and forge interfaith and community relations for the generate economic development.

The Akan people of Ghana West Africa created an adinkra symbol called, gye nyame, "except God." The full meaning is "fear no one except God." How might the church act if it "feared no one except God"?

This week's passage provides an opportunity to explore a well-rounded, mature view of bold, Christian ministry.

Questions to Wrestle With

  1. What is your reaction to the type of boldness Peter displayed in today's passage?
  2. If you were to suddenly become "bold" for Christ, what about you would change?
  3. Read and discuss your response to the following statement: "If the church is afraid of what others may think and fails to ask God for boldness in ministry, the church 'must have timid convictions about who God is, what God has done, and what God will do.'" (The New Interpreter's Bible Volume X, p. 93)
  4. If your district superintendent asked, "What ministry is your congregation engaged in that is only possible with God's help?" How would your congregation respond?
  5. A common complaint about the church among men is that the church simply teaches you to be "nice" and do "nice things" (usher, sing in the choir, teach in Sunday school), but doesn't challenge men to do bold things for Christ. How might your church respond to such a complaint?
  6. Read "Holy Boldness: Reaffirming A National Plan for Urban Ministry" or the "Boston: 10 Point Coalition History." What could your congregation do to get more involved in reaching your local community?
  7. If there were one only one thing your congregation could do to be a bold witness for Christ in your community, what would it be? Why not pray as a church for the Holy Spirit to empower your congregation for bold ministry?

Suggested Resources

Online

Continue to Change the World series

Windblown Christians: (Part 2 Continue to Change the World series)

Urban Ministry/Holy Boldness

Holy Boldness: Reaffirming A National Plan for Urban Ministry

Boston: 10 Point Coalition History

Get Up! Book of Acts Sermon Starters Week 5

Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON)

Restorative Justice

General Board of Church and Society Resources

Print

Change the World by Michael Slaughter

Preaching Luke-Acts by Ronald Allen

The Acts of the Apostles by F. F. Bruce

Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free by F. F. Bruce – a classic on the life of Paul

Interpretation Bible Commentary: Acts

New Interpreter's Bible Volume X

Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Acts

The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible, Volume 12: Acts of the Apostles by Michael Williams and Dennis Smith

Classics

The Helper (written from a layperson's perspective) by Catherine Marshall

The Breaking of the Outward Man by Watchman Nee

The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee

Basic Bible Study

The Holy Spirit in the Wesleyan Heritage
Teacher
Student

Questions — the Holy Spirit, from the Cokesbury series "The Questions Senior Highs Ask" (electronic download)

What's in the Bible About the Holy Spirit? By Alexander Joyner

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