Book of Acts Sermon Starters Week 7

Background

The late Paul Harvey skillfully grabbed listeners' attention by first sharing the end of a story; then he highlighted what preceded. After filling in the juicy details, he'd quip, "And that's The Rest of the Story." The concluding verse of today's passage sounds like the beginning of a typical Paul Harvey story, "When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31 NRSV).

The opening chapters of Acts reveal repeated instances of opposition to the good news shared by Peter and John. Like Jesus, these apostles boldly preached a gospel of repentance (Acts 2:14-36), healed the lame (Acts 3:1-10), and were arrested for their efforts (Acts 4:1-7).

Once released by their interrogators, Peter and John returned to a community of believers and worshiped by rehearsing examples of God's providential care in adversity -- from David to Jesus. This rehearsal stirred renewed confidence in God and reaffirmed the apostles' commitment to witness boldly for Christ.

Contrary to pop theology that promises Christians a "pain-free, prosperous life," suffering is a normative part of the Christian journey. The apostles' frequent encounters with opposers to the good news of Christ confirm this. The good news in adversity is this: God stands with us, ready to empower us and walk with us through the hardship.

Today's passage provides a powerful example of reaffirming one's faith in adversity by rehearsing God's care toward the faithful. (For more background, see Week 5 and Week 6.)

Notes

Luke's writing commonly reveals a rhythm of withdrawal after rejection, followed by a return to power. This withdrawal-empowerment rhythm is evident in today's passage.

Following their release, Peter and John report to their friends what happened to them at the hands of the chief priests and elders. Commentators offer divided opinion about whom the "friends" mentioned in the opening verse actually refers to. Some believe the friends are a general group of followers of Christ. Others believe the friends are Peter and John's fellow apostles (Acts 4:23).

In response to the apostles' report, corporate prayer erupts (likely led by one person), naming God as Sovereign Lord and Creator of everything. This underscores the belief that everything and everyone is subject to God (Acts 4:24).

The prayer contains a direct quote of Psalm 2:1-2. The Psalm passage echoes the experience Peter and John just had with the Sanhedrin. The context for Psalm 2 involved the enthronement of Israel's king (David) as God's son. Simultaneously, others plotted the overthrow of David. Reciting Psalm 2 helps believers recognize the opposition to Jesus and themselves as normative (Acts 4:25-26).

Peter and John recount how rulers and the Gentiles persecuted Jesus. This further normalizes their recent experience with the Jewish rulers opposing their ministry (Acts 4:27-28).

Here Peter and John add their recent experiences of abuse to the litany of offenses perpetrated against God's servants. Surprisingly, the apostles' prayer request is not for vindication. It is, instead, for boldness and the continuation of signs and wonders in the name of Jesus -- the very thing that caused their arrest! The apostles leave the fate of their accusers in God's hands (Acts 4:29-30).

God's response to the apostles' petition for holy boldness is dramatic. The place shakes, those gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they did not shy away from speaking the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

Putting The Sermon Together

How Would You Respond?
How would you respond if someone accused you of witnessing to Christ too strongly? Would you bristle and devise some vindictive scheme? Would you shrink into the shadows and tone down your efforts? Or would you pray that God would increase your boldness to do more?

With the chief priests' warning "to speak no more to anyone in this (Jesus') name," still ringing in their ears, Peter and James returned to their friends. Surprisingly, instead of praying, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54) as they did during Jesus' earthly ministry, these two apostles instead pray for boldness. They ask for more of the very thing that led to their arrest and interrogation.

This passage provides the preacher with the opportunity to rehearse contemporary examples of God's providential care of members of the congregation who overcame adversity.

Explore with your congregation the benefits of the withdrawal-empowerment rhythm highlighted in this passage. Withdrawal involves reporting (Peter and John named the opposition to the gospel they had experienced) and rehearsing (the people recalled other examples of adversity encountered by God-followers). One way empowerment is initiated is through request (the apostles prayed for more boldness to do more for Christ) and response (God answered their prayer by empowering them for greater ministry).

Questions to Wrestle With

Has your congregation ever faced opposition for bearing witness to Christ? If so, how might rehearsing examples of spiritual persecution help people cope with their present adversity?
The Acts 4 passage contains a withdrawal-empowerment rhythm. How might your congregation benefit from practicing such a rhythm following some spiritual challenge? What instructive things did the apostles do while in withdrawal?
The prayer in this passage does not ask for vindication. Instead it asks for holy boldness and more signs and wonders in the name of Jesus Christ. Which is more normative in your congregation: prayer for vindication or prayer for holy boldness as witnesses of Christ?
The people confess God as Sovereign Lord and Creator. What attributes of God does your congregation regularly confess when facing challenges?
One commentary states, "If the church is too timid [of what people think] and does not ask God for 'boldness' for ministry, it must have timid convictions about who God is, what God has done, and what God will do." ( New Interpreter's Bible Volume X, p. 93) In what area of congregational ministry does your congregation need more boldness?
As evidenced by the litany of suffering rehearsed in this passage, it is clear that following Christ is risky and personal safety is not guaranteed (Christ was crucified). Can your congregation point to instances in which it took a risk in some bold witness to Christ?
Does your congregation believe it has permission to try new ministry efforts, even if some may fail? When was the last time your congregation ventured out of its "safe zone" to engage in hands-on ministry with non-Christians?
If you could name one ministry effort your congregation might try that would require a different level of holy boldness, what would it be? How and when might you begin such a ministry effort?