ACTS 4:23-24 23
And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all
that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 So when they heard that, they raised
their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who
made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
What did the companions of Peter and John first acknowledge?
That the God of the Bible is God the Creator: “Lord, You
are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them."
ACTS 4:25-28 25
“who by the mouth of Your servant
David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain
things? 26 The kings of the earth took
their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and
against His Christ.’ 27 For truly
against Your holy Son Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the people of Israel, were
gathered together 28 to do whatever Your
hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
What do they cite next in Acts 4:25-26?
The prophetic words of King David from a thousand years earlier and recorded in
Psalm 2:1-2
And what do they indicate in Acts 4:27?
The fulfillment of that prophecy
What is reaffirmed in Acts 4:28?
That Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins was according to His "purpose" as
"determined before to be done."
ACTS 4:29-31
29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants
that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
30 by stretching out Your hand to heal,
and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy
Son Jesus.” 31 And when they had
prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
What don't they ask for in Acts 4:29-30?
They don't ask for the persecution - "threats" - to decrease. Instead, they
ask for God's empowerment to increase so that "with all boldness
they may speak Your word" and for more "signs and
wonders" to "be done through the name of Your holy Son Jesus.”
How soon did God answer their prayer?
Pretty much right away, as indicated in Acts 4:31
When facing persecution, do you pray for it to
decrease or for the Lord to empower you to serve Him through it?
