Acts 4:1-13

I often think about life in terms of stories. My daughter asked me, “Dad, why do you some stories turn out one way and some turn out another?” Today’s reflections are a continuation of my attempt to answer her question.

Two stories that intrigue me are the stories of the early church and the story of the contemporary church. They capture my attention because Jesus is the head of both yet these tow stories are radically different. We are told the early church turned the world upside down. To many it seems the world is turning christianity upside down.

That last sentence may seem harsh; you might be thinking,”Now hold on, our church is a good church; it has had the same pastor for “x” number of years; we support missions with a generous part of our budget; membership is growing; we have programs that are meeting people’s needs.”

When I use the word church, I’m not just speaking about the various groups that assemble weekly and the things they do. The Church I am referring to, strictly speaking, cannot be attended, because, from God’s perspective, it is not a place, an event or an organization. It is a body of people joined together in Christ.

We can attend “a” church but we cannot attend “the” Church. The Church I am refer to are those people, who from the first chapters in the story of Acts until now, have been forgiven of their sins, who have been filled with the Holy Spirit and now live in communion with God.

What provoked this lengthy introduction is the context of today’s passage which is captured well by Acts 4:16. The Council, comprised of the elders, priests, and scribes had assembled and were asking themselves this question,

What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

After hearing the account from Peter and John, and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, the religious elite had nothing to say. This was usually not a problem for them.

Acts 4:33 says it was with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. To answer my daughter’s question and account for the very different experiences of the Church then and now, at least one major difference stands our. That is power.

The New Testament is a collection of noteworthy miracles. There is no question these supernatural events attracted people to the gospel and brought glory to God. (Acts 4:4, 21b). We may speak of abundant grace, but do we have power and is that power upon us all? Are we free enough to ask what has happened to power?

I think the freedom to ask questions when things do not measure up to biblical standards is a wise place to be unless of course you are a dispensationalist who presumes God’s will is currently being done on earth as it is in heaven. Since I do not think this would represent the earth’s condition well at all, I contend that honest questions are an important variable in how stories turn out. I think questions that are prayerfully asked of God will contribute to and shape how stories turn out.

While the elite stood by with nothing to say, they “observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began recognizing them as having been with Jesus. As cliche as it sounds, I believe stories will turn out differently because time has been spent in close proximity to Jesus Christ. Therefore, I will echo Paul’s prayer;

“And now Lord, take note of their threats and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant, Jesus“. Amen.