Dominion Bible StudySample

“But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:19-20

We are living in a time where it is becoming more costly to speak the name of Jesus. For the first time in my life, I have seen friends lose their jobs or access to the public marketplace due to speaking “unacceptable” things—and by “unacceptable,” I mean Christian things. We are faced with a decision: to speak about Christ and face the consequences, or to self-censor and retain a semblance of normalcy.

In Acts 4, Peter and John were faced with this same decision, though admittedly more dire. They were threatened for preaching about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were told they would remain free under one condition: stop preaching about Jesus! I sometimes wonder what I would have done in that scenario. In our cancel-culture today, we have much to lose for preaching the gospel of Christ, but certainly, being canceled meant something much more drastic to the apostles! Their lives were on the line. Courageously, Peter and John exclaimed, “…for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” For them, it was not a choice. They had no other option but to preach the good news of salvation because they had seen Jesus, they had heard his words, and they had witnessed his death and resurrection. The resurrection of Christ was and is the ultimate truth that renders all other concerns mute.

A second thing to notice in this story is that the envious religious leaders who threatened Peter and John were astonished when they heard the Apostles preaching because they were “common men” (Acts 4:13-14). In other words, through the Holy Spirit, the Apostles spoke with wisdom and power despite their lack of education. Let this build confidence in you to speak boldly for Christ and never rely on your own intelligence. Third, while Peter and John were preaching, they healed a crippled man. The scribes and elders were inflamed with anger, but because this man had been healed, they could not deny the power of God at work. This should inspire us to ask the Holy Spirit to do an undeniable work in our hearts and lives, that we would be transformed into His likeness, that all who hear our words would be convinced by the power of God at work in us. Be bold, and do not listen to the threats of men. Listen to the words of God.