From: June 6, 2024
“So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18 ESV).
Peter and John healed a crippled man in the name of Jesus and began to preach in the Temple. A great crowd gathered to see the cripple now walking and to hear the preaching of Peter and John. The captain of the Temple arrested them for preaching in the name of Jesus and held them overnight.
After spending the night in custody, Peter and John were brought before the Jewish Council. The council asked them by what name and authority they had been preaching in the Temple. Peter’s answer was clear. He told them it was by the name of Jesus, whom they had crucified, but God had raised. He explained that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies in the Scriptures. And he further declared that salvation is found in no other name, but Jesus!
The council knew they could not deny the miracle, so they threatened the men and told them that they were no longer to speak nor teach in the name of Jesus. However, as we know, the disciples continued bearing witness of Jesus just as He had commissioned them.
Have you noticed that people’s response to the name of Jesus is similar today? Some are healed and saved when they hear His name, while others are offended and wish to silence us from saying His name. What is this strong response to the name of Jesus?
Perhaps it is because as Peter said, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). For the name of Jesus offends our sinful hearts and causes the demons to tremble. His name means, the “LORD saves.” His name calls us to repent of our sins and confess Him as Savior and Lord. But it also causes some to harden their hearts and hide in the darkness all the more. His name leaves no room for fence-sitting. One must decide whether to believe or to deny. Ignoring Jesus is no longer possible once His name is heard.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we love the name of Your Son, Jesus. For He is our Savior and Lord. O how sweet is the sound of His name to our ears. We love to say it aloud, so that others may know our Champion and the Lover of our souls. Strengthen us this day to speak and teach in His name. In the name of Jesus, amen.
From: June 6, 2023
“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NLT).
Something extraordinary happens to ordinary people when they spend time with Jesus. When the former fisherman Peter stood to speak to the illustrious gathering of Jewish priests and rabbis they were shocked at his bold eloquence. So much so, that they asked Peter and John to leave the room while they conferred.
What gave Peter and John such authority? They didn’t have influential fathers or letters after their names. They didn’t study under the famous rabbis, Gamaliel or Hillel. They had spent most of their lives as simple fisherman. Yet the last three years they had devoted to following Jesus and that had changed their lives forever. Their time with Jesus had left an indelible mark on them.
Can people tell whether you’ve been with Jesus?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we want others to always notice that we’ve been with Jesus. Fill us afresh this day with the Spirit of Christ. Strengthen us with holy boldness to declare Your gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: June 6, 2016
With the filling of the Holy Spirit, the early church began to see the prophecies concerning Christ all through the Hebrew Scriptures. They were especially drawn to the Psalms of David. After Peter and John were held in custody overnight and instructed to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, they returned to their friends and joined a prayer meeting already in session. As they began to pray, they quoted Psalm 2:1-2, describing how the world’s kings and rulers would come against the Lord’s “Anointed,” in their prayers. This event never happened during David’s time. They rightly perceived that the Spirit had given David this prophecy to describe Jesus’ time. This newfound awareness of the Scriptures, perceived through the influence of the Spirit’s filling, gave the early church tremendous power in prayer and boldness in preaching. Do you ever pray the Scriptures back to the Lord as they did?
From: June 6, 2015
After Peter and John were threatened by the Jewish authorities for preaching in the name of Jesus, they gathered with the other believers and prayed. But they did not pray as one might expect. They didn’t pray for safety or protection. Instead, they prayed that the Lord would handle the threats while giving them boldness to preach in Jesus’ name. And the Lord answered their prayer, shaking the place where they met, so that they poured out like salt, preaching the gospel throughout the land. Oh, that our modern prayer meetings would be like this salt-shaker event again.
From: June 6, 2014
Something extraordinary happens to ordinary people when they spend time with Jesus. When the former fisherman Peter stood to speak to the illustrious gathering of Jewish priests and rabbis they were shocked at his bold eloquence. So much so, that they asked Peter and John to leave the room while they conferred. What gave Peter and John such authority? They didn’t have famous fathers or letters after their names. They didn’t study under Gamaliel or Hillel. They had spent all but the last three years as blue collar workers, as fisherman. But the last three years they had devoted to following Jesus and that changed everything. Others are able to “recognize” people who have “been with Jesus.”