A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (October 12, 2018)
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:18-20)
In Acts 3, Peter and John went to the temple to pray. As they went through the gate to the temple, there was a man who had been crippled from birth and had been taken daily to the gate of the temple to beg for money. When Peter and John were about to enter the temple, the crippled man began to beg for alms. At that point, the Bible says that Peter fixed a gaze on him and said, “Look at us” (v.4).
The beggar gave them his attention. He was expecting to get some money, but Peter said to him, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (v.6). Then Peter took the man by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were healed. The man started walking, leaping, and praising God — and he leaped, praised, and walked right into the temple.
The people and the religious leaders in the temple were astonished at what had happened. They recognized the beggar and knew this was a miracle that had happened. It could not be denied.
Needless to say, the beggar wouldn’t let go of Peter and John (v.11), so as the two disciples stood in the porch of the temple with the beggar holding tightly on to both of them, they began to preach about Jesus. In verse 16 they said, “His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
Then in Acts 4, while Peter and John were still speaking to the people about the good news of Jesus, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees approached them. They were greatly disturbed and they grabbed John and Peter and physically took them to a holding cell until the next day. When the next day came, the rulers, elders, scribes and many of the high ranking priests and family members who were gathered in Jerusalem questioned Peter and John. They asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (vs. 7). Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached to the religious leaders. Peter told them that the name of Jesus was the name that had healed the lame man. He told them that only through the name of Jesus can anyone be saved. They were amazed at his boldness. They marveled at his speech and realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus.
After Peter’s speech, the leaders met and made a decision. They commanded Peter and John to quit teaching about Jesus and to never speak His name again. When Peter and John heard this they said, “You decide whether God wants us to obey you instead of Him! We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard Him say.” (vv. 19-20, author paraphrase.)
Even though the religious leaders had threatened Peter and John, they had to let them go. They didn’t want a riot.
The point is, when you truly believe and act in faith, you can see miracles. But in so doing, you’ll upset the religious mind-set. That sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it?
