Introduction
In Acts 4, the apostles of the Lord Jesus, Peter and John, testify about the power through which they healed the disabled man (see Acts 3). As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must remain vigilant and always pray, for the dark is at work, attempting to stop God’s work on earth by attacking and discouraging us. This chapter illustrates how the apostles stand firm in their testimony regarding the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and the salvation found in His name. They stay in prayer and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit amidst their challenges. Specifically, in Acts 4:29-30, the followers of the Lord Jesus request the Holy Spirit’s power for ministry. The Lord responds to the disciples’ prayers, sending the Holy Spirit with mighty signs and filling them with power from above. When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, this empowerment enabled them to perform miracles and confidently testify about God’s wonders. We are all called to do the same—relying on the mercy of the Trinity of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and use us to be a light in this world.
Comments on Acts 4:18-31
The Jews at that time, under the influence of the dark, found themselves fighting against the Lord God Almighty, attempting to hinder His work in spreading the good news about His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the disciples of the Lord Jesus remained steadfast in their faith, continuously praying and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit. Below, we will reflect on a portion of Scripture that offers guidance on how to respond when facing challenging attacks from the enemy.
Acts 4:18 And having called them, they charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
People tried to stop the disciples from spreading the word about God, but as men of God, the disciples have chosen to listen to the Holy Spirit. The beloved Son of God has put His life for all humans, but not all humans want to accept His mercy. He is still waiting even for those who reject Him. Let the readers give attention to the fact that these rulers wanted to stop the disciples not only from teaching but also from mentioning the name of the beloved Son of God to the people.
19 But Peter and John answering, said to them, Whether it is right in the presence of God to hearken to you rather than to God, you judge;
20 for we cannot, what we have seen and heard, not to speak.
The disciples stood firm to what they had heard and seen from the beloved Son of God. The disciples are the witnesses of the mighty work of the beloved Son of God on earth; their hearts and mouths will not let them stay at rest; they cannot be secret about what they have witnessed.
21 And adding further threats, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people, because all were glorifying God for that which had happened.
“And adding further threats ...” The verse tells all readers clearly that these rulers were not afraid of God but humans; when their eyes saw people, that was what the rulers thought to be afraid of. God is not powerful for them at this point.
“Because all were glorifying God ...” Let all readers take this as an example: the people worship God for what they saw, the mighty work of God had been done, the eyes of people saw the actions of their rulers, but their hearts had been touched by the Holy Spirit; the mighty work of God touched people hearts in a different way than the hearts of the rulers.
22 For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing had taken place.
23 Now, having been let go, they came to their own, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
- After they were released, they returned to where they usually met with the others, and they reported what the rulers who tried to fight against them said to them before releasing them.
24 And having heard, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Master, Thou made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all those in them;
“And having heard, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord.” In this place, all readers should pay attention to the hearts of the disciples, whether joy or sadness, but the disciples first come to the Lord asking for mercy. We can see the unity of prayer among the disciples; God Almighty knows all the problems, but He also wants all believers to come in unity and lift up their voices and drop their tears and beg for mercy, and the sincerity of hearts that worship the Lord will be rewarded as well.
“Master, Thou made the heaven ...” As the verse says here, the disciples recognized the God Most High, who created all things. Why do not all humans come and recognize the God Most High, who created all things? Let all come and worship the God Almighty and ask for His advice in all things.
25 who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David Thy servant, did say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples did imagine vain things?
As the verse says, what the outsiders behave, you should not be like them. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the minds of the Lord's people have been enlightened. As people of God, you think about: if the outsiders behave evil, you should stay far from them; even if you live among them, their behavior should not be yours; listen to the voice of the Lord in your heart and be different.
“The Gentiles rage ...” When the outsiders see you behave differently, their anger wants to make them attack you, but as children of God, do not be afraid of their plans; the Lord will protect your camp among them.
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together themselves against the Lord, and against His Christ.
All humans pay attention to this verse: who have humans risen up against? God Almighty, the Creator of them, His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, they came to deny and reject Him; ungrateful humans came and rejected the One who will give His life for them, the Son of God; the love from the beloved Son of God received back the rejection of Him from them; the One who created universe, earth, humans, and all creatures has been put down by them. But, if not because of the Lord Jesus, they all would be wiped out; come back and glorify the Creator of all, give thanks to God Almighty; the human kings of this earth have rejected the Most High King, God Almighty.
27 for in truth, in this city, against Thy holy Servant Jesus, whom Thou anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together,
Give attention to this verse carefully: the Lord had predestined what would happen in the future; His own children had betrayed His beloved Son. His Holy Servant, Jesus Christ, had been betrayed by those that He took as His own; the leaders of the people and those who claimed to know the Law of God were the ones who betrayed His beloved Son. God the Father has anointed His beloved Son to be above all things that He has created. “Predestined” here must be understood in the sense that the Lord did not intervene and allowed all things to happen.
As humans, how can we understand that God the Father had predestined for His beloved Son to have all these sufferings happening to Him? The way humans think is the opposite of what it is; the Father knew His people and what they would do to His holy Son; the Son also knew what the people would do to Him, but by His own will, He wanted to save them by accepting what would happen if He comes to earth. God the Father could stop what would happen, but for the beloved Son's wish to be fulfilled, He allowed things to happen. The Father knew who would do what and when, but He let them act with their dark minds to do it without stopping it. Always God the Father gives free will to all humans, and this is one of the free will they choose to do.
28 to do whatever Thy hand and purpose predestined to happen.
When the beloved Son of God had the plan for how to save His people, God the Father honored the Son's wishes and let everything happen upon His Son without stopping it; even God the Father knew how much His Son would suffer, but the wishes of the Son to save humans will be fulfilled.
“Predestined” here in this verse must be understood in the sense that the Lord did not intervene and allowed all things to happen to fulfill His Son's wishes to save the world.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant to Thy servants to speak Thy word with all boldness,
God the Father always listens to those who beg for mercy with sincere hearts. The purpose of this begging here from the Lord is not for lifting up of themselves but to glorify the God Most High. When you rely on the power and mercy of God Almighty, you have shown humbleness of the soul as well; the Lord God Almighty will be merciful for His servants.
30 in that Thy stretch out Thy hand, for healing, and signs and wonders to be done through the name of Thy holy Servant Jesus.
“In that Thy stretch out Thy hand.” Watch out! Here, the verse clearly tells us that the Father Himself has His own plan because of the coming of His Son on earth. When the Father stretches out His hand to take care of the things around the world, the result will impact all living, not only humans; all things that God Almighty has created will notice His power.
“For healing, and signs and wonders ...” God the Father works through the beloved Son of God with greatness: the miracles of healing and helping the world will be shown, and even nature itself will have signs that cannot be explained. The beloved Son of God will also perform miracles with His power and might; the Father has given to the beloved Son of God all decisions upon His will; all the mighty work and miracles will be shown to all humans to see.
31 And they having prayed, the place was shaken in which they were assembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking the word of God with boldness.
“And they having prayed, the place was shaken ...” Let all readers pay attention to what the verse says; when the disciples prayed with open hearts and begged for mercy, the Father responded with the sign of shaking the whole place. If, in response to the prayer of the disciples, the place was shaken, let all think about what would happen to the earth when the beloved Son of God returns in His Father's glory.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit in their souls, that filling gave them the ability to perform miracles and stand firm in testifying about the miracles of God Almighty. The filing of a person with the Holy Spirit will also impact not just the soul but the heart and body as well.
“And were speaking the word of God with boldness.” When filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the person will go out and speak boldly about the work of God, with no reluctance to spread it and without fear of consequences for themselves.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we must believe that the Lord God Almighty has a plan for building the Kingdom for His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, a plan that no one can stop. As faithful followers, we should open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit and seek to understand our calling within His plan. The Lord God Almighty’s plan to establish the Kingdom of His beloved Son cannot be thwarted, even at the cost of human life. For instance, in Acts 12, we see how God miraculously intervened to free Peter from prison. Despite the innocence of the guards, Herod, the enemy of God, ordered their execution (Acts 12:19). Throughout history, many disciples of the Lord Jesus have faced persecution and even death, but their suffering served a greater purpose. Through their sacrifices, others have come to receive the Word of God (see Acts 7, Acts 12, and Acts 14).
We may face challenging times in today’s world, marked by persecutions, but we must pray: “Lord, stretch out Thy hand, that we may stand firm in faith in the Lord Jesus, and remain a beacon of light for the Lord Jesus Christ, performing miracles and signs for Thy glory!”
Meditation Tasks
1. We encourage readers to explore the stories of faithful disciples like Philip, James, and Paul in the book of Acts. These disciples were put to death for their testimony of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
2. We invite all readers to explore our blog article titled, “Teachings about how to be a Disciple of the Lord Jesus.”