Not-So-Quiet-Time: Acts 4
At-Home Bible Guide for the Week of 9/28
Day 1: Verses 1-4
Being faithful is no guarantee that things will be easy or smooth. Peter and John were faithful, and it landed them in jail. The leaders were annoyed with them. But God’s gospel message was still at work. Living for Jesus means that we live to please Him, not others. And this can come with consequences. Who are you trying to please most in your life?
Day 2: Verses 5-12
In the face of challenges, the Holy Spirit filled Peter. The Spirit that had empowered him to heal a lame man in the last chapter was empowering him to speak with courage to those in power. These were the people that had conspired to kill Jesus, and Peter had every reason to deny Jesus in this moment. After all, he had done so before. But in this case, he preached Christ with boldness. Pray that God would help you to be bold about Jesus in the face of challenges.
Day 3: Verses 13-22
The religious leaders told Peter and John to stop sharing about Jesus. But Jesus had told them to go into all the world making disciples and teaching them to obey all that He had commanded (Matt 28:19-20). So they had to decide who they would obey, and they chose to obey Christ even in the face of threats. They had to share what they had seen and heard (4:20). Our world today is no happier with the teachings of Jesus. Do you feel that same conviction to share what you have seen and heard about Jesus?
Day 4: Verses 23-31
When God’s people were under threat and when following Jesus was hard, they prayed. They didn’t ask God to take away the difficulty, but to make them bold in the face of it. And the Holy Spirit responded. How does standing up for something even when it’s hard show others how much it means to us? How does being bold impact how others see the value of Jesus?
Day 5: Verses 32-37
When you know that God will take care of you, you are free to take care of others. He owns everything. He is in control of everything. He will never fail. That means that we don’t need to hoard what we have or act selfishly in order to thrive. Instead, we can follow our King’s example and freely share with those in need. Who is someone in your life that you can share with or encourage today?
Catechism Connection: WSC 101-107
When the situation got tough, God’s people prayed. Since Jesus used “the Lord’s Prayer” to teach his disciples to pray, the WSC points to the Lord’s Prayer as a model for us too. When we are struggling, we can remember that God is ruling in heaven (WSC 101), working to accomplish his will and bring about his kingdom (102-103), providing for his people (104), forgiving us (105), and leading us on right paths (106) because He is glorious and powerful (107). As the church in Acts 4 prayed in faith, God worked so that they lived faithfully together. He can do that in our lives too.
Day 1: Verses 1-4
Being faithful is no guarantee that things will be easy or smooth. Peter and John were faithful, and it landed them in jail. The leaders were annoyed with them. But God’s gospel message was still at work. Living for Jesus means that we live to please Him, not others. And this can come with consequences. Who are you trying to please most in your life?
Day 2: Verses 5-12
In the face of challenges, the Holy Spirit filled Peter. The Spirit that had empowered him to heal a lame man in the last chapter was empowering him to speak with courage to those in power. These were the people that had conspired to kill Jesus, and Peter had every reason to deny Jesus in this moment. After all, he had done so before. But in this case, he preached Christ with boldness. Pray that God would help you to be bold about Jesus in the face of challenges.
Day 3: Verses 13-22
The religious leaders told Peter and John to stop sharing about Jesus. But Jesus had told them to go into all the world making disciples and teaching them to obey all that He had commanded (Matt 28:19-20). So they had to decide who they would obey, and they chose to obey Christ even in the face of threats. They had to share what they had seen and heard (4:20). Our world today is no happier with the teachings of Jesus. Do you feel that same conviction to share what you have seen and heard about Jesus?
Day 4: Verses 23-31
When God’s people were under threat and when following Jesus was hard, they prayed. They didn’t ask God to take away the difficulty, but to make them bold in the face of it. And the Holy Spirit responded. How does standing up for something even when it’s hard show others how much it means to us? How does being bold impact how others see the value of Jesus?
Day 5: Verses 32-37
When you know that God will take care of you, you are free to take care of others. He owns everything. He is in control of everything. He will never fail. That means that we don’t need to hoard what we have or act selfishly in order to thrive. Instead, we can follow our King’s example and freely share with those in need. Who is someone in your life that you can share with or encourage today?
Catechism Connection: WSC 101-107
When the situation got tough, God’s people prayed. Since Jesus used “the Lord’s Prayer” to teach his disciples to pray, the WSC points to the Lord’s Prayer as a model for us too. When we are struggling, we can remember that God is ruling in heaven (WSC 101), working to accomplish his will and bring about his kingdom (102-103), providing for his people (104), forgiving us (105), and leading us on right paths (106) because He is glorious and powerful (107). As the church in Acts 4 prayed in faith, God worked so that they lived faithfully together. He can do that in our lives too.
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