Will You Take A Stand For Jesus Christ? | Acts Chapter 4

Publicly Guilty” Acts 4

Christians in America, for the most part, do not face severe persecution
like many of our brothers and sisters across the world. For the most part,
we have it easy. However, how would the Church in this country respond if
we woke up tomorrow and professing the Lord Jesus was declared a
crime? Let’s look at how the Apostles and early church did.

Vs. 1-4: The Religious authorities arrested Peter and John for their
testimony, but persecution did not stop faith from spreading.

Vs. 5-7: Before the Sanhedrin, faced with intimidation and threatened,
Peter and John are demanded to answer for their faith and actions.

Vs. 8-12: Peter stands before the threats of persecution, and he
preaches to the Sanhedrin.

Vs. 13: Peter and John were not scholars; they were ordinary men
with one unique feature; they had followed Jesus.

Vs. 14: With the healed man standing right in front of them, they could
not deny that something had happened.

Vs. 15-18: The only response the Sanhedrin could give were demands
for the Apostles to stop preaching the Gospel.

Vs. 19-22: Peter and John remained faithful despite the threats thrown
at them.

Vs. 23-31: The first action of Peter after threats against them is
gathering with other believers to pray.

Vs. 32-37: The believers increased in sharing the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ.

Peter and John were faithful in the face of threats of persecution.
They stood firm in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How will you respond?

We broke the law and commands of God because of our sin. We broke his law, and we are guilty and deserve his judgement. But the Bible says that God does not want anyone to perish.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

1 Timothy 2:4 “Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

God loved us, he sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus died on the cross, he was buried and three days later he rose from the dead. The Bible says that if we repent of our sins and turn to Christ and put our faith and trust in him, we can have eternal life.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

It is not because of anything we can do, but because of the blood of Christ that we are saved.

Put your faith and trust in Jesus today!

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