Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Acts 4:1-37

Peter and John before the Council
1While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the leading priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees came over to them. 2They were very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming, on the authority of Jesus, that there is a resurrection of the dead. 3They arrested them and, since it was already evening, jailed them until morning. 4But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers totaled about five thousand men, not counting women and children. F17

5The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?"
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of our nation, 9are we being questioned because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. 11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' F18
12There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
13The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14But since the man who had been healed was standing right there among them, the council had nothing to say. 15So they sent Peter and John out of the council chamber F19 and conferred among themselves.
16"What should we do with these men?" they asked each other. "We can't deny they have done a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We'll warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name again." 18So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus.
19But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard."
21The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn't know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

The Believers Pray for Courage
23As soon as they were freed, Peter and John found the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24Then all the believers were united as they lifted their voices in prayer: "O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor King David, your servant, saying,
'Why did the nations rage? Why did the people waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.' F20
27"That is what has happened here in this city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28In fact, everything they did occurred according to your eternal will and plan. 29And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give your servants great boldness in their preaching. 30Send your healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they preached God's message with boldness.

The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. 33And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great favor was upon them all. 34There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them 35and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.
36For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for those in need.
FOOTNOTES:F17: Greek 5,000 adult males. F18: Ps 118:22. F19: Greek the Sanhedrin. F20: Ps 2:1-2.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
I feel like those who are challenging Peter & John are of the anti-Christ spirit. It is not only humans they are “reasoning” with, but rather the spiritual darkness of the age. In Jesus’ death and resurrection a few spiritual orders were upset in the earth. The enemy was trying to find his foothold some where, he’d been displaced by the good news. He thought he’d rid of the earth of Jesus, but now there were these new people, almost like the beginnings of a new race, men who don’t look so much like Adam, but a whole lot like Jesus. It seemed a bunch of little Jesus’ were walking around proclaiming the same good news with the same boldness as the Lord did.
Do you remember when they asked Jesus, “Who are you?” and also, “By what authority do you do these things?” Now they are asking this of Peter also. I love how the passage immediately says, “Peter filled with the Holy Spirit…” That’s by what authority, the authority of the Creator God in action!
One sure sign of being filled up with God’s spirit is our way of speaking changes, what we talk about changes. How we talk changes. It was amazing to the onlookers how boldly unlearned men spoke. They wholeheartedly said:
20We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard."
It didn’t say they studied, got up the courage, confessed 10 times a day, I can do this, I can do this, etc…. It says they could not stop. That is a true sign of a spirit filled believer. Most people can’t stop talking about themselves, their own needs, their own cares, their own household, etc. Those filled with God, could not stop talking about God. The speech change was not only for one man who had an already outward personality; the personality of God was being allowed to be expressed through men- plural. Men were being led by God to speak as God speaks. Men were taking on the personality of God. Their personality was being hidden in Christ Jesus their Lord. It was no longer them living, but Christ alive inside of them. They were just like Jesus, except in more than one location at one time!
They were all of one heart and one mind. Let’s see, there were 120 at Pentecost, 3000 saved that day and now about 5000 saved. That makes at least 8120 people with one heart and mind? That in itself is/was a miracle! How many times have you tried to become of one heart or mind with even 2-10 people? How easy is that? It would almost take a dead man to get the 2-10 in unity, same mind and heart. BUT God was able to do that in nothing flat, no push or shove. It was definitely a work of the spirit of Christ, for the flesh is not capable of working that well together. The crowds marveled at the unity. Usually when you hear the word crowd, you think of a disturbance, a scuffle, disunity. Wouldn’t you marvel too?
The spirit of the father had come to earth, mortal men were and are now still being changed into the Image and likeness of the second Adam, the new man, Christ Jesus. The image and likeness of God was already being restored in the earth. Man was gonna be able to be like God again. Whew Weeeeee, the angels are jumping with glee!

Daily Meditation/Recital/Question
Ask myself daily: “What Page Am I On?”