Essentials for Boldly Making a Defense | Acts 4:1-31

Summary

In this message on Acts 4, TA walks us through Peter and John’s unexpected arrest and bold defense of the hope that was in them. Instead of shrinking back, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, clearly proclaimed that salvation is found in no one else but Jesus. This passage shows us the essentials for boldly making a defense.

Key Takeaways

• The right expectations – The Christian life will be a mixture of reception and rejection. We can expect God to work through us to save those who don’t yet know him, and we must also expect rejection, strained relationships, awkward conversations, or even harsh treatment.
• The right relationship with the Holy Spirit – Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and then spoke. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us.
• The right gospel – Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, and everything is aligned to him. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Our responsibility isn’t to save, it’s to share.
• The right allegiance –There is freedom in caring more about pleasing God than man. Fearing people is a dangerous trap. Jesus was rejected by man so that we could be accepted by God. Therefore, because we are accepted by God, we can be rejected by man.
• The right priorities – When they were released, they gathered with friends and lifted their voices together to God. They prayed for boldness, not comfort. Then they were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Discussion Questions

• Do you expect God to work through you to save those who don’t yet know him? Why or why not?
• Where do you feel a spirit of fear? What would it look like to name that fear and preach the gospel to it?
• What area of your life are you tempted to fear people instead of trust the Lord?
• Who can you pray for this week and ask God for an opportunity to give a defense for the hope that is in you?