Acts Chapter 4

SECTION OUTLINE FOUR (ACTS 4)

The religious leaders arrested Peter and John and demanded to know by what power they healed the cripple. Peter says it was Jesus’ power! Ordered never again to preach about Jesus, the believers pray for courage, and still more people believe.

I.    Frustration (4:1–3)

A.  The anger of the Jewish leaders (4:1–2): They are disturbed because Peter and John are proclaiming that there is a resurrection from the dead.

B.  The arrest by the Jewish leaders (4:3): Peter and John are seized and jailed overnight.

II.   Multiplication (4:4): Despite persecution, the number of believers now reaches a new high of 5,000 men!

III.  Interrogation (4:5–22): Peter and John are questioned by the high priest.

A.  First ordeal (4:5–12)

1.   Question (4:5–7): “By what power, or in whose name, have you [healed this cripple]?”

2.   Answer (4:8–11): “He was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ.”

a.   The power (4:8–10): Invoking the name of Jesus alone is sufficient.

b.  The prophecy (4:11): David predicted this (see Ps. 118:22).

c.   The pardon (4:12): His name and his name alone results in redemption.

B.  Private meeting (4:13–17)

1.   The dismissal (4:13–15): The two apostles are sent out of the room for a while so the religious leaders can confer together.

2.   The dilemma (4:16): The leaders agree that they cannot deny the healing of the cripple, because everyone in Jerusalem is aware of it.

3.   The decision (4:17): They decide to call the apostles back in and threaten them.

C.  Second ordeal (4:18–22)

1.   The threats (4:18, 21–22): The religious leaders warn Peter and John never again to speak about Jesus.

2.   The testimony (4:19–20): The apostles respond, “We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard.”

IV. Supplication (4:23–30)

A.  The believers acknowledge God’s sovereignty in dealing with his enemies (4:25–28).

1.   David wrote of it (4:25–26): See Psalm 2:1–2.

2.   The disciples witnessed it (4:27–28): They saw Pilate, Herod, and the Jewish leaders conspire against Jesus.

B.  The believers ask for God’s strength in dealing with their enemies (4:23–24, 29–30).

V.  Demonstration (4:31): God’s mighty power shakes the building!

VI. Cooperation (4:32–35): The believers sell their possessions and freely share with each other.

VII. Exemplification (4:36–37): A godly believer named Barnabas is singled out as an example of this sacrificial sharing.