Rev. AJ Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 4:1-22.
When the Sanhedrin finds out about the preaching of Peter and John in the temple, they have the two apostles arrested. The Sadducees, having great power and influence, are particularly disturbed not only by the preaching of the resurrection, but particularly by the preaching that the resurrection is found only in Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes their questioning as yet another opportunity for Peter to proclaim the Gospel: only Jesus’ name brings salvation to sinners. The Sanhedrin was astonished at the boldness of these two men, along with their lack of formal training or education. However, they knew they could do nothing against these men, for the forty-year-old beggar had been healed in front of everyone. The Sanhedrin ordered Peter and John to stop preaching in Jesus’ name, but the apostles put the charge back to the Sanhedrin and called upon them to judge the matters according to the sight of God.
“To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord’s Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God’s grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us.
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