SPOKE THE WORD OF GOD BOLDLY

Acts 4:1-37

Key Verse 4:31

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Read verses 1-12. Why were the Sadducees so disturbed by the apostles’ preaching (2)? How did they try to stop them (3-7)? What opportunity arose from this problem? How was this event God’s grace for those who opposed the gospel message (8-11)? What can we learn from Peter and John’s response to persecution? 

Read verses 13-22. What did the rulers realize about Peter and John? What was the source of the apostles’ strength, courage and wisdom? (13) What was the dilemma of the religious leaders? (14-17) What did they do? What was the apostles’ response? Why did the religious leaders let them go? (18-22)

Read verses 23-31. How did the believers respond to the pressure from the religious leaders? What perspective did they have on these persecutions (25-28)? What was their prayer topic (29-30)? How did God respond (31)? What can we learn from the early church here? What can we learn about the importance of being “filled with the Holy Spirit”?

Read verses 32-37. When the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit what internal result occurred (32)? What did they continue to focus on externally (33)?  What did Barnabus do for others? Why must a community of believers all struggle to be filled with the Spirit?