Acts 4:1-22

Nothing to Hide 1-4While Peter and John were addressing the people, the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and some Sadducees came up, indignant that these upstart apostles were instructing the people and proclaiming that the resurrection from the dead had taken place in Jesus. They arrested them and threw them in jail until morning, for by now it was late in the evening. But many of those who listened had already believed the Message—in round numbers about five thousand!
5-7The next day a meeting was called in Jerusalem. The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander—everybody who was anybody was there. They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them: "Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this?" 8-12With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: "Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one." 13-14They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that? 15-17They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: "What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone." 18-20They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, "Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard." 21-22The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn’t come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn’t have stood for it—they were all praising God over what had happened. The man who had been miraculously healed was over forty years old.
Devotion (by Emily Alsobrook):
What stands out to me the most is the boldness and confidence in which the apostles are acting. You might ask the same question I did, "What exactly is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?" Before, in the other books we have read, Peter, John, and those with Jesus were called disciples. A disciple is one who follows and adopts the teaching and lifestyle of another. They were the students and Jesus was the teacher. But an apostle is "one who is sent out." When Jesus left the earth, He empowered his disciples to now become the teachers. He gave them everything they needed to be sent out and spread His message to everyone.
And that’s what we find them doing here. They are healing, teaching, and speaking very directly with the religious authorities who had Jesus put to death! Whereas before, Peter had denied even knowing who Jesus was to escape these religious leaders and their power. The disciples had fled and abandoned Jesus because of their fear of these scholars and leaders. Following Jesus, and meeting Him after His resurrection is what produced this transformation in their lives. It so moved them that they were able to look their fear in the face, overcome it with courage, and do exactly what Jesus wanted them to do.
And we can do the same. We have experienced the Jesus who is alive and He is empowering us and filling us with courage every day. Jesus gives us what we need to accomplish the things He wants us to do. So we can look our fear in the face, whatever it may be, and know that Jesus is in us and right there with us, giving us the power to be bold and confident!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for giving me the strength and courage to do what You have called me to do. Fill me with Your boldness to face the things I fear, knowing that You are always with me. Help me to be bold and confident in You. Amen.