Acts 4:13-22
ACTS STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What stood out to you from our study of Acts 4:13-22 on Sunday?
The religious leaders were “astonished” at the boldness of Peter and John. Where else have we seen the word “astonished” in Acts, and what does that tell us about this moment when Peter and John speak (cf. Acts 2:7 and Acts 3:11-12)?
Each time Luke uses the word “boldness,” it is his way of indicating grace-fueled, truth-laced, Spirit- filled speech. The term boldness can also mean confidence or freedom. How does the gospel liberate us from the approval of others? How can we cultivate this same freedom in our own lives? How does the bold freedom of Peter and John inform how we are to communicate the gospel to others?
How did the religious leaders react, and what did they say about Jesus in Mark 1:22, 6:2, Matthew 7:28-29, 13:54, and John 7:14-15? To say that the religious leaders recognized Peter and John as “uneducated, common men” and that “they had been with Jesus” means they recognized that these men were cut from the same cloth and acting just like Jesus. Would your friends, family, and co- workers say something similar about you? Why or why not? What does this teach us about the importance of daily communing, abiding, and saturating ourselves with Jesus?
What does commissioning uneducated, common men to proclaim the gospel say about God and the gospel itself (cf. 1 Cor 1:17, 2:1-5, and 2 Cor 4:7)? When we shy from sharing our redemption stories for fear of not having all the answers what are we saying about the power of God (cf. 2 Cor 4:7)?
While the accused spoke with absolute confidence and authority, their accusers sat in shock and silence. How does this fulfill Jesus’ promise in Luke 21:12-19? What hope does this give you as you walk in step with the Spirit and share the gospel with friends, family, and coworkers?
Acts 4:14 says that the religious leaders could not argue against the supernatural change in the man who had been born lame. Verse 16 says the man’s transformation was “evident” and that they “could not deny it.” If your redemption story and gospel transformation is evidence that cannot be denied what does that say about the importance of your testimony in conveying the gospel?
What do we learn in Acts 4:18-20 about respectful disobedience to man and faithful obedience to God? What are the religious leaders primarily worried about based on Acts 4:17 and 21? How does that contrast with Peter and John’s primary concern and the thing that informed their respectful disobedience (cf. Acts 4:19-20)? Why is it important for us to maintain a firm grip on both the fact of Jesus and the person of Jesus in matters of respectful disobedience?
