Acts 4:1-12
ACTS STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How were you encouraged or convicted from our study of Acts 4:1-12 on Sunday?
What was the attitude of the religious leaders in Acts 4:1, and why? How do we/will we face a similar
response as we root our lives in truth and seek to convey it to others?
Though there were many who opposed the apostle’s teaching, what does Luke reveal about their witness and the power of the gospel according to Acts 4:4? As John Stott notes, “The Sadducees could arrest the apostles, but not the gospel.” What do we learn from this, and how does it encourage you?
The apostles now stand before the same men who tried and convicted Jesus, though he was innocent (cf. John 18:12ff). What possible feelings might they have felt? Despite this, what is their attitude and disposition based on Acts 4:8-13? How had Jesus prepared and equipped them based on Mark 13:11? What encouragement and comfort does this give you in sharing the gospel with others?
When the religious leaders confront Peter and John, asking “by what power” and “by what name” they acted, what do we learn in verse 8, and how does Peter respond in Acts 4:10-12? Considering Peter’s response on the night Jesus was tried (cf Lk 22:54-62), why is Peter’s boldness so shocking? What does Peter have now that he did not have on the night he faced the servant girl (cf. Acts 2:4 and 4:8)? What did Jesus promise in Acts 1:8, and how is this moment with Peter and John another fulfillment of that promise? What do we have as we share the gospel with others, and how does this give greater confidence and comfort?
Peter argues that it is by the name and power of Jesus, whom the religious leaders crucified, that the man was healed. If Jesus was crucified, yet he still heals, what does that say to the religious leaders and to us about Jesus? What hope and confidence does this give?
What pinnacle proclamation does Peter make in Acts 4:12, and why is it so significant given the audience he is addressing? Why is it so significant given the culture we live in today? What can we learn from this text about sharing our faith and the good news of the gospel?
