BIBLE STUDY LESSON 05

SERIES U --- THE EARLY CHURCH

ON TRIAL

ONE HEART AND SOUL

From Acts 4

While Peter and John were talking with the people on Solomon’s Porch in the temple, the chief priests, the Sadducees, and the commander of the temple police came through the crowd. They were disturbed because Peter and John were teaching the people that Yeshua had risen from the dead. They arrested the apostles and, since it was already evening and too late to hold court, they threw them into jail for the night. But many who had heard Peter’s message believed, and the ranks of believers grew to about five thousand. On the following day, the whole Jewish council met in Jerusalem. The leading authorities were there, including Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other members of the high priest’s family. Peter and John were brought before this council and asked over and over again about their work. [By whose authority or by what power have you done this?] they asked the apostles. Peter, filled with Ruach HaKodesh, answered them. [Rulers and elders of the people of Israel,] he said, [if you’re inquiring about the good deed we did for the crippled man and how we healed him, we want to tell you and all people in Israel that he was healed by the Name and authority of Yeshua Moshiach of Nazareth. He is the same Yeshua Whom you crucified, but YHVH raised Him up to life again. By His authority this man stands here well today! This Yeshua is the stone which you builders rejected, yet He has become the cornerstone. No one else can bring salvation, for there is no other name under heaven with the authority to save us.] The members of the council were greatly surprised to see the courage of Peter and John. It was obvious that they were not educated men and had no formal training in the schools. But the council recognized that these men had been the traveling companions of Yeshua. There stood the man who had been healed! How could the leaders answer the apostles? They weren’t sure, so the apostles were ordered from the room so that the council could have a conference. [What can we do with these men?] they asked one another. [It’s clear to everyone in Jerusalem that they have done some wonderful work, and we can’t punish them for that. But we also can’t let this movement spread among our people. Let’s warn them not to say anything more about this fellow Yeshua.] When Peter and John were called back into the council room, they were warned not to say anything more in the Name of Yeshua. But Peter and John were not willing to let the situation rest there. [Now you tell us whether we should obey YHVH or obey you,] they said. [How can we stop talking about the wonderful things we have seen and heard?] But the council warned them again and let them go, for there was no reasonable punishment for what the apostles had done. The council was also afraid that the people of Jerusalem might stir up trouble if they tried to punish the apostles, for everyone was excited about this miracle. After all, the man had been a cripple for forty years, and now he was suddenly healed! After Peter and John had been set free, they went back to the other believers and told them what the council had said. When the believers heard that, they united in prayer: [Adonai, You have made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. By Ruach HaKodesh, You have spoken through our ancestor and Your servant, King David, when he said, ‘Why did the heathen people go into a fit of anger and make foolish plans against the Adonai? The kings and rulers of the earth conspire to fight against YHVH and His Son.’ Adonai, in our city this Scripture is fulfilled, for King Herod and Pontius Pilate have conspired with the Romans and the people of Israel against Your Holy Servant Yeshua. They will do all that You permit them to do, so hear their threats, Adonai, and give Your servants the power and courage to preach Your message. Give power to heal and work miracles in the Name of Your Holy Servant Yeshua.] When the believers had finished praying, the place where they met was shaken, and they were all filled with Ruach HaKodesh, enabling them to continue preaching YHVH’s Word with great courage. There was complete harmony of heart and soul among the believers, and they shared everything they had. Not one of them laid claim to possessions as his very own. The apostles preached about the resurrection of the Adonai Yeshua with great authority and power, and the blessing of YHVH was richly bestowed on the fellowship of the believers. There was no poverty among the believers, for those who owned land or houses sold them one by one and brought the money to the apostles to distribute according to the needs of the others. One such landowner was a man named Joseph, a Levite, who had come from the island of Cyprus. The apostles gave him a new name, Barnabas, which meant {Son of Encouragement.} Barnabas sold his land and brought the money to the apostles so they could distribute it to those people with greatest need.

COMMENTARY

MIRACLES

On the night of the Last Supper, Yeshua gave His followers an important promise. [I will do what you ask in My Name. If you believe in Me, you can perform greater miracles than those you have seen Me do.] The disciples had been with Yeshua when He turned the water into wine and multiplied the loaves and fishes. They saw Him heal the sick and recall the dead to life. Even the wind and sea obeyed His Command! But the disciples had failed to expel the demon from the boy at Caesarea Philippi. How could they ever hope to do greater miracles than Yeshua? The disciples did not understand all that Yeshua promised that night. Not until they witnessed Moshiach’s greatest miracle, His resurrection from death, could they begin to comprehend His promise to them. After the Resurrection, the disciples received the power of the risen Moshiach. In the Name of Yeshua, they began to work great miracles. Like Yeshua, Peter healed the sick and raised the dead. And he was not the only disciple who worked wonders. Many members of the early church experienced the miraculous power of YHVH. Ruach HaKodesh carried Philip, the evangelist, through time and space. On the day of Shavuot, the believers preached the Gospel in languages they had never learned. YHVH’s power was displayed in many great miracles during the days of the apostles.