Week of 12/5 Scripture to Memorize: Acts 4:31 Day 1 Read: Acts 4:23 ...

Week of 12/5 Scripture to Memorize: Acts 4:31 Day 1 Read: Acts 4:23-31 Reflect: What was the content of the believers’ prayer? What was the result? Consider: The greatest concentration of power in Jerusalem that day was in the prayer meeting that followed the trial. This is one of the truly great prayers recorded in the Bible, and it is a good example for us to follow. 1) To begin with, it was a prayer that was born out of witness and service for the Lord. Peter and John had just come in “from the trenches,” and the church met to pray in order to defeat the enemy. 2) It was a united prayer meeting as they “lifted up their voice to God with one accord” (Acts 4:24; see 1:14). 3) Their praying was based solidly on the Word of God, in this case, Psalm 2. The Word of God and prayer must always go together (John 15:7). In His Word, God speaks to us and tells us what He wants to do. 4) They did not pray to have their circumstances changed or their enemies put out of office. Rather, they asked God to empower them to make the best use of their circumstances and to accomplish what He had already determined (Acts 4:28).1 Respond: Is your prayer life effective? How do you feel about your own prayers in light of these verses? Why do you think our prayers often have less of an impact as what we see in these verses? Day 2 Read: Acts 4:32-33 Reflect: What was the mindset regarding personal possessions? Consider: One in mind and heart is literally “one in heart and soul.” In Jewish thought “heart” was the center of intellectual activity, and “soul” the seat of the will. Taken together they are inclusive of the total inner being of the person. The expression one in mind and heart may be expressed verbally as “they thought the same things and they wanted the same things.”2 Respond: What does it mean for a church to be “of one heart and mind”? How would that affect how they viewed their possessions? What do you think Luke means when he says that they “held everything in common”? What are some examples of this unity in our church today? 1

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 418. Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Acts of the Apostles, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1972), 111. 2

Day 3 Read: Acts 4:34-35 Reflect: What characteristic of the early church do these verses highlight? Consider: The verb tenses in these two verses are such as to suggest continued or repeated action on the part of the Christian community: whenever the believers would sell a field or house they would bring the money they received and “place it at the feet of the apostles,” that is, they turned the money over to (the authority of) the apostles (see 4:37 and 5:2). Then the money would be distributed by the apostles to each one according to his need.1 Respond: How does the gospel teach us to be generous with our possessions? Is generosity an option for a Christian? Why do you think the believers in Acts 4 laid the proceeds “at the apostles’ feet”? What is the lesson for us from this act? What would it look like if our church was as generous as the Jerusalem church in Acts 4? Day 4 Read: Acts 4:36-37 Reflect: Why do you think that Luke included this act of Barnabas in his book? How could Barnabas’s gift have been an encouragement to others? Consider: Etymologies aside, the important thing is how well the by-name fits the picture of Barnabas in Acts. He was the encourager, the advocate, the paraklete par excellence of all the characters in Acts. When the Christians in Jerusalem shied away from Paul after his conversion, Barnabas interceded and introduced him to them (9:26f.). When Paul refused to take Mark on his second missionary journey, Barnabas took up for Mark (15:36–39). When the Christians of Jerusalem became concerned over the orthodoxy of the Antiochene Christians in their witness to Greeks, Barnabas again served as intercessor, saw the gracious work of the Antiochene Christians, and encouraged them (11:20–23). Indeed, 11:24 well sums up the portrait of this “Son of Encouragement”: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.”4 Respond: What must we believe about God and His plans for us to live with the same boldness in giving that Barnabas exemplified?What is one way we can remind ourselves that everything we have is from God and is given to us so that we will use it to serve Him? Day 5 Read: Acts 5:1-11 Reflect: What does this account teach us about the danger of “going through the motions” or pretending to have a heart or attitude we do not truly possess? 1

Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Acts of the Apostles, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1972), 112. 4 John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 154.

Consider: This couple wanted acclaim without sacrifice and comfort without commitment. They caused the first demonstration of defeat within the ranks since the betrayal of Judas and denial by Peter. The outward act seemed so appropriate. Notice the identical wording in 4:37 and 5:2: Put it at the apostles’ feet. What appeared to be public generosity was actually family conspiracy, but God was looking.5 Respond: From verse 3, we see that Ananias had a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but Satan, at some point, filled his heart. What does this tell you about Satan’s desires for you? What does it tell you God will allow you to experience by your own free will?

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Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 74.