A healing, a sermon, a trial and a proclamation herald an eternal call for more boldness in preaching the Gospel. Not long after the establishment of the church, the apostles Peter and John approached the Temple at an hour of prayer. There, they met a beggar. He had been lame all his life of over forty years (Acts 3:1-2; 4:22). The public knew the man (3:10) and gathered in amazement at his “walking, leaping, and praising God” (3:8). (Note: The miracle was instantaneous, complete, and public. Oh, how modern, falsely called miracles differ! They take days and weeks in hospitals, are incomplete or faked [“He took one step!”], and/or are privately claimed.)
This public, undeniable (cf. 4:14) miracle served the purpose of miracles in calling attention to the word of God (Hebrews 2:1-4; Mark 16:20). Gathering in Solomon’s Porch of the Temple Complex, the people heard a straightforward sermon from Peter (3:12-26). In the message, Peter outlined the Jewish people’s own prophets’ predictions of the Christ (3:22-26), and set forth some rather accusatory language: “But you denied the Holy One and the Just …and killed the Prince of Life…” (3:14-15).
This preaching led to retaliation, not from the common people, but from the religious leaders, who were “disturbed” that Jesus was still being preached (4:1-2). Peter and John were arrested (4:3) and tried the next day (4:5-12).
In the trial, Peter’s force did not shrink. He proclaimed to the rebellious council that the “good deed” done to the “helpless man” was by the power of Jesus, “whom you crucified…” (4:9-10). When warned not to preach in the name of Jesus, Peter and John answered, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (4:19- 20). In the midst of this discussion, the council noted their boldness and, in the absence of their formal training, attributed it to the fact that “they had been with Jesus” (4:13).
One wonders if such boldness might need a present-day recapitulation or restatement. We cannot resurrect the miraculous; such deeds fulfilled their purpose and ceased in first-century times (cf. Acts 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). We would rather not repeat such trials before authorities, though Christianity’s conflict with governmental mandates seems to be mounting. We must, though, ever renew the preaching of the “old paths” (Jeremiah 6:16), and maybe it is time we preached with a little more boldness.
Do soft sermons convert or just make people feel good in their sins? Does avoidance of “touchy” subjects (i.e., Bible subjects) in personal conversation and Bible studies challenge sinners or preserve superficial friendships? The rhetorical questions have their negative answers.
Peter spoke boldly (truth) in love (cf. Ephesians 4:15). He acknowledged the ignorance of the people (3:17), yet commanded repentance (3:19). This proper balance caused church growth (4:4), although it was mixed with persecution. One wonders if boldness ceases when fear of consequences prevails.
