10-04-15stPS (Boldness)

---

RESURRECTION It changes everything.

Sermon Transcript October 4, 2015 Spirit Filled Boldness Acts 4-5

This message from the Bible was addressed originally to the people of Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church on October 4, 2015, at 511 Maple Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109 by Dr. Scott W. Solberg. This is a transcription that bears the strength and weaknesses of oral delivery. It is not meant to be a polished essay. An audio copy of the sermon on CD is available by request at (860) 563-8286. An audio version of this sermon may also be found on the church website at www.wethefc.com. 1

Sermon Text: Acts 4-5 Acts 4:1-31 1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. 5

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20

for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. 23

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you 2

anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 5:12-42 12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. 17

But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave 3

orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

A Story of Boldness I want to begin this morning by telling the story that unfolds in Acts 4 and 5. It is the completion of the story we began last week in Acts 3. If you recall, last week we saw Peter and John going to the temple to pray. On their way into the temple they see a man who had been crippled since birth, sitting at the entrance to the temple. Reduced to being a beggar, he was dependent upon the mercy of others to throw him a few coins from time to time. On this day, Peter and John stop and Peter says to this poor man, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you, In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” Immediately this man was healed. As he is jumping up and down with great delight, a crowd starts to gather around Peter and John. They knew this man, who was over forty years old, had been crippled all of his life. And now they see him “walking and leaping and praising God.” They want to know what happened. With a captive audience, Peter begins to preach about Jesus. Once again, we see Peter giving witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And so he calls on the people to repent of their sin and turn in faith to Jesus. In doing so, their sins can be forgiven and “times of refreshing” will come upon them. Here is what he means by “times of refreshing.” When we repent of our sin and turn in faith to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside of us and begins to change our hearts. He fills us with a love for God and love for people. When this happens, the Spirit of God changes us from the inside and we become contagious. We become agents of hope in this world as the love of God shines through us. I would imagine for every story in this room, you can identify people God used to bring you to faith. These people were agents of hope who helped you to see what it looked like when the love of God gets a hold of a life and changes it. And that is how Acts 3 ends.

4

When we come to Acts 4, we quickly discover that this was no small crowd that gathered around Peter to hear how this lame man had been healed. In fact, in verse 4 we discover that when Peter is finished proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus and calling people to repent of their sin and turn in faith to Jesus, about 5,000 men put their faith in the resurrected Jesus. This takes place in Jerusalem. This happens at the temple. In fact, these are Jewish men who turn in faith to Jesus. And so we discover in the first two verses that “the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees” were “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” And so they quickly round up Peter and John and bring them into custody to stand before the rulers and the elders. The next day we find Peter standing before “Annas the high priest, Caiaphas and John and Alexander, all of who were of the high-priestly family.” This was a very powerful family. Annas, was the patriarch of the family and had served as the high priest in the past. Caiaphas was his son-in-law and was currently serving in that role. His son, John, would later serve in that role. This is a high-power family all gathered with the ruling class and asking Peter, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Now let us not forget, this is the same Peter who was out in the courtyard when Jesus was standing trial before these very same men. And when just a mere servant girl, who was huddled around a small fire in the night, looked at Peter and said of him, “This man was with Jesus.” Peter, out of fear, quickly shot back, “Woman, I do not know him.” As you know, this set off a string of three blatant denials of Peter having any association with Jesus. And now here he is, in front of the most powerful men in Jerusalem, calling him into question for what he has done and for what he is teaching. But this time, he speaks with great boldness. In fact that is how the text characterizes Peter in verse 13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John. . .” This is one of the evidences for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Something happened that caused Peter to go from cowering in fear from an accusation made by a servant girl to standing in front of the most powerful men in Jerusalem and boldly proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. How else do you account for such a dramatic change? And so Peter boldly answers the question in verse 10, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” Not only is Peter and John standing before this council, but so is the man who was healed. This ruling council is left scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to contain this teaching from spreading. They are looking right at this man who had been healed and there is nothing they can say. I bet you this man standing there could not wipe the smile off of his face. Perhaps he would just shrug his shoulders and shake his 5

legs whenever the high priest would look his way, as if to say, “I don’t know what else to tell you. All I know is that for over forty years I could not walk but now I can!” Not knowing what else to do, these rulers ordered Peter and John to no longer speak in the name of Jesus. But Peter said in verse 20, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” He is referring to the resurrection here. Peter is saying here, “I have to share this message because it tells us that Jesus is the promised Messiah and is Lord.” Furthermore, he says of Jesus in verse 12 that the implication of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is “that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In essence, Peter is saying it would be negligent on his part if he stayed quiet. Not knowing what else to do, they release Peter and John and threaten to harm them if they continue to preach about the resurrected Jesus. Upon their release, Peter and John immediately huddle together with fellow believers and they remind themselves that it has always been this way. Quoting from Psalm 2 in verse 25-26 they say, “Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against his Anointed.” Surely this happened with Jesus. Both Herod and Pilate, both Jews and Gentiles, stood opposed to Jesus and crucified him. Realizing that facing opposition and the threat of persecution is the way it has always been and always will be, they turn in prayer and they pray for boldness. In verse 29 they pray, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” When you turn to Acts 5, that is exactly what you find. Starting in verse 12 you read how they continued to boldly give witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. As a result, many more believed and once again they were arrested. But in verse 19 an angel comes and sets them free in the middle of the night and tells them to go back to the temple and start preaching again. Surprised to find the cell empty the next morning, the officials are told that the disciples are back at it in the temple, once again giving testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. Enraged, they rounded up the disciples and said to them in verse 28, “We strictly charged you not to teach in his name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teachings.” Then Peter responds rather boldly, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” The chapter ends with the apostles being beaten and told once again to keep quiet. Instead they rejoiced over being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. And the last verse says, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” 6

Spirit Filled Boldness Would you say boldness is still needed to give testimony to Jesus in the world in which we live? When Peter is told to keep quiet in Acts 5, he responds with the famous line in verse 29, “We must obey God rather than men.” Can you envision scenarios in our culture where we may have to respond in kind? “We must obey God rather than men.” Perhaps the most current and visible demonstration of this kind of boldness in our context is Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Reflecting on this complex issue, John Piper says, “the upshot for all of us is that we all should be pondering now what the line is; in our vocation, our schooling, our civic life, our finances, our friendships. Because if we are not fixed and strong in our resolve and are taken off guard with the threat of loss, we will cave in. Now is the time to be clear and resolved before they knock on your door.”1 N. T. Wright says that the unlikely message of a crucified Jew raised from the dead “was bound to cause hoots of derision, and, if Acts is to be believed, sometimes did.”2 Throughout history, and even now, Christians in many parts of the world face not only rejection but violent brutality. We learn from them what it is like to have courage and compassion and how to live a subversive faith. I think the voices in our culture that seek to silence the voice of the gospel are voices that say, “tolerance supersedes truth.” Or, “the sacred has no place in the secular.” Matters of faith, we are told, are for the private sphere and not the public arena. To these voices that seek to marginalize the gospel, we say, “We must obey God rather than man.” Boldness is still needed. It is not just “boldness” that is needed. It is a certain kind of boldness that is evident in this passage. It is a “Spirit-filled boldness” that we see on display here. In Acts 4:8 it says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them.” The first time they were released after being questioned. they went back to their fellow believers and prayed that they would be bold. As a result it says in verse 31, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.” The apostles were instructed Acts 1:8 to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit so that they would have power to be a witness for Jesus. We need a “Spirit-filled boldness.” What does “Spirit-filled boldness” look like? In the current edition of Christianity Today I think Harold Smith captures it well with the phrase “Beautiful Orthodoxy.” Spirit-filled boldness is love and truth held together. He laments the fact that often behind closed church doors (and on Christian computer screens) you often find more “rage than redemption, more disgrace than grace.” He warns that if we are marked with an “ugly orthodoxy” we will leave more of God’s creation without hope.3 Truth without love is not “Spirit-filled boldness.” Boldness is not “screams of self-righteousness.” 7

And yet, at the same time, “Spirit-filled boldness” has great confidence in the truth of the gospel. When Vanderbilt University told the Christian club, Inter-Varsity, that they had to compromise their sexual standards for their leaders if they wanted to remain a recognized club on campus, Inter-Varsity could not comply. And so, they are no longer a recognized club on campus. Disappointed, but not defeated, one of the leaders, Tish Warren wrote, “We need not be afraid; the gospel is as unstoppable as it is unacceptable. Paul persisted, proclaiming that Jesus was, in fact, the world’s true Lord. And as people found this announcement making itself at home in their minds and hearts, generating the belief that it is true, and transforming their lives with a strange new presence and power.”4 In other words, “Spirit-filled boldness” recognizes that the truth of the gospel when proclaimed is unstoppable because we are living in “times of refreshing.” We need such “Beautiful Orthodoxy.” We need a “Spirit-filled boldness.” The Source for Spirit Filled Boldness As I read through Acts 4-5, I see three contributing factors to this “Spirit-filled boldness” that was on display in Peter’s life. Absolute Allegiance to Jesus - The theme of this series is “the resurrection changes everything.” The implication is that if we truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then we are confessing something to be true about Jesus. He is Lord! Therefore, our lives are lived in allegiance to Jesus. That is exactly what you see of Peter. In Acts 4:11, Peter is standing before the religious leaders and answering the question, “By what power and by what name did you do this?” In this verse he says of Jesus, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” A “cornerstone” is the first stone that is set when laying a foundation and all the other stones are set in reference to this stone. And so Peter is saying to these religious leaders, “the builders” - that by crucifying Jesus, they threw out the most important stone to what God is doing in this world. Here is what is interesting about this verse. It was a familiar verse to these religious leaders, because it is found in Psalm 118. This is one of the Psalms they would sing when observing Passover. Matthew and Mark tell us that when Jesus and his disciples observed what we call “the Last Supper” they “sang a hymn.” They probably sang Psalm 113-118. In fact, it is from Psalm 118 we get the phrase that was sung when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In Psalm 118 this “stone that was rejected” was often referred to as Israel, rejected by the nations. And yet, this stone, was the “cornerstone” that God would use to accomplish his great plan for bringing blessing to this world. Abraham 8

was promised that through his seed God would bless the nations. So now these Jewish religious leaders are confronted by Peter by saying that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is verification that the Messiah has come and that he is the “cornerstone” to God bringing blessing and salvation to the world. So with great conviction and filled with the Spirit, Peter declares, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Underlying this “Spirit-filled boldness” is this conviction that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead and therefore he is the source of God’s blessing in this world. There is no other answer. There is no other way to God. This is why Peter says when told to keep quiet, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And so it is with us in 2015, in a changing culture, with boldness we proclaim Jesus because he still is the way one is made right with God. With boldness and conviction we call on people everywhere to repent of their sin and turn in faith to Jesus, who is able to forgive them of their sin. Harold Smith says it this way, “Fewer people, including those raised in the church, consider biblical Christianity a viable worldview that causes individuals and cultures to flourish, But in the deserts of our times, God still fashions rivers that make our hearts glad. And in a world under assault by the Evil One, he plants his church.”5 And so with firm conviction that Jesus has risen from the dead and that there is no other name under heaven by which one can find forgiveness for sin, we boldly and lovingly share Jesus with others, for the gospel is an unstoppable force. Bible Saturated, Prayer-filled Community Groups - There is another source of boldness that emerges from these two chapters. Do you know what it is? It is a Bible saturated, prayer filled community group. Where do Peter and John go after they are released from being interrogated and threatened to keep quiet? They go to the community of believers in verse 23. When they report on what has happened, they find strength in the Word of God that reminds them from Psalm 2 that this kind of opposition to the things of God is normal. In fact, they are quick to remember that Jesus was rejected by Herod and Pilate. And then they pray. What do they pray for? It says in verse 29, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” These people are no different than us. Peter and John are referred to as “common men” in Acts 4:13. I am sure that these threats may have caused some measure of fear. And yet, together in community, turning to God in prayer, they are empowered by the Spirit to continue to give witness to Jesus. That is exactly what happened in verse 31. They “were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Connected in Christian community forms Spirit-filled boldness in us. 9

I was encouraged this week when I heard how one community group has been praying that God would give them opportunity during the week to give testimony to Jesus. This lady shared with me that the very next day she had opportunity in a natural conversation to encourage this person to seek the Lord and to come to church. She couldn’t even recall all that she said, and it wasn’t until after she had shared with this person that she remembered that this is what she had prayed for with her group. I believe that is a demonstration of the filling of the Spirit as a result of a community group praying for such boldness. Give it a try! Fruit of the Gospel - Finally, I can’t help but think that Peter and John were greatly encouraged to continue being bold because God was at work through them. They were seeing people transformed by the gospel. Three times we are told in these two chapters that “believers were being added to their number.” Even in this uncertain culture we find ourselves in today, where it seems like the church is being more and more marginalized, we are still seeing people’s lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Does this not cause us to continue to be bold and to live faithfully and fearlessly! I want a church that “dares to believe, to believe.” I believe that these are “times of refreshing” and the gates of hell cannot keep the church of Christ from advancing in the hearts of people. It is this conviction that gives us boldness to continue loving people and sharing the hope that there is for the forgiveness of sin and how one can have a viable relationship with the living God. Practical Thoughts Last week we introduced the acronym BLESS. • B—Begin with prayer, asking God to lay someone on your heart • L—Listen for the prompting of the Spirit • E—Eat with people and establish relationship • S—Serve some need and demonstrate love • S—Share your story and the hope we have in Jesus To live this out, requires a measure of “Spirit-filled boldness.” Let me suggest a few practical thoughts as you seek to boldly give testimony to the love and truth of Jesus. 1. Be Bold But Be Smart: I am not suggesting you go to work tomorrow and stand on top of your desk to give witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But do keep in mind your calling to be a witness. 2. Take a Risk: By that I mean be willing to let your faith be seen and let it be part of your conversation in some way. 3. Pray for your enemies: When you pray for people, it is hard to hold a grudge and it is effectual and often opens doors. 10

Use your gifts: This gets back to the idea of serving people. Look for ways to serve people in ways that come natural. Be bold with your love for others. 5. Live it!: Make sure that you are living out a Beautiful Orthodoxy. If you are going to be bold with words, make sure you are bold in love.6

4.

Conclusion As we close this morning, lets put the first five chapters of Acts together. Lets consider how the resurrection changes our lives. Acts 1 - It is really true! Jesus has risen from the dead and we are to give testimony to this. Acts 2 - The long anticipated Holy Spirit has come and it is a new day! Through the proclamation of the gospel, God is reaching this world with the promise of the forgiveness of sins. Acts 3 - We are agents of hope in the kingdom of God and we should live with confidence that in this “time of refreshing” the Spirit of God is using us for God’s purposes. Acts 4-5 - We must exercise a Spirit-filled boldness in our testimony before others. Fed by our conviction that Jesus has risen from the dead, and through the strength of Christian community and when we see the fruit of the kingdom of God advancing—The Spirit of God fills us with a Beautiful Orthodoxy—love and truth. Like Peter and John may it be said of us, “they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

_______________________________ 1

John Piper, Ask Pastor John Podcast: Is Kim Davis Right To Refuse Same-Sex Marriage, September 12, 2015 2 N. T. Wright, quoted in Tish Harrison Warren The Wrong Kind of Christian in Christianity Today, September, 2014 3 Harold B. Smith “A Beautiful Escape” in Christianity Today, September 2015 4 Warren 5 Smith 6 Nick Abraham “5 Ways to Bless Your Workplace” thegospelcoalition.org

© by Dr. Scott Solberg - All rights reserved 11

Sermon Title: Spirit-Filled Boldness Sermon Text: Acts 4-5 Sermon Date: October 4, 2015

Getting To Know Me Questions 1. Give opportunity to report on the acronym B.L.E.S.S. B—Begin with Prayer L—Listen to God E—Eat With S—Serve S—Share Share any opportunities God gave you this past week to put this into practice.

2. Get in groups of 3 or 4. Share with each other what you consider to be some of the biggest challenges to being a bold witness in this culture. How would you like to grow in this area?

3. What is one thing you are taking from Sunday’s sermon?

Diving Into The Word 4. Divide the passage into these three sections: Acts 4:1-22; Acts 4:23-31; Acts 5:12-42 Taking each section one at a time, have someone read it out loud and discuss what you observe about “Spirit-filled boldness.” 5.

Read Peter’s “sermon” in Acts 4:8-12 and Acts 5:27-32. Between these two sermons, try to identify five convictions Peter has regarding Jesus in light of his resurrection from the dead? How do you think these convictions create a “Spirit-filled boldness” in Peter’s witness for Jesus? What convictions do you have about Jesus? How do these convictions shape your life?

6.

Read Acts 4:23-31 What role did Christian Community play in helping to form “Spirit-filled boldness” in Peter and John? What role did Scripture and prayer play in their community? How can your Community Group help form this kind of “Spirit-filled boldness” in your life?

7.

Read Acts 4:4 and 5:14 - Discuss how these verses form “Spirit-filled boldness” in Peter’s life? How do these verses encourage you? Where do you see “gospel-fruit”?

Taking It Home 8.

Which of the following do you want to work on in cultivating “Spirit-filled boldness”? Why? • Be bold but be smart • Take a risk • Pray for your enemies • Use your gifts • Live it! 9. Is there a way your group can reach out and serve in an intentional and missional way? What ideas might your have? 10. Continue to work on memorizing your verse for the week, 1 Peter 1:3-6.

12