Acts 4:23-37 KJV
And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
And now, Lord, behold their threatening’s: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
And Jose’s, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Short Summary
There are areas of boldness that we see in Acts 4. We must first begin with having the boldness to trust in God. We cannot help others and be disciples of God when we have not been fully reliant upon God. We must trust in God to carry us through our trials and difficult circumstances. Jesus told us that we have no reason to worry when we put our faith in Him.
We need that boldness to have all things in common with each other. God did not leave us to be by ourselves and do God’s will. He has commanded us to meet together and be joined together so that we can grow as individuals and as a congregation. We must dedicate ourselves by lowering our defence and not creating fences that keep each other at arm’s length.
When we do that, we can become the encouragers that God wants to be. We can be like Barnabas who saw the good in others and tried with all his might to help others reach their goal of spiritual maturity in the Lord. Let us not be cowards who find faults, but have the boldness to encourage each other to do better.
Have a blessed day everyone.
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