Transforming Grace (Acts 4:1–22)

This is Acts 4:5–13:

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.

Well, my dear mother, who is now in glory, used to say to me all the time, “When God works, the devil works overtime!” And so, there is this cyclical pattern in Acts that we see in this passage, that will be repeated throughout this entire book. It's evident right here. God raises up gospel spokesmen. They clearly and boldly proclaim the gospel message. Listeners hear, believe, and are converted by God's grace. Opposition rises up against these gospel witnesses and God then moves to rescue his spokesman. We'll see that pattern again and again in Acts.

But there's something even more important and exciting in this passage that you can't allow yourself to miss. This account of preaching and opposition is more significantly an account of the power of God's transforming grace. Just stop and think about who these two spokesmen are. Here's John, whom we know previously was hiding in fear, who had just given up on his calling as a disciple and had gone back to fishing. Here's Peter, who, in fear, three times denied his connection to Jesus, and who, too, had left his calling as a disciple to go back to his previous occupation as a fisherman. And what are they doing here? They are standing in front of some of the most powerful people in their world, fearless!

This religious council, in their generation, was very powerful. These men are fearless, and they're boldly saying they will not do what these powerful men are telling them to do and stop preaching because they are going to listen to God and do what God has called for them to do. The captain of the temple was second only in rank to the high priest, and the Sadducees were very powerful religiously and politically. These guys had the power not only to create trouble for Peter and John, but to throw them into prison. And they even had the power to press the Roman rulers to put them to death. But Peter and John stand in front of them completely unafraid and look them in the face and say, “Threaten all you want. We are not going to quit doing what God has called us to do!” Well, you have to notice these are totally different men than we encountered before. And that difference requires an explanation.

Well, the explanation is clear. God's grace doesn't just forgive; it doesn't just reconcile, but it empowers, and it transforms! And that empowering and transforming grace is yours right here, right now, today. I want to leave you with this question: “What, in your heart and life, right now, needs to be transformed by God's amazing grace?”

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. If you were to draft a short list of what needs to be transformed by God’s grace in your heart and life, what would be on it? If you asked someone close to you (spouse, child, sibling, friend, etc.) to answer that question for you, what do you think they might say? Would you be willing to ask God to transform you by his grace right now? If not, why not?

2. What are a few things about Peter and John's confidence that embolden you with confidence in Christ? What practical application(s) could you make that would be a testimony to your boldness, and how would you want to see that play out in your life?

3. If you always live for comfort as a follower of Christ, you have fewer opportunities to trust in God’s empowering grace to provide for you. What parts of your life are characterized by constantly choosing comfort? How might God want to empower you if you choose to lean into the discomfort of talking about your faith with others?

4. Who do you want to pray for to come to know Christ? How might God use you to be the answer to that prayer for that person(s)?

Conversation Prompts to Use with Children

For Younger Children:

• What does it mean to be transformed? How does God transform us as Christians? What do you think that transformation can look like? Give me some examples.
• Why do you think God wants to transform us? How have you seen God transform me lately? Why is godly transformation a good thing?

For Older Children:

• Why is it a good thing to ask God to transform us? How do you think he does that in our lives? Can you think of any examples you’ve witnessed of God transforming someone? How have you seen God work in my life to transform me lately?
• How are you different spiritually from last year? What kinds of things have you seen God do in your life to make you more like Jesus?
• How might God want to use you in the lives of others to show them God’s transforming power? How has he transformed you over the past year?
• Why is godly transformation always a good thing for followers of Christ?