The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all.
Reflection
After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, the apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel and heal the sick in Jesus’ name. With this power, we are told in Acts chapters 3 and 4, that when going to the temple for a time of prayer, Peter and John encountered a crippled man who was begging for money at the temple’s gate. Instead of giving him money, Peter healed this man in the name of Jesus and the man was able to walk immediately for the first time in his life. As one could imagine, this caused a big scene at the temple that day and because of this miracle, many more people started to believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ. Of course, this did not sit well with the temple leaders who had just recently plotted to have Jesus crucified. So, because of this, Peter and John found themselves unjustly spending a night in the temple’s jail and then being released the next day only after being threatened that they were to stop all speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus.
After their release, Peter and John returned to their brothers and sisters in faith, told them what had happened, and how they had been threatened. Not knowing what to do next, they prayed together. After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken and they were again all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence (Acts 4:31). From there, the apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all (Acts 4:33).
There are many things we can learn from the apostles, especially the need to constantly seek the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer to help us face our struggles in this world. I am sure Peter and John were shaken by their experience of being thrown into the temple’s jail and the threats they received from the people who were ultimately responsible for the brutal torture of Jesus. It would have been a very natural and understandable reaction if Peter, John, and the other apostles had decided to lay low for a while because they were scared for their own safety. However, instead of letting fear overtake them, their immediate response was to pray together and seek the power of the Holy Spirit. This is something the apostles had to constantly do to fulfill their calling and likewise we must do the same if we to are continue to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and let God’s abundance grace work among us all.
by Manny Estevez
For Pondering and Prayer
Are there things you are facing in your life that are causing you fear and are holding you back from living the life God wants you to live? Do you have people you can go to help you pray about these things? Has there been times in your life when you felt the power of the Holy Spirit sustaining you? What did you do then that helped stir the Holy Spirit within you? How can you continually seek the power of the Holy Spirit?
Prayer: God, we pray today that the power of your Holy Spirit may be upon us. May we remember that we do not have to face our fears on our own. Not only have do we have the promise of your Spirit being with us always, but as brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to nurture, support, and pray for each other. So, with the power of the Holy Spirit within us, and the support we have from our brothers and sisters in Christ, may we continue to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and let your abundant grace work among us all. In the holy and loving name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
