Acts 5:12-42

First read 5:12-16

Mention verse 15
Peter had become like a televangelist. I remember a time when I was young my
aunt sent away for a prayer cloth that was blessed by a tv preacher. This cloth
was supposed to heal and bless people.
Does this kind mysterious belief in preachers still exist today?
Read 5:17-42
Sadducess – didn’t believe in resurrection They were “sad you see”😊
They were jealous. Why?
Put in prison. But the Angel of The Lord opened the prison doors.
What are some prisons that people find themselves in? Figuratively speaking.
What are some prisons we as believers find ourselves in? Are they different?
I have heard many people say that God has freed them from a prison. Even
Christian songs are using this terminology. Prison, chains, jail cell, etc.
How does God open the doors of these prisons? And provide freedom?
Presumably the Angel of The Lord locked the doors again after taking the apostles
out and did this all without anyone noticing. Like a Jedi! 😊I looked to find out if
the Greek in this verse supported the notion that they might have even been
carried out by the Angel. I think that would have been wild.
Why do you think the Angel locked the doors again? I mean, a theft wouldn’t take
the time to lock up your door after he robbed you.
The Angel of The Lord told the guys to stand in the temple and preach the gospel
or God’s word.
Do you think the Angel really needed to tell these guys to go preach?
Why do you think the Angel gave the instructions?
The high priests, Sadducess, and council and Senate were greatly perplexed to
hear that the apostles were not in the prison and the prison was locked and the
guards were standing at the doors.
What do you think happened to the guards?
Then to find out they were in the temple preaching God’s word and the gospel.
Peter tells them “We must obey God rather than men.” Peter went on to burn
them with his comments that they were the ones that killed Jesus and God raised
Him from the dead.
Have you ever had a situation where you had to say this to another person?
What if it is our own government? What kind of situation would create this kind
of response from us, or should?
They wanted to kill them, but a guy named Gamaliel warned them that they
should let them alone, for if this activity was of man, it will fail, if it was of God,
they will not be able to overthrow it. He warned that they might even be fighting
against God himself.
Do you think Gamaliel was a believer? Do you think he was a student of the
Apostle’s teachings?
They took his advice and they beat them and charged them not to speak in the
name of Jesus and let them go.
The apostles left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for
the name of Jesus. So, they went from house to house and in the temple, and
they did not cease preaching Jesus.
Again, we see the apostles rejoicing in times of suffering.
Have you ever found joy in suffering? How can someone come to this kind of
response? What kind of person thinks this way?