As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
Acts of the Apostles 4:23-37 NLT
These disciples had conviction! They had already been incredibly bold in preaching Jesus, and yet they prayed for courage to be even more bold! Their bold words were based on solid biblical theology, shown in these verses by their understanding of God’s plan, why people oppose it, and why there is suffering. These disciples knew Jesus, and they were not afraid to be bold.
The disciples also lived with conviction. They lived lives of generosity, sacrifice, and love. Their faith actually meant something in their actions. Lives of conviction carry a lot of power. We need to take time to look at our own lives. We will never be perfect, but we can’t let that be an excuse to not live out what we believe. We do not do this alone but through the Holy Spirit inside us and the church around us. One of the most challenging growth areas for many of us is generosity. We all believe we are generous, but we all eat more than we need, own more than we need, and keep buying more than we could ever use – while so many are in need. May we learn from these early Christians to let it all go and live lives of generosity – all for Christ our King.
What area of your faith needs more boldness and conviction? What is your next step of growth in generosity?