2 minute read.
Daily Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-53 ESV, Acts 4:1-37 ESV, Psalm 124:1-8 ESV, Proverbs 16:24 ESV
Daily Verse: “And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.” (Acts 4:3 ESV)
TERESIS (5084): “From 5083; a watching, i.e., observance or prison. Translated “hold” in Acts 4:3.”[i]
Observant watching.
Peter and John, proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, irritate the religious leaders. Refusing to stop, the priests and Sadducees have the disciples arrested. The crowd, around 5000 men, heard the message and believed, irritating the zealots even more.
Imprisoning the disciples meant they couldn’t spread their message. However, because they healed the lame man, who stood with them during their interrogation, the religious leaders felt like they had no choice but to let them go with one condition Peter and John couldn’t talk about Jesus anymore. The disciples answered boldly:
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 ESV)
Speak boldly.
In captivity, Peter and John didn’t stop speaking boldly. The disciples couldn’t help but talk about the resurrected Savior. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, He overcame death, and they witnessed it.
Never have I witnessed someone coming back to life physically. But I have seen the change Jesus makes in people’s lives when someone begins to follow Him; they live freer, leaving the bondage of the past behind.
In my late twenties, when I first came back to Christ, I needed saving from myself. Poor decisions led me to many emotional and financial issues that seemed impossible. But one step of faith at a time, I overcame my self-created problems, finding freedom in Jesus. And now, I tell everyone I can; Christ will do the same for you.
Believe in the Savior who sets you free. Christ watches over His flock, protecting them from the enemy, healing them from their wounds, and giving them life to the fullest in Him. Join the disciples in spreading the good news of Jesus to all who will listen.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 250) Thomas Nelson
