I recently saw a photo of the front of an ‘official’ state approved church in China. On the wall alongside a cross is a picture of Chairman Mao. Mao Tse Tung brutally persecuted Christians and would probably have been appalled at the thought of his picture appearing at the front of a church. This is the reality for Christians who live in countries where their governments actively oppose the Gospel. They are faced with a choice between remaining faithful to Jesus or spiritual compromise. Peter and John are faced with this same choice but they phrase the dilemma in an awesome question, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” They cannot deny what they have seen or heard and they can’t ignore the voice of God. Threats cannot dissuade them from obeying God and proclaiming the Gospel with no fear. This creates confusion for their persecutors and they can’t decide how to handle the apostles so they let them go, and all the people praise God for miraculously healing a man who had been healed from over 40 years of disability.

Following God can feel like a constant dilemma. How should we behave? Who should we listen to? How can we honour and love those whom God has put in power when they ask us to deny our deepest held beliefs. Disciples of Jesus walk by faith and not by sight and sometimes the correct course of action requires a lot of prayer and a step of faith. Regardless of how we navigate this complex web of forces our ultimate goal should be to commit to doing what is right in God’s eyes and pray “Thy will be done!”. DB

1. Why could Peter and John not just keep their faith to themselves and worship God in secret?

2. How can we be praying for our brothers and sisters who are faced with the choice between spiritual compromise or persecution?

Living Lord, thank you that you are holy and righteous. Please forgive us when we compromise our faith and fail to do what is right in your eyes. Help us to commit to following you each day, and wisely navigate the pressures we face in life. Amen.


Sometimes all the evidence in the world won’t change people’s minds. Whether it’s a trial by media where people assume someone is guilty despite the evidence proving their innocence or a scientific discovery where people assume the world is at the centre of the universe despite all scientific observations pointing to the opposite. Sometimes the hardest minds and hearts can’t be changed. This is the case for the Sanhedrin as they gather to judge Peter and John. The Sanhedrin don’t like their preaching and they don’t like that they are healing in Jesus’ name, but there is power and clarity coming from these unschooled men, and the man who had been healed by God through their ministry was standing next to them. There was nothing they could say. Sadly despite all this evidence they scold the apostles and threaten them in a vain attempt to stop the Gospel from spreading.

While the hardest hearts may deny the Gospel, this is no reason to stop proclaiming it. Sometimes our deepest held assumptions and fears hold us back from hearing the Gospel but Jesus tells us “the truth will set you free”. This is why disciples of Jesus need to keep presenting the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection and keep open minds. We need to listen to other people’s perspective and passionately and thoroughly present our own. While hardness of heart and fear keep many from following Jesus, we are living proof of the power of the Gospel and the difference Jesus makes in our lives today. DB

1. Why do you think the Sanhedrin refused to accept Peter and John’s testimony?

2. What groups of people do you see in the world today who refuse to believe the truth, despite all the evidence?

3. How can we present the truth of the Gospel in ways that help people to accept it?

Dear Jesus, thank you that you are the truth. Thank you for those who have proclaimed Christ crucified and risen throughout the ages. May this truth continue to bring healing and freedom and may you soften the hearts of those around us so they might trust in you. Amen.


Have you noticed that no one uses the name ‘Charles Darwin’ as a swear word? No one asks for things in the name of Buddha. No one bats an eyelid if you start talking about Elvis Presley at a dinner party. These are all well known people whose ideas and movements still have a lot of power today but their names have nowhere near as much power as the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is still the most powerful name in the world.

When Peter and John are brought before Annas the High Priest and other big names they are asked: “By what power or name do you do this?”. Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and tells them exactly whose power and name: Jesus! He tells his listeners straight up that “there is no other name under heaven... by which we must be saved.” His directness is awesome considering he’s speaking to the most powerful religious leaders in the land but he can’t help himself. He knows that these people need to hear the Gospel and even though they are the ones who put him to death. The priests think they can judge Peter and John but in fact the name of Jesus is the only thing that can save them from God’s righteous judgement.

The name of Jesus has just as much power to heal and save as ever. The name of Jesus will continue to cause division and scandal until he returns but this is only further proof of the power of his name. There is unfathomable power in the name of Jesus! DB

1. How many times a day do you think you would use the name of Jesus?

2. How can you encourage others to think about the power of the name of Jesus?

Holy Spirit, sanctifier, thank you for Jesus and the power he has in my life. Help me to draw on the power of his name and share his goodness with those around me. May my whole life declare that salvation is found in no one else. Amen


Have you ever been pulled over by the police? Chances are it wasn’t a fun experience. Whenever I see a police car, or get pulled over, or get a speeding fine, my attitude to risk changes. I drive slower, I turn my music down, and I make sure my behaviour doesn’t prompt another altercation with the long arm of the law. Often it’s tempting to change your behaviour to avoid conflict but what if that conflict has to do with your following God?

Peter and John were gladly proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They were telling them not only that Jesus had risen from the dead but that so will all who trust in Jesus and receive the righteousness he won for them on the cross. This naturally upsets the priests and particularly the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. The Gospel is upsetting for those who are perishing, but Peter and John weren’t sharing the Gospel because they wanted to upset people, they did it because they were compelled by the Spirit.

Following Jesus will put you in conflict with those who live by the flesh but this is not a good enough reason to suppress your faith or stop sharing it. If you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, you will live differently to those around you. Your flesh, self-consciousness, and sometimes your friends and family might tell you to live in a particular way but following Jesus means that we listen to the Holy Spirit and let him inform how we live our lives. DB

1. Why do you think John and Peter were so persistent in sharing their faith, even when they were thrown in jail because of it?

2. Where do you see opposition to the Gospel in our world today and where do you see people coming to faith?

3. Do you find it tempting sometimes to pretend you aren’t a Christian or to tone down your faith to avoid upsetting others?

God of freedom and hope, please fill me with your Holy Spirit so I may resist the temptation to suppress my faith. Help me to see opportunities to share my faith with others and continue to faithfully proclaim in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Amen


When Paul says that he is ‘not ashamed of the Gospel’, you might at first think it a very strange thing to say! Why could he possibly be ashamed of the Gospel? It is, as he says, the very power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. That’s also precisely what we read in Acts 3, as Peter emphasises not only our need to turn to Jesus but that it’s through him that we are saved. So what could Paul be ashamed of? The claim that not only was he a sinner in need of saving, but that God’s own Son would endure a shameful death upon the cross for us. That was, as Paul claims elsewhere (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23), a stumbling block (or shameful) to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. It just didn’t seem to make any sense, but it was precisely what the world needed. That despite the appearance of failure on the outside, Paul was not ashamed, for he knew that Jesus’ death was actually the victory of God.

It is amazing news that whilst God requires us to be righteous, it is by his power that we are made righteous. How do we connect by that? Through faith! That by putting out faith in the Lord Jesus, or by putting our trust in him, we are set right with God. In our daily lives we can often be hesitant to speak of Jesus, perhaps out of fear of embarrassment or being made fun of, but we know the greatest news that the world will ever know! And this isn’t mere knowledge, but Good News that brings salvation to everyone who believes. That’s why Paul wasn’t ashamed, that’s why the Apostles were not ashamed, and that why we, too, should not be ashamed. AL

1. When was the first time that you realised that Jesus’ death was actually Good News and not bad news?

2. How do you think Paul would have possibly felt ashamed? How can we sometimes be ashamed by being a Christian?

3. How can we abandon any shame that we might sometimes feel?

Gracious and loving God, thank you that the Gospel has the power to bring salvation to everyone who believes. Please help us never to feel ashamed but to instead delight in this Good News in every part of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.


It seems that television dramas about royal families have had a great resurgence in recent years. And despite some lacking much of a historical grounding, they almost all consistently highlight the idea of what it means to be an heir. We’re reminded that all that an heir receives is not of their own doing, but because of who they are connected to. In a similar way, as Peter wraps up part of his speech in chapter three, he shares the news that they are ‘heirs of the prophets and of the covenant’. So many people had failed to recognise Jesus for who he really was. So many people struggled to understand why the Messiah must die. But Peter is reminding them that not only was Jesus’ death foretold by theirprophets, but Jesus is the very fulfilment of the great covenant with Abraham. The very answer to the promise to Abraham is summed up and reaches its climax in the person of Jesus! It was all pointing to him, and it’s in him that all things reach their conclusion.

How can they be part of this? How do they receive this inheritance? Well it’s not by what they do, but who they are connected to: Jesus. They can receive this glorious inheritance simply, by each person turning from their ‘wicked ways’ to the Risen Jesus. Not just that this would be a blessing to them, but that through them, the Good News would go out into the world. AL

1. What does it mean to you that you also are an heir of the covenant?

2. How does your life proclaim the Good News in such a way that other people might be blessed through God at work through you?

3. How was the raising up of Jesus so powerful?

Gracious God, we thank you that you keep your promises! We thank you that you fulfilled your promise to Abraham, that we might be able to turn from our wicked ways and live. Please help us to take this Good News to the world, wherever our daily frontlines might be, in order that the whole world might be saved by putting their trust in Jesus. Amen.


Whilst many were surprised by Jesus and the claim that the Messiah needed to die for us, Peter reminds us in Acts 3 that this was always part of God’s plan. Indeed, as we saw yesterday (in Acts 3:22-23), not only did Moses say that the Lord would raise up a prophet “like me from among your own people”, but that they must, (a) listen to all that he has to say to them (which they didn’t), and that (b) failure to listen would result in being cut off from their people. The only way that they could respond now, is to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus. Why Jesus? Because he is the one who was promised and that his words are God’s very own words. That’s precisely what we see in Deuteronomy 18 (which Peter is quoting in Acts 3). The Lord promised that it would be in this prophet that God’s very own words would reside and be told. “He will tell them everything I command him.” Not only that, but that the Lord would “call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name”. How amazing for us to know that if you are searching for God, if you are seeking to hear from God, that you can do so by looking and listening to the Lord Jesus! That as we open up the New Testament and read all that Jesus had to say, we can have confidence that we hearing God’s very own words!

So often in our world, people desperately want to hear from God. But we don’t need to send out a search party or develop super-spiritual-ears, we need to simply read the words which have been faithfully preserved for us! How should we do that? With a great reverence and earnestness that the very words we read, are the very words of God. AL

1. What are the ways in which you delight in the words of Jesus being the very words of God?

2. How can we be guilty of hearing Jesus’ words but fail to really listen to them with our lives?

Heavenly Father, thank you so much that you have spoken so clearly to us through your Son. We thank you that as we seek to know you, we simply need to look to the Lord Jesus. Please help us to earnestly listen to you, that the fruit might be evident in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


As Peter continues his speech that we began looking at yesterday, he now gives a clearer idea of how they can respond to the Good News that he has shared. What was that Good News? That Jesus died for us because we are utterly incapable of saving ourselves. For many, the news that Jesus was the Messiah was still probably difficult news to fathom. For others, it would have been difficult to reconcile their expectations of what the Messiah would do, with the reality of his death on a Roman cross. Yet Peter is clear, that this was actually all part of God’s plan for the Messiah. Even if they were ignorant of it, it was the very fulfilment of God’s saving plan with the prophets having even foretold it. But whilst they may have failed to recognise who Jesus is in the past, that should not dictate their response to him now! In light of what they have learned, they now have the opportunity to turn to God. For the amazing news is that when they do that, when they repent and put their trust in God through Jesus, their ‘sins may be wiped out’. How amazing is that! That their sins and our sins can be wiped out simply by turning to Jesus, saying sorry, and making him the Lord of their lives! To reject Jesus is to cut ourselves off from God, but to accept him means forgiveness and life forever with him!

It’s easy to think that our sins are unforgivable, but the Good News of Jesus is clear: that because he died for us, all of our sins can be wiped out simply by putting our trust in him. Perhaps you’ve thought all sorts of things about Jesus in the past, but if you can now recognise him today for the Lord who he is, then today is the day to repent and be saved! AL

1. What does it mean for you to know that your sins can be ‘wiped out’ as we repent and put our trust in Jesus?

2. How is your life different because of the security you grasp because of Jesus’ death and resurrection?

Heavenly Father, we thank you that Jesus’ death and resurrection change everything! Please help us to turn to you, to trust in you, and to receive your gift of salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


With the healed man clinging to Peter and John and still probably continuing to praise God, it would have made for quite the scene! But despite Peter and John’s clarity and the healed man directing his praise to God, people around them are astonished at what they have seen. Why? Because they still think that this is Peter and John’s doing! No wonder they’re surprised. If this was the doing of a mere human, then that would be something extraordinary. However, as Peter points out, that whilst this would be out of the ordinary if done in a mere human’s power, it’s perfectly in keeping with what you expect from the power of God. Which God? The one and only God! The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of their fathers. The God, whose own Son is Jesus. The God whose own Son was handed over to be killed in exchange for a guilty murderer to be released. The Righteous One died so that the unrighteous may go free. But in the power of God, the same power that healed the lame man, Jesus was raised from the dead. That’s the Good News they have become witnesses of.

It’s difficult to know how hard those words would have hit home. People were already confused at what they were seeing, but now Peter has added conviction to that sentiment. In light of all they have seen and now heard, what should they do? Peter is clear. They should put their faith, their trust, in the name of the one who not only has the power to heal, but has the power to save. They shouldn’t simply cling to Peter or John, but cling to the Lord Jesus who not only died for us, rose from the dead, but saves all who put their trust in him. Such is the power of God in the name of Jesus Christ. AL

1. In what ways are we sometimes in danger of praising people instead of God?

2. Why should the extent of God’s power, demonstrated in this account, not be of any surprise to us?

3. What does it look like for you to trust and cling to the Lord Jesus today?

Saving God, we thank you for the Good News that Jesus, the Righteous One, died in place of us, the unrighteous. Please help us to cling to you alone. Please help us to put our trust in you. Please help us to put your saving power in every aspect of our lives this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


In many ways, it was just another typical day. Peter and John were headed up to the temple at the usual time to pray. A lame man (who was unable to walk), as was his daily practice, was also being carried to the gate of the temple to ask for help. But something amazing was about to happen! For upon hearing the request for help, Peter and John didn’t simply slip by, but looked straight at the man for his attention! They didn’t have any money to offer, but they had something much greater to give! Prayer. And so boldly, by the authority of Jesus and not their own, they prayed that the lame man would walk. And instantly, we’re told, the man’s feet and ankles became strong, and the man was healed! And his reaction? To praise God! Why? Because it was by God’s authority that the Apostles prayed and it was by God’s power that the man was healed!

This was not just another typical day! How amazing that Peter and John stopped. How amazing that they prayed in God’s strength and not their own. How amazing that God answered their prayer in such a way. How amazing that the lame man could recognise with such a clarity exactly what had happened and who was behind it all. And how amazing that the man continued to praise God, with his praise becoming a witness to all who were present.

What a great joy it is when God interrupts our agenda - even the best ones - with opportunities to trust in him and give him praise. What a joy it is when we live as followers on the basis of Jesus’ authority. What a joy it is when our praise of God becomes a witness to those around us. May that be our day today! AL

1. Why does it matter by whose authority the disciples prayed?

2. Do we still praise God when our prayers are answered in unexpected ways?

3. Is your life so characterised by the praise of God that those around you - who do not yet follow Jesus - would be so directed to him?

Almighty Lord, we thank you that you do answer prayers in accordance with your good purposes. Please help us to trust in your authority and not our own. Please help our lives to be characterised by praise so that many might be pointed to you and your saving grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.