Acts 4:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,

NIV: When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

NASB: And when they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, 'Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM,

CSB: When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, "Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.

NLT: 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 —

KJV: And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

NKJV: So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

Peter and John have been released by the Sanhedrin after being commanded to stop preaching in Jesus' name. They've rejoined their close-knit group and explained what happened. The group is probably comprised of the other apostles, Jesus' family, and a few others in the initial group that stayed together after Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:13–15; 2:46–47). It may include people like Barnabas, Philip, and Stephen. Their initial response is to pray, first by affirming God's sovereignty over the Jewish leaders.

When faced with persecution, they put the situation into context. Because they had dedicated themselves to the truth of the apostles' teaching and the empowerment of prayer (Acts 2:42), they can rightly interpret what is happening and determine the correct response. They understand that Jesus has authority over any worldly leader who would try to stop them from telling people about Him (John 19:10–11; Job 12:17–25). In large part, His sovereignty is due to the fact He created the earth (John 1:1–3; Genesis 1).

Their prayer includes the text from Psalm 146:6, but Psalm 146:1–5 directly relate as well. The psalm starts by praising God, then gives the admonition to not trust in princes or other men. God blesses those whose help and hope are found in Him.

Acts 4:23–31 finds the Jesus-followers praying for boldness in the face of persecution. Jesus promised them they would see serious persecution (Matthew 10:16–25), but this is the first time they've experienced it directly. Peter and John already told the Sanhedrin they will follow God, not their earthly commands (Acts 4:19–20). They now return to the other Jesus-followers to let them know what's coming. The group affirms that everything that happened to Jesus was according to God's sovereign plan, and they pray that they will remain as faithful in their own trials.

Acts 4 continues the story started in Acts 3. Peter and John have healed a man born lame and preached that Jesus has risen from the dead. The Sanhedrin orders their arrest for teaching the resurrection. The Jewish officials warn Peter and John to stop speaking in Jesus' name. Peter and John refuse, but, since they have committed no crime, the Sanhedrin releases them. Peter and John return to their friends, and the Jesus-followers pray for boldness in the face of growing persecution. The church continues to grow, sharing all their possessions so that no one is in need.

Acts 4 gives the first hints of the persecution the church will face throughout its history. Peter and John attract attention when Peter heals a well-known lame beggar, and Peter uses the publicity to tell others about Christ. The Sanhedrin cannot allow the apostles to continue teaching Jesus rose from the dead. They arrest, warn, and free Peter and John, but it's just the beginning. Soon, they will arrest and beat all the apostles (Acts 5:17–42). Then a mob will stone Stephen (Acts 7:54–60). And Saul will persecute Jesus-followers in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3) and beyond (Acts 9:1–2). The Sanhedrin fails to realize—if you send Jesus-followers fleeing into the world, they will take Jesus' message with them.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.