Today, I am reading and commenting on Acts 4-6.

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Yesterday I wrote that Jesus’ disciples did not go out on Pentecost and seek people to whom they could preach.  Instead, the Holy Spirit drew people to them when they prayed and worshiped together.  I also wrote that we should remember and practice that today.  I stand by that sentiment.  However, in today’s passage, after Pentecost and the 3,000 people who joined the disciples on that day, Luke writes that the followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.  Before Pentecost, the Believers gathered in a house to worship together.  After Pentecost. Luke tells us they gathered in Solomon’s Portico at the temple.  Further, when Peter and John were arrested, beaten, and commanded to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus, then released, the Believers prayed that they would be able to continue speaking God’s word with boldness.

As we read on we see that the primary public speakers among the Believers were the apostles, who were arrested for doing so.  As the number of Believers rose, problems arose in fairly distributing the goods given to help those in need among the Believers (I want to note that my reading is that the problem was one of those distributing not being fully aware of who all was in need).  In order to oversee the distribution without taking up the apostles time they chose seven men to do so.  However, it appears that those seven men soon also became public speakers in addition to the apostles.  As I read this, the bulk of the Believers worshipped, prayed, and spoke God’s word one on one with people.  While a smaller group, initially just the apostles, spoke and taught larger audiences (including teaching to other Believers).  Yet, all along all of the Believers spoke God’s word.  We see in today’s passage how Barnabas began by just offering material support to the Church.  Yet later he partnered with Paul to spread the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean.

Let us follow this example.  Pray and worship, and wait for the Holy Spirit to fall on us and bring people to us.  Then, speak God’s word to anyone in ear shot.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.