⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹He is   ”‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

¹³When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. ²⁰For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Meditation

1. Peter and John were arrested for healing a cripple in Jesus’ name at the gate of the temple.  They were interrogated by priests and officials, and threatened not to speak in Jesus’ name again.  Peter and John boldly replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”(vv19-20)
2. Do you have a message that you “cannot help but speaking” (v20)?  Is your message the same as Peter’s –that there is “no other name by which we must be saved”? (v12)
3. Pray that God will grant you the same zeal and passion to share with others what God has done in your life.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible.)

Sing “Because He Lives”.  Encourage each to share his/her salvation experience.  Help those who are not clear to understand v12 and make the decision if appropriate.  Close with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for Jesus Christ.

Prayer & Journaling:  On your prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 12:11-13

¹¹ Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.  ¹² Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.  ¹³ An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.