Opposition, Prayer, and Boldness — Part 1

If we pay close attention, we’ll notice a subtle shift from Acts 4 to Acts 5. When Peter and John are first arrested and interrogated by the high council in Acts 4, the reader might still be biting their fingernails, worried for their fate. But once they are released, and God’s power continues to bubble up in the city through signs and wonders, the corrupt power of the high council rapidly and publicly drains. Even in the wake of physical harm, the apostles are not cowed or controlled. Toward the end of the passage, even after the apostles are severely punished by physical torture, they emerge joyful. The strange power at work in their lives is stronger than whatever the authorities can throw at them.