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Pointers on the Lesson, H omer A . K en t , T h .D. Helps for the Children, A llison A rrowood
Lesson material is based upon outlines of the International Sunday School Lessons copyrighted by the International Council of Religious Education; used by permission.
Sept. 3, 1950 PETER, WHO BECAME A MAN OF POWER Acts 4:8-20 Pointers on the Lesson
of the Sanhedrin were stopped—“ they could say nothing against it.” The most effective argument the church has for its faith is spiritually healed men and women. As G. Campbell Morgan says, “The church has no argument unless she has a healed man, and the church that is not healing men has no argu ment for her Christianity.” An Example of Willful Resistance The enemies of Christ here confess that “ a notable miracle hath been done” (16). They could not deny it. A man’s life had been wonderfully revolutionized. But were they willing to accede to the claims of Christ for dominion in their lives? Not so. Instead, they commanded the disciples of Christ to refrain from bringing similar blessing to other lives by preaching in His name (17,18). Peter and John then showed their sterling courage by making it known that they must be true to God no matter what the cost. Opposition to Christianity is no differ ent today from what it was in the days of our lesson. It is based on rational ism; it is materialistic; it combats the work Christ does in spite of the healed man in the midst. It refuses to believe in the face of conclusive evidence. Being already blind, it refuses the privilege of seeing. Memory Verse: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29 R.V.) At the hour of prayer, Peter and John went up together into the temple to pray and to worship. A man who had been bom lame was daily carried to the gate of the temple which is called the Beautiful Gate that he might ask gifts of those who passed by him. When the lame man saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, hfe asked alms or gifts of them. Peter looked at him and said, “ Look on us.” The man eagerly looked at the two men of God, thinking that T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S to Truth vv. 15-20 Helps for the Children Peter Stands Firm
The title of this week’s lesson sug gests that there were two distinct as pects to Peter’s life. That harmonizes with the facts. Before the resurrection of Christ, Peter was weak and unstable, lacking in courage. He shamefully de nied his Lord as he warmed his hands by the enemy’s fire (Mark 14:66-72). After the resurrection of the Lord, Peter was a different man. His weakness and instability disappeared. He was filled with courage, a man of power. As such he and John appear in our lesson for today. A. Clear Answer to an Important Question 4:8-12 The story of the lesson grows out of the miracle of the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate (chapter 3). This work of mercy aroused the ire of the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, composed largely of Sadducees who were the religious rationalists of the day, denying the supernatural and every other spiritual doctrine of the apostles. This group was responsible for the question, “ By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” (v. 7). Peter was ready with the right answer for he was “filled with the Holy Ghost” (v. 8). If believers always and everywhere would have the right answers in spir itual matters, they must be like Peter— “filled with the Holy Ghost.” Peter proceeded to tell his inquirers that the Power and the Person respon sible for the remarkable deed accom plished through him and John was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ whom they had crucified but whom .God had raised from the dead. He is man’s only Saviour (v. 12). An Irrefutable Argument Against This argument consisted in the trans formation of life. First, the lives of Peter and John were altered (13). Then there was a change in the life of the lame man (14). Something amazing had taken place with him, for which there was no human explanation. The mouths Unbelief vv. 13,14
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