Acts 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

 

Peter never stopped preaching Jesus to the people at the Temple. They were coming to Christ by the droves and the Pharisees and Sadducees were becoming more and more threatened every day. Thousands of Jews had been converted and born again. That meant that thousands of Jews were no longer supporting the Synagogue.

 

Finally, the religious hierarchy had had enough and Luke wrote, And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. (Acts 4:3)

 

By this time, thousands of Jews had heard the Word preached and they believed! Howbeit, many of them which heard the Word believed and the number of the men was about five thousand. (Acts 4:4) Please note that this number of 5,000 is ONLY the men. We have no idea how many women and children were converted as well.

 

All this happened on the Temple grounds! Jews by the thousands were being saved out of the religious spirit of the Law right there on the grounds of the Temple! This had to anger the Pharisees and Sadducees. The people knew the power of the Pharisees and Sadducees and yet the drawing of the Holy Spirit was so great they had to respond in faith.

 

Verse 4 says, many of them which heard the Word believed……. The word believed in the Greek language is pisteuo. It means to have faith in, upon or with respect to, a person or thing. All those people placed their faith totally in the Lord Jesus Christ and recognized Him as both the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of all men. Hallelujah!

 

Everything about them was changed. They didn’t care what the Pharisees and Sadducees thought or would do. They BELIEVED Jesus Christ had gone to the Cross of Calvary for them personally. They BELIEVED He was buried and rose again on the Third Day. Yes, they believed in the Resurrection of Christ and this is what really angered the Priests.

 

Every one of these new converts talked about their faith in Christ. They were unable to be silent. There is no such thing as a silent believer. When such a change is made inside an individual, you just can’t help but share it with your family and friends. Jeremiah said, But His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. (Jeremiah 20:9)

 

I pray your testimony is like fire shut up your bones! God is so marvelous and the things He does in our lives is so spectacular, I don’t know how anyone could not burst with excitement to share it all!

 

 

Your testimony can……….turn the tide……….in someone’s life.

 

I feel like fire shut up in my bones!         Doreen

 

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