Acts 4:3-4 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day for it was now evening. Howbeit many of them which heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Peter and John first approached the lame man at the Temple Gate at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. After the man was healed and the crowd gathered, they preached to the people until evening. Can you imagine standing on the porch of the Temple listening to a preacher for 3-4 hours? That’s what happened that day.
Finally, the Priests and Sadducees came and arrested Peter and John and put them in jail for the night. That was the only way they could put a stop to what was happening. But what was happening? What was happening was that the people were hearing the Truth of the Gospel of Christ, and they were believing it!
They had just witnessed a tremendous Miracle of Healing, which piqued their interest. Then Peter and John began to preach, and the Bible says, many of them which heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
This did not include the women and children, so the number could have easily been ten thousand or more! And it all happened outside the Temple on the porch! The Priests and Sadducees had nothing to do with any of it until they put it all to a stop. There is no telling how long it would have gone on otherwise.
Today, we would call it an open-air Crusade for Christ! These people had no chairs, no water, and nothing to eat. What they had was the Truth of the Gospel of Christ, and that proved to be all they needed!
Many thousands of Jews came to Salvation in Christ that afternoon on the porch of the Temple because Peter and John chose to speak the Truth and were willing to go to prison. Jesus had given them their Commission and they took it seriously. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)
This is God’s Call on the life of every believer. We know it as the Great Commission. Take it seriously.
The Gospel of Christ will..........turn the tide
Seriously, Doreen
