Act 4
5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John,
Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.
7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
“Rulers and elders of our people,
9 are we being questioned today
because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man?
Do you want to know how he was healed?
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that
he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,
the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other.
“We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign,
and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it
17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to
speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”
18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in
the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied,
“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t
know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God
22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas,
Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against
Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.
28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.
29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in
preaching your word.
30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
2 Corinthians 7: (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
