And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
(Acts 4:1-4)
Sometimes we get caught up in our religious and denominational "isms" and forget that there is basically a world that needs to hear the simple message of the gospel. The above passage shows that 5000 people came to know Christ from a simple message that Peter gave in Acts 3: 19-20 when he says, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,"
Do we seek religion over belief? The pharisees were caught up in denying Christ and setting the “record straight” that Christ didn’t resurrect. They were focused on continuing their role in the church and therefore shutting down anything new that brought the concept of gaining closeness with God. They wanted the people to continue to need them as the mediator to God rather accept the teachings of Christ. On the other hand, we see that the people wanted to believe and as a result of this one act of faith by Peter and John there were some 5000 people who came to know Christ as Lord. People want to know truth, people want to know Christ it is often the church that gets in the way because of their “religious zeal.” Don’t get me wrong, doctrine and theology are important. We have to gain a basis for what we believe but when we allow ourselves to deny the truths of Christ because of the “rules of church” we lose people to the world rather than just proclaim Him to others.
I read a story about a Christian who prayed: "Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is. "That very day he found himself on a nearly empty bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The timid believer anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. However, before he could get off, the big burly guy next to him burst into tears and began to weep. This big but contrite man then cried out with a loud voice, "I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He turned to this Christian gentleman and pleaded, "Can you show me how to find the Lord?" The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, "Lord, is this a sign?"
The sign is there that others want to know the truth but the message needs to be simple.
Act 3:16 "And His name—by faith in His name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all."
Much love
Preach