What’s In A Name? | Acts 4:1-22

Takeaway: Verse 12

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

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Transcription:

Welcome to The Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s Word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, come to me and I WILL give you rest. This is us RSVPing: Yes!! to that invitation. So, take a deep breath and let’s get started.

Today’s episode is called, “What’s in a Name?” Yes, we’re gonna quote Shakespeare! But first let’s say a word of prayer before we dive into Acts chapter four and see what Luke the doctor / reporter has to share with us today.

Father, we come in the name of Jesus. We come to you right now. We are busy, we are tired, and we come to you for a refresh. Would you open our eyes and our hearts to what you want us to see and understand in your word today. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. 

All right. We’re diving straight in because we’ve got a really cool half chapter to cover today. It’s Acts chapter four. “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.” These are some of the religious, uh, Jewish leaders. “These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus, there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.” So the Christian faith is growing. 

“The next day, the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, ‘By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of our people, 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? 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. For Jesus is the one referred to in the scriptures where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.'” 

Here comes our key verse, “‘There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we may be saved.’ The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that there were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” Don’t you want somebody to say that about you? She’s been around Jesus. He’s been around Jesus. Yep. I want that. “But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.”

“‘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. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’s name again.’ So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.'” Wow. “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 for this miraculous sign, the healing of a man who had been lame for more than 40 years.”

Wow! What’s in a name? A lot. Let’s go back to Shakespeare, that’s how we started the podcast today. What’s in a name? William Shakespeare wrote that which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. True it’s beautiful poetry, but there is no other name, but the name of Jesus that has the power to save you and I from going to hell. There is no other name, but the name of Jesus that could heal a man who was crippled for 40 years! There is power in the name of Jesus. You could name any flower, a rose, or a lily, or a daffodil, and it would smell just as sweet, but there is only one name. And if you are new to the faith or you don’t yet believe, I challenge you to call on the name of Jesus next time you wake up from a nightmare, or you are afraid. There is power in the name of Jesus, the Nazarene. Isn’t it wonderful that this God who is so powerful also loves us so much. Yeah, you are loved. Can’t wait till next time. 

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.