Hello wonbyoners,
It´s been a while since I wrote so I decided to do it on vacation.
Here are some pictures:

1) Typical country house in el Salvador
2) Although not sacred, rumiants do share the road with people and automobiles. Both pictures taken from a pickup bed, where it is legal to ride on.

I hope you´re having a good vacation and that you´re looking forward to the next wonbyone.

The Next wonbyone. meeting will be January 9, 2009.

Same bat time, same bat channel.

ACTS 4:13-31 A Rock and a Hard Place

I. The Persecution

Peter and John stand before the Sanhedran, the highest ruling body in Israel, and speak with great authority, just like Jesus had done not long before. They recognized that the apostles spoke like Christ, and were afraid all over again, just as they had been afraid because of Jesus. So, because of the public nature of the healing, they couldn't make any fake charges stick, and instead they threaten Peter and John and forbid them from teaching in the name of Jesus.

II. The Parry

Peter gives it to the chief priests straight: he tells them that they can judge themselves whether they should obey the Sandhedran or God. This is a clear statement that the Sandhedran's acts are wrong in God's eyes.

III. The Prayer

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."

The reaction of the people to this first persecution is a prayer for boldness! They don't even stop to give thanks to God for the apostle's freedom. They don't pray that the Sandhedran would change their minds. They don't pray to be taken out of this miserable position. Instead, they pray that they would be given BOLDNESS to proclaim the truth.

IV. The Proclaimation

After the prayer, they go forth and do exactly that: preach in the name of Jesus. God blesses them with power from the Holy Spirit and even sends an earthquake to show his approval!


So, were the apostles being rebels? Yes, in the eyes of men. But they were faithful to the Lord's commandment in the Great Commission. They seek only to please God, with no regard for the snares of men or the ungodly commands of the leaders and chief priests.

What is your reaction when people tell you that you shouldn't talk about Jesus? Do you obey God or man? How do you deal with it at home or in private? Do you pray? If you do, what do YOU pray for?

Acts 4:1-12

Coming back from Thanksgiving, we dove right into learning, observing the apostles Peter and John, the effects of being with Jesus (i.e. of walking with Jesus; of being rightly related to Jesus; of being savingly related to Jesus). With an introduction to the reaction of the present authorities (vv 1-3, 5-7), we saw in the apostles:

1. The zeal to teach and proclaim the truth in the Name [of Jesus Christ] (v 2)
-They had been teaching (substance) and proclaiming (heralding authoritatively) in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. [Notice also that what the authorities believed influenced how they behaved (c.f. Matthew 28:11-15)?]

2. The willingness to suffer [unjustly] for the Name (v 3)
-Unlike Peter in a previous similar situation (c.f. John 18:10,11), they were acting more like Jesus.
-It is also good to note that persecution does not, indeed cannot, thwart the work of God in causing sinners to repent (c.f. 3:26)

3. The courage to speak of the truth about the Name (vv 5-9)
It seems that the apostles were before the Sanhedrin (c.f. v15), and in speaking
-it was by the Holy Spirit (as promised in Luke 12:11,12)
-it was following the teaching and method of Jesus (not themselves) [Notice that they pointed out the good that had been done in making someone well]

4. The boldness to continue to speak the old old story of the Name (vv 10-12)
As was their practice with all others thus far, they declared
-Christ crucified (the apostles were direct with these authorities)
-That God raised Him from the dead – in superiority and contrast to these authorities
-Everything as according to the Scriptures (in verse 11, they refer to Psalm 118:22)
[Do the above 3 sub-points remind you of 1 Corinthians 15:3,4?]
-The exclusivity of salvation in Jesus…in all the world (again, c.f. Luke 12:4-10) [This shows salvation as the design of God, and thus He defines it!]

Remember the question posed when we ‘zoomed out’…were the apostles being rebellious or submissive? (maybe we’ll consider that this week). Maybe the answer lies in considering to whom this would have related. First of all, we need to consider The Name in all aspects of our lives. [Have you been with Jesus (in the word and prayer)? Are you walking with Jesus? Are you rightly related to Jesus? Are you savingly related to Jesus?]

Peter went on to write an epistle to believers, even to us in our day, and it is a fitting conclusion as we consider a man who learned, lived and taught these truths; consider 1 Peter 3:13-18.