Peter and John were heading to the Temple to pray, and a man who had been lame since birth met them and asked their help. Peter called upon the name of Jesus Christ and the lame man stood up and walked. So dramatic was his healing, it caught the attention of all those around. Before long a crowd had gathered to see the man who could now walk.

Peter seized the opportunity and began preaching to them. His message was fresh, passionate, and powerful. Many of the Jews listening to him chose to believe him, realizing their own sinful condition and need for a Savior. So great was the response, however, it drew the attention of the religious leaders who were not believers in Jesus. When they recognized the impact Peter and John were making among the people, they gathered support and took them away. The account is given in…

Acts 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

They arrested Peter and John and kept them overnight waiting for a hearing the next day. They were given a chance to defend themselves, at which time Peter and John preached to them the same message of salvation in Jesus as the Messiah. Their unexpected boldness caught them off guard. They threatened them, charged them to refrain from any more preaching in Jesus’ name, and let them go, obviously unaware of their determination.

A fire had been ignited. The Gospel of Jesus Christ had found its way into the light and it would never be extinguished. The coming days would bring far more intense persecutions and attempts to silence them, but the church that was being established just kept growing. Amazingly, it seemed the harder the religious leaders tried to end the ministry of Jesus, the more it expanded.

When Peter and John spoke to the gathered crowd following the healing of the lame man, it wasn’t long before they were arrested. They could have been discouraged, thinking that all of their efforts had made no effect. They had seen the hardness in the eyes of many in the crowd. That hardness was like stone in those who arrived to arrest them. Standing before the high priest, they came face to face with their opposition. However, the narrative continues in…

Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

In spite of their efforts to silence Peter and John, many believed. How encouraging. What a challenge that should be to each of us. Just because we don’t immediately see results from our efforts to share Christ, we should not quit, but just keep sharing.

We never know but what that many are actually believing the message and coming to Christ because we shared the Good News with them.