Testimony (Acts 4:19-21)

Peter and John’s response to the religious leaders.

19 Peter and John answered them,
“Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you
rather than to God, you decide;
20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
se After threatening them further, they released them.
They found no way to punish them
because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done.

Application Point:

share what you have seen and know with others.

Ask:

• Why were the apostles so convinced of their stand?

Mini-Lecture:

identify the best word to characterize Peter and John’s claim that they could not stop speaking about Jesus.
one of the reasons Peter and John showed so little fear when threatened was their trust in Jesus.

Share:

They knew that they were accountable to Him,
and they did not want to compromise their commission from Acts 1:8.
They also believed He was ultimately in control,
so nothing the leaders could do really intimidated them.

Ask:

• How does an attempt to silence the truth help spread the truth?
• How have you responded when others try to shut you down for talking about Jesus? (PSG, p. 53)

CHALLENGE

Summarize:

Review these points from Apply the Text on page 54 of the Personal Study Guide:

• Believers can share the truth of the gospel with confidence.
• Believers should expect others to discourage the sharing of Jesus.
• Believers are expected to share what they have seen and know with others.

Ask:

• What habits could your group develop to embolden one another to witness for Christ? (PSG, p. 54) Record those ideas on the board and talk about which ones each person could apply this week.
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Apply:

Lead the group in completing the testimony activity on page 54 of the PSG. Direct the focus on what their lives were like before Christ, how they realized they needed a Savior, and how Jesus changed their lives. Encourage them to look for opportunities to share their stories with someone else this week.

Pray:

Read this session’s memory verse, Acts 4:12, aloud.
Encourage adults to continue praying through what God reveals about Himself in this verse and how they should respond to Him during the week ahead.
Close the session in prayer.

AFTER THE SESSION

Email or text the group and share your testimony with them. Use the same format mentioned in the Challenge activity above. Remind them that sharing their faith is really just sharing the story of their lives. Let them know that you will be praying for them as they seek opportunities to reveal Jesus as the only Source of salvation.

Music

Play Chris Tomlin’s song “
Our God”
and invite the group to sing it together.
Draw attention to how both the verses and the chorus eloquently spell out vivid reminders of God’s power.
Point out that the bridge reminds us that God uses people like us to share His message.
Explain that today’s session considers both the positives of trusting God and sharing the gospel and the negatives of suffering for what’s right.