33 And with great power were the apostles giving the testimony to the rising again of the Lord Jesus, great grace also was on them all,
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
and they, having gone forth, did preach everywhere, the Lord working with `them', and confirming the word, through the signs following. Amen.
and Jesus was advancing in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour with God and men.
`This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses; at the right hand then of God having been exalted -- also the promise of the Holy Spirit having received from the Father -- he was shedding forth this, which now ye see and hear;
praising God, and having favour with all the people, and the Lord was adding those being saved every day to the assembly.
and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses; and on the faith of his name, this one whom ye see and have known, his name made strong, even the faith that `is' through him did give to him this perfect soundness before you all.
in the stretching forth of Thy hand, for healing, and signs, and wonders, to come to pass through the name of Thy holy child Jesus.'
And through the hands of the apostles came many signs and wonders among the people, and they were with one accord all in the porch of Solomon; and of the rest no one was daring to join himself to them, but the people were magnifying them, (and the more were believers added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women,) so as into the broad places to bring forth the ailing, and to lay `them' upon couches and mats, that at the coming of Peter, even `his' shadow might overshadow some one of them; and there were coming together also the people of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bearing ailing persons, and those harassed by unclean spirits -- who were all healed.
for I will not dare to speak anything of the things that Christ did not work through me, to obedience of nations, by word and deed, in power of signs and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God; so that I, from Jerusalem, and in a circle as far as Illyricum, have fully preached the good news of the Christ;
because our good news did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, even as ye have known of what sort we became among you because of you,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 4
Commentary on Acts 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
In going over the last two chapters, where we met with so many good things that the apostles did, I wondered what was become of the scribes and Pharisees, and chief priests, that they did not appear to contradict and oppose them, as they had used to treat Christ himself; surely they were so confounded at first with the pouring out of the Spirit that they were for a time struck dumb! But I find we have not lost them; their forces rally again, and here we have an encounter between them and the apostles; for from the beginning the gospel met with opposition. Here,
Act 4:1-4
We have here the interests of the kingdom of heaven successfully carried on, and the powers of darkness appearing against them to put a stop to them. let Christ's servants be ever so resolute, Satan's agents will be spiteful; and therefore, let Satan's agents be ever so spiteful, Christ's servants ought to be resolute.
Act 4:5-14
We have here the trial of Peter and John before the judges of the ecclesiastical court, for preaching a sermon concerning Jesus Christ, and working a miracle in his name. This is charged upon them as a crime, which was the best service they could do to God or men.
Act 4:15-22
We have here the issue of the trial of Peter and John before the council. They came off now with flying colours, because they must be trained up to sufferings by degrees, and by less trials be prepared for greater. They now but run with the footmen; hereafter we shall have them contending with horses, Jer. 12:5.
Act 4:23-31
We hear no more at present of the chief priests, what they did when they had dismissed Peter and John, but are to attend those two witnesses. And here we have,
Act 4:32-37
We have a general idea given us in these verses, and it is a very beautiful one, of the spirit and state of this truly primitive church; it is conspectus saeculi-a view of that age of infancy and innocence.