UNDERSTANDING
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PASSAGE?
Read Acts 4:23–31
The Big Picture
God is the one who converts hearts and calls others to Himself. Prayer must be the foundation for our outreach.
Sometimes we can imagine two types of Christians in our minds: those who seek to be pious, holy, and prayerful and those who seek to be active and zealous to spread the Good News. In reality, having good habits of prayer and evangelization are tough work. The good news is that active evangelization should lead us to a deeper prayer life, and an active prayer life should lead us to a greater zeal for evangelization. In Acts 4:23-31, we get a glimpse of how this works.
Experience of the Resurrection
The scene begins with Sts. Peter and John being released from prison. In the previous sections of Acts (3:1-4:22), Sts. Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple and are summarily questioned by Jewish officials and thrown into prison.
Unlike Sts. Peter and John, we have not had the privilege of seeing a resurrected Jesus or the many signs and wonders they witnessed. However, we can have a profound experience of Jesus in prayer that can help create a longing within us to share this great joy with others. Our evangelization starts with our own experience of who God is in our own lives and a desire for others to experience Him as well.
A Bold Prayer (Acts 4:23-31)
As Sts. Peter and John return from prison and their preaching of the gospel, they immediately turn to prayer. Several aspects of their prayer stand out:
1. Sovereignty of God
Their prayer starts with the sovereignty of God. They are addressing the one who made heaven, earth, and the sea and everything in it. God is in control, and we pray to Him because we are not.
2. Scripture and Psalms 2
As we seek to encounter Jesus in our prayer, Scripture is a great place to start. God’s word is a clear message about His character and His message for our lives. Here in Acts 4, a passage from Psalms 2 is used. The passage is about rulers who are gathered against the Lord and His anointed. In light of their previous persecution, the apostles believe that this applies to the Jewish rulers and officials as well. In Acts 4, only the beginning of Psalms 2 is quoted. The rest of the psalm notes how God laughs in the face of those against him and how He will remove their opposition (Psalms 2:4-9). The apostles use God’s character in the past in asking Him to work in the present. We can follow their example by using Scripture in our own prayer lives.
3. The Name of Jesus
In verse 30, the apostles specifically use the name of Jesus in their prayer. This is a pattern throughout the book of Acts: People are baptized in His name (Acts 2:38), the lame are healed in His name (Acts 3:6), the Jewish officials ask that the apostles not preach His name (Acts 5:40), and exorcisms are done in His name (Acts 16:18).
The Jewish people had a deep reverence for the name of God because of the power that it held—so much so that they would not write God’s name (YHWH) directly. It was only uttered once each year by the high priest.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) has some great things to say about the significant of Jesus’ name.
On the power of God’s name: “Jesus’ Resurrection glorifies the name of the Savior God, for from that time on it is the name of Jesus that fully manifests the supreme power of the ‘name which is above every name.’ The evil spirits fear his name; in his name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants all they ask in this name. The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer” (CCC 434-435).
God’s name invokes His presence: “He is present when the Church prays and sings, for he has promised ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:20)” (CCC 1108).
Today, it is easy to lose sight of the power of Jesus’ name. In fact, the name of Jesus is most normally used as a swear word today. This is what the Ten Commandments mean by using the Lord’s name in vain—using God’s name with no purpose and not realizing the power that the name holds. Just like the apostles, we should use God’s name as a powerful weapon in our prayers.
Application to Jesus
The name of Jesus is a powerful tool for our prayer.
4. Boldness
While it is important to see what the apostles pray for, it is also interesting to see what they do not pray for. In light of potential punishment from the Jews, they don’t pray that their lives would be more comfortable; they pray that God would increase their boldness despite the obstacles. Their proclamation of the gospel led them to prayer, while their prayer leads them to proclaim God’s name with a greater boldness.
The passage ends with their prayers being answered: They are filled with the Spirit and a boldness to speak God’s word (Acts 4:31). Sometimes it is too easy to skip over prayer in our evangelization work, but prayer is our first step and remains the heart of great evangelization.
Application to Our Lives
How can we allow our prayer lives to strengthen our evangelization and our evangelization to strengthen our prayer lives?
DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR YOUR BIBLE STUDY
Acts 4:23–31
STEP 1: OPENER
What comes to mind when you think of a person who is really pious and prayerful? Are they the type of person who preaches the gospel? Why or why not?
STEP 2: BACKDROP
Today we are going to look at the relationship between prayer and evangelization through the story of Sts. Peter and John. In the previous sections of Acts (Acts 3:1-4:22), Sts. Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple and are summarily questioned by Jewish officials and thrown into prison. During this questioning, Sts. Peter and John give testimony to Jesus. The Jewish authorities threaten them and send them away. Following this episode, we get a unique view into the prayer lives of the apostles.
STEP 3: PASSAGE
Acts 4:23-31
STEP 4: EXPLORATION: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Note that answers appear in italics.
Exploration: Questions and Answers
1. What stood out to you about the prayer of the Apostles?
Allow the group to discuss.
2. How do you hear and see God through prayer?
Allow the group to discuss.
3. What is difficult about hearing and seeing God through prayer?
Allow the group to discuss.
4. The apostles begin their prayer with the title “Sovereign Lord.” Why do you think God’s sovereignty is important to think about when we are praying?
Answer: It is important to realize who we are talking to. We can sometimes forget who is in charge of this world. Recognizing God’s sovereignty helps remind us that God is in control.
5. In the prayer, they quote Psalms 2. Read Psalms 2:1-9. What is this psalm all about?
Answer: The psalm is about the Gentile rulers standing in the way of God’s plans and God pushing them aside.
6. Given the content of the situation, why do you think the apostles use this Scripture passage?
Answer: They are being oppressed by rules who are standing in the way of God’s plans.
7. Why do you think the use of Scripture is important for our prayer lives?
Answer: See “Scripture and Psalms 2” in the section “A Bold Prayer.”
8. In this prayer, they mention “the name of Jesus.” What significance does the name of Jesus have in Acts so far?
Answer: People are baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), and the Jewish officials asked that the Apostles stop using the name of Jesus.
9. Read paragraphs 434-435 and 1108 in the Catechism. (If no one has a Catechism you can use the text in the “A Bold Prayer” section.) What is the significance of Jesus’ name?
Answer: The name of Jesus has the power to bring His very presence (CCC 1108). Miracles and exorcisms are performed through His name (CCC 434). The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer (CCC 435).
10. How can we use the name of Jesus in our own prayer lives?
Allow the group to discuss.
11. The apostles are in a very hostile situation. Jesus has just been killed by the Jewish authorities, and now these same authorities are threatening them. In light of this, what is interesting about what they don’t pray for?
Answer: They don’t pray to be comfortable. They pray to be bolder.
12. In light of the example of Sts. Peter and John, what would you change about your own personal prayer?
Allow the group to discuss.
Note to Leader: Consider closing the study by praying out loud as a group for your evangelization efforts as a way to live out the apostles’ example.