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Acts 4:11-13

¹¹He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone'. ¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." ¹³When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Peter and John saw a crippled man begging at the temple. Peter told him that he had no money to give him, but what he did have was healing in Jesus' name. He took the man by the hand and lifted him to his feet. The man ran around jumping up and down praising God. That drew quite a crowd and raised a commotion. The religious leaders kept Peter and John confined overnight. The next day they brought them out for questioning. When asked about the miracle, Peter, the same man that once denied he knew Jesus, boldly declared that it was through faith in the name of the man the religious leaders had murdered that the cripple could walk. He quoted Scriptures to back up his declaration.

Then he made a very bold statement: salvation from sin is found in no one else. Jesus' name is the only name that God has given to provide salvation. It is only through the authority granted to Jesus that anyone may be saved. There is one way, not many. Jesus was very clear in saying that He is the way to the Father. He declared that He is the gate through which all men must go.

Galileans like Peter were not known for their schooling. They were more famous for acts of violence. When the religious leaders saw that Peter and John were speaking with great boldness and eloquence, they wondered about the influence Jesus had had on their lives. They did not realize it was Jesus speaking through them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Brother or sister, it does not matter what your background is. Jesus can give you boldness to say what needs to be said in any situation. Peter knew his words would be insufficient. He let the Holy Spirit answer their question. The bold convicting answer sounded just like His Savior, because it was.

Consider: Are we relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to speak through us?