There Is Salvation in No One Else

In one paragraph

This message walked through Acts 4:1-31, the arrest of Peter and John and the prayer that followed it. Pastor Mark traced the confrontation between the apostles and the Sadducee-led council in Jerusalem, showing how the same gospel that had grown the church to five thousand men ran directly into the people with the most to lose. The thread running through everything was the unstoppable plan of God...

Read together

1. Isaiah 25:1 opening worship reading: 'Lord, you are my God, and I'll exalt you, and I'll give thanks to your name... plans formed from long ago with perfect faithfulness'
2. Ephesians 2:4-5 quoted during worship prayer: 'but God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead in our sins... he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead'
3. 1 Chronicles 16:34 sung during the giving portion: 'let's give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever'
4. Acts 2:42 summary of early church devotion to apostles' teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer
5. Acts 3:16 faith in the name of Jesus healed the lame man, doubly emphasizing subjective faith and objective faithfulness
6. Acts 3:26 closing verse of chapter three: 'When God raised up his servant Jesus, he sent him first to you, people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways'
7. Acts 4:1-31 main passage covering the arrest of Peter and John, their appearance before the Sanhedrin, and the believers' prayer
8. Psalm 118:22 quoted by Peter: 'the stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone'
9. Acts 4:12 Peter's declaration: 'there is salvation in no one else, God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved'
10. Psalm 146 believers' prayer opening: 'sovereign Lord, creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them,' and read in full by the preacher
11. Psalm 2:1-2 quoted within the believers' prayer: 'why were the nations so angry? why did they waste their time with futile plans? the kings of the earth prepared for battle, the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah'
12. Colossians 3:17 closing verse: 'whatever it is that you do, whether in word or deed, do all of it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him'

Talk about it

1. Pastor Nathan pointed out that we can read Acts 3 from two angles: identifying with Peter and John, or identifying with the healed man. Which perspective felt more honest for you personally, and why?
2. Peter and John were recognized by the council as ordinary men with no special training, yet they were also recognized as men who had been with Jesus. What does it look like in your own life to be someone others can identify that way?
3. The Sadducees had incontrovertible evidence in front of them, including the healed man standing right there in the chamber, yet they still refused to change their position. Where do you think confirmation bias shows up in your own reading of Scripture or faith?
4. Peter told the council there is salvation in no one else and no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. How do you personally navigate sharing that exclusive claim with people in your life who find it difficult to accept?
5. When Peter and John reported the threats back to the other believers, the whole group prayed together for boldness rather than for protection or safety. What would it look like for our group to pray that kind of prayer about something we are actually facing right now?