How does Acts 4:29 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? The Texts in View • Acts 4:29: “And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness.” • Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Shared Mandate: Speak and Go • Both passages revolve around communicating God’s word—Matthew commands “Go…make disciples,” while Acts petitions, “enable Your servants to speak.” • The verb “make disciples” (matheteusate) implies verbal instruction; Acts 4:29 requests power to do that very speaking. • The Great Commission supplies the standing order; Acts 4 records the earliest church asking for strength to carry it out. Boldness Empowered by the Spirit • Matthew 28:20 promises Christ’s continual presence; Acts 4:29 asks for the experiential evidence of that presence—bold proclamation. • Acts 1:8 foretells power from the Spirit; Acts 4:31 shows the answer: “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” • The Spirit who indwells (1 Corinthians 6:19), empowers (2 Timothy 1:7), and emboldens (Ephesians 6:19) ties the two passages together. Obedience Amid Opposition • In Matthew, Jesus anticipates global mission; in Acts, opposition arises immediately (Acts 4:1-18). • Acts 4:29 treats resistance as expected, echoing Jesus’ warning in Matthew 10:16-20. • The prayer models how believers fulfill the Commission when civil or cultural pressures intensify: ask God for courage, not escape. Ongoing Partnership: Our Role and God’s Role • Our part – Go to people (Matthew 28:19) – Speak the word (Acts 4:29) – Teach obedience (Matthew 28:20) • God’s part – Grant boldness (Acts 4:29) – Abide with us always (Matthew 28:20) – Confirm the message with power (Acts 4:30; Mark 16:20) Takeaway Points for Today • The Great Commission gives the scope; Acts 4:29 supplies the posture—confident reliance on God for courage. • Obedience to Jesus will meet resistance; boldness is God’s answer, not human personality. • Prayer is the bridge between command and performance: we ask, He enables, the gospel advances. |
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