Praying Together on Mission

PRAYING TOGETHER ON MISSION 

An Exposition of Acts 4:1-31

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: March 30, 2025

Series: The Book of Acts

Note: Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

I invite you to turn to Acts 4. We're going to look at Acts 4:1-31 this morning, although to start off with I'm just going to read through verse 22. And then a little bit later in the sermon, I'll read verses 23-31.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT (PART 1)

Holy Scripture says:

¹ And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.¹⁴ But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰ for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. (Acts 4:1-22)

This is the word of God, and it is for our good. Let's pray:

Father, I give you thanks for your holy word given to us to instruct us, correct us, direct us and transform us. Father, I pray that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the Holy Scriptures to be written down, the same Holy Spirit that filled the apostle Peter, would fill us and teach us and lead us in your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

WALKING THROUGH THE PASSAGE: STEPS 1-4

Well, I want to, want to walk through Acts 4:1-31 in about six steps (the first four steps relate to Acts 4:1-22, read above). I'm really excited about this message today.

The Opposition (v. 1-7)

And it begins with the opposition in verses one to seven. Specifically, Peter and John – this is continuing the story from chapter three – Peter and John are preaching the gospel and speaking to the people, but they are met with opposition from the Jewish ruling class, as you can see there, identified as “priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees” (v. 1).

And by the way, this is a very common occurrence. It doesn't always happen this way, but it often happens that the opposition comes from the ruling class, whether it's the religious ruling class as here, or the political ruling class. The thing about the ruling class, the people in charge, is that they want to remain in charge of the system. They want to hold people under the sway of their system. Because when you're at the top of a system, you get the popularity, the prestige, the privileges, the wealth. And so, when you start to spearhead a movement among the people and begin to take them away from the system, the ruling class does not like that. They're very threatened. They want to hold people under their control. They want to control the flow of information. They want to control the messaging.

And it's very obvious that the ministry of the apostles and the ministry of Peter and John specifically was gaining a lot of traction among the people. At the end of Acts chapter two, we were told that the early church “[had] favor with all the people” and that “the Lord [was adding] to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

And in Acts chapter three, when the Lord healed the lame man through Peter and John, all the people were riveted and astounded and wondering what was going on. And you can see here that in chapter four that their preaching is having an impact. What does it say in verse four? In verse four it says that “the number of the men [in terms of the number of believers] came to about five thousand”. This word translated “men” is the word that specifically means men as opposed to women. By contrast, in verse 12 when it says that “there is no other name under heaven given among men”, the word translated “men” is the generic word that can easily be translated mankind or humankind or humanity. But it sounds like here in verse four that Luke (the author) is specifically counting the men. So just think about that. The church started with 120 people and then grew to about 3,120 people. And now, if there are 5,000 men, then maybe the church has 10,000 or 12,000 people overall. Here's your first megachurch right out of the gates just in the early weeks of the preaching of the gospel. And so many people are coming to faith. And it says in verse 21 that all the people, in view of the miracle of the healing of the lame man, “were praising God”. So the preaching of the gospel was gaining traction among the ordinary people.

But the ruling class was very threatened by that, annoyed by that. And they didn't like what Peter and John were doing. It says that they were “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (v. 2) The Sadducees, who are mentioned in verse one, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead. Here are the leaders of Israel, but they are actually unbelievers. Just a few months earlier, they themselves were involved in crucifying Jesus, in rejecting him. And yet now the apostles are proclaiming in Jesus, and through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead. Jesus is risen, Jesus is exalted. All the hopes of Israel and all the prophecies of Scripture find their fulfillment in Jesus. That was not the messaging that the ruling class wanted. So they took Peter and John into custody.

It was late in the day, they held them overnight, and then they questioned them the next day. And some of the specific leaders are mentioned there: rulers, elders, and scribes (v. 5), and Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, the high-priestly family (v. 6). So this council of Jewish religious leaders, who obviously have some degree of political power (e.g., the ability to arrest people and hold people in custody), this council of Jewish religious leaders has set Peter and John in their midst, and it the seems like the man that they healed is with them as well (v. 14). And they question them: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (v. 7) I mean, Peter and John were not acting under the authority of the Jewish leadership council. By whose authority were they acting? That was the question that came to them. So let's move to verses 8-12.

The Truth is Proclaimed (v. 8-12)

In verses 8-12, the truth is proclaimed. Peter proclaims the truth about Jesus in the face of the opposition. He is “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8). And remember, when you think about what Peter says in verses 8-12, it's hard not to think about what Jesus had promised and how he had instructed the apostles during his earthly ministry, in passages such as Luke 12:11-12 and Luke 21:12-15. He said, (and I’m paraphrasing here), when you're arrested and when you're imprisoned and when you're brought before the authorities – Jesus said – don't worry about what you're supposed to say, don't be anxious beforehand, don't meditate beforehand on what you're supposed to say. The Holy Spirit will make it clear what you're supposed to say in that moment. It's good to prepare for a sermon like this, but when we're in a situation like being dragged before the authorities, don't be anxious. Trust God. He'll lead you to say what you're supposed to say at the time you're supposed to say it. Which is exactly what Peter does here.

“by the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 10)

Peter addresses the rulers of the people and the elders. He understands that they're questioning him specifically because this lame man had been healed. And they're wondering, how did that happen? By whose authority and whose name was this man healed? But Peter gets right to the point in verse 10 that once again, it's all through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's his authority. And yet, think about this. Maybe we're just a few months out from the crucifixion. And these were the guys, some of the same guys, who were involved in casting their vote to put Jesus to death. And Peter says there in verse 10, he says, “whom you crucified”. Well, they knew exactly who he was talking about. Three months ago, there was a man who presented himself to the people of Israel in Jerusalem. They sang hosanna to him. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the Son of David. And Jesus would go to the temple every day. And the people, the ordinary people, they hung on his words. They were hungry to hear what he had to say. Jesus hadn't acted on the basis of their authority either. He acted on the basis of his Father's authority. And they had eliminated him. Or so they thought. And Peter says that that man, the God-Man who presented himself to you three months ago, “God raised from the dead” (v. 10).

“the stone that was rejected by you” (v. 11)

Look at verse 11. Verse 11 harkens back to Psalm 118 and refers to Jesus as “the stone”. Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” He is saying to the Jewish religious leaders: you are builders, you have a building project going on. In one sense, you have a literal building project going on, the temple – the physical temple – and you're trying to manage that and to steward that. But beyond that, you've actually got your own little kingdom building project going on too, because you want to be in power and you want to have authority and you want to have influence and you want to have prestige. You got your own building project going on, and you didn't see fit to include Jesus in your building project. You rejected him.

But you all aren't the only ones with a building project going on. God has got a building project going on. God is building a new people. God is building a spiritual temple, and Jesus is the cornerstone or the capstone, the head of the corner, the key. Jesus is the key piece to God's building project.

And all of us, by the way, have to deal with this issue because God created us to be builders in various ways. But we need to understand that everything that we endeavor to build, everything that we endeavor to do, everything that we endeavor to manage, if we're doing that apart from Jesus and excluding Jesus from that, it's going to come crashing down.

The only thing worth building is the thing that God is building. And God wants to, of course, God wants to involve us in what he is building. God wants to involve us in his kingdom work. And so we need to make sure that we are in step with the Lord.

“there is salvation in no one else” (v. 12)

In verse 12, Peter declares, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” We all need to be crystal clear about this. There is no other name. There is no salvation to be found in Mohammed. There is no salvation to be found in Buddha. There is no salvation to be found in a church institution. Sometimes it is the institutionalized church that has grown drunk on its own power and influence that is the chief enemy of the Gospel. There is no salvation in anyone else; there is no salvation in any thing or any system or any experience. Salvation is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. So Peter faithfully proclaims the truth in the face of the opposition.

The Astonishment (v. 13)

And that brings us to verse 13, which I simply call the astonishment. Do you notice there is a pattern here? In the Book of Acts, in Acts, chapter 2, the 120 disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke in the tongues of the people who were present, and the people there were astonished. In Acts chapter three, the Lord healed the lame beggar man through Peter and John, and the people were astonished. Well, now in chapter four, the religious leaders are astonished for a different reason. They are astonished at “the boldness of Peter and John”, since “they [Peter and John] were uneducated, common men”. It just didn't fit, right?

And you have to remember this is the Jewish leadership class here, okay? And the idea here is Peter and John didn't have the right credentials, they didn't have the right certificates, they didn't attend the right schools, they didn't have the right degrees, they didn't have the right rabbi mentors. They didn't play by the system, they didn't work their way through the system in order to be approved by these Jewish religious leaders. They don't have the Jewish leaders’ stamp of approval. They're operating outside of the system. They're nobodies. They’re community college folks in relationship to how people might think of them in comparison to Harvard graduates. These are outsiders. This is common, ordinary, unimpressive.

And yet, for all of that, Peter and John are displaying boldness and courage. They're going toe to toe with the Jewish religious leaders. One commentator said it's atypical for people on trial to call to account their judges.[1] But that's exactly what Peter and John did – like, you're the ones who are in trouble! (see v. 10-11)

So Peter and John displayed great courage, and that astonished the religious leaders. And it says at the end of verse 13: “And they [the religious leaders] recognized that they [Peter and John] had been with Jesus.” Now keep in mind, from the perspective of the Jewish religious leaders, that's not a compliment – oh, Jesus, that backcountry Galilean preacher who didn't operate under our authority either. But from our perspective, from Luke's perspective, from the Holy Spirit's perspective, this is a beautiful reality – that Peter and John had been with Jesus.

And even though we don't get to be with Jesus in the flesh in the same social, physical space that they did, we have the same Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit mediates to us the presence of Jesus. We have the same instruction in Holy Scripture, the same promises. And we need to be really clear on this: the fundamental issue when it comes to being equipped and trained to participate in God's building project is not, did you attend the right schools? Did you have the right mentors? Do you have the right credentials? Did you go through the proper channels? That stuff is neither here nor there. What matters is, do you know Jesus? Have you been with Jesus? Have you learned from Jesus? Have you seen the beauty and the glory and the majesty of Jesus shining forth from the pages of Holy Scripture and shining forth from the message of the cross? And are you being transformed by his grace? That's the fundamental issue.

The Release from Custody (v. 14-22)

Now, moving to verses 14-22, we have the release from custody. The religious leaders are really caught in a jam. They would love to really just do away with Peter and John, but they have a dilemma, and the dilemma is – which they articulate very clearly for us – the dilemma is that so many people, so many inhabitants of Jerusalem, know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this lame beggar man, who'd been lame for over 40 years (see v. 22), has been healed, and that he was healed through Peter and John in some way. And like everybody knows that. So the popular appeal that Peter and John have at this moment makes it completely untenable for the ruling class to eliminate Peter and John. They have to release them. It's the only thing they can do to save face. Because the ruling class fears the people. They want to be great in the eyes of men, and they can't risk the damage that that would do to their position among the people. So they reluctantly release Peter and John.

Of course, they also order them: you are not to teach, you are not to preach, you are not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus (v. 17-18). And by the way, isn't it so sad? Someone had been healed in the name of Jesus. Someone had been set free. Someone had been restored and was praising God, and other people were praising God, all because of Jesus. But the religious leaders were like: yeah, we don't want you to speak in his name anymore. It's really sad. But that's what unbelief does. You miss the glory of God in front of you, and all you can see is your own small concerns for your own glory, power and influence.

Now, Peter and John are not about to follow these orders. None of us should follow ungodly orders. And you know, Peter gets these religious leaders thinking a little bit. He says in verse 19, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge” – you (the religious leaders) must think about it and weigh the situation. But Peter makes it clear that as far as they (Peter and John) are concerned: “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (v. 20).

And so, they're threatened, ordered, and released.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT (PART 2)

And that brings us to verses 23-31, which I will now read. Keep in mind, they've just been in custody overnight. They've been investigated, as it were, by this impressive, outwardly fleshly impressive Jewish leadership council. And they've been ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus, and they've been threatened. Now let’s pick up the Scriptural text beginning at verse 23:

²³ When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵ who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers were gathered together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

²⁷ for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:23-31)

WALKING THROUGH THE PASSAGE: STEPS 5-6

So this brings us to our fifth and sixth points in Acts 4:1-31.

The Earnest Prayer (v. 23-30)

In verses 23-30, we hear their earnest prayer. It says that when they were released, Peter and John “went to their friends”. It doesn't say that they just met with the other apostles. The text is saying that they went to their own, that they went to their own people. So they must have gathered together with a number of believers, no doubt including the other apostles. And Peter and John reported on what the chief priests and elders had said to them.

And look at what it says – and doesn’t say – there in verse 24. “And when they heard it,” they complained, they were exasperated, they went on for an hour expressing all kinds of concerns about what may or may not happen – no, it doesn't say that, right? It says “when they heard it,” they prayed, they prayed, they prayed in unison, right? “[They] lifted their voices together to God”.

And look at the content of their prayer in the face of opposition and threats. They begin (in v. 24) by recognizing that God is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. He is the creator of the ends of the earth, the whole world is in his hand, everything is under his control.

And then they move from that general observation of God's comprehensive sovereignty over the world to get to something very specific. In verses 25-26, they draw upon Psalm 2. Psalm 2 tells us about the power brokers of this present world gathering together against the Lord and against his anointed. And what Psalm 2 foretold came to pass in the case of Jesus. It says in verse 27: “for truly in this city were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel”. The power brokers of this world had gathered together in Jerusalem just a few months ago to conspire against Jesus.

And yet, verse 28 tells us that it was all according to God's plan: those conspirators were gathered together “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (v. 28) For the Lord had predestined that through the suffering and through the crucifixion and through the death of Jesus, through that Jesus would be enthroned as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And through that Jesus would make atonement and purchase the forgiveness of sins for his people.

And did you notice the language here is very intentional? Because as Christians, we are called to share in the sufferings of Christ. And what Jesus experienced just a few months earlier, now his followers are experiencing. Look at verse 27 again, at the beginning: “truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus” – and then he lists various leaders. Now go back to verse five. Look at verse five: “On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem” – and of course they did so, conspiring against Jesus' people. It is very intentional. Jesus made it very clear that we're called to follow him and we're called to share in his sufferings. And even as he was met with opposition and persecution and resistance, so we are going to experience the same kinds of things. But we're not to be surprised or thrown off balance by that.

And so, look at their actual petition in verse 29: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats”. And what does it not say? Look upon their threats and annihilate them. Look upon their threats and wipe them out. No, it doesn't say that. God will judge them in due time if they don't repent, for sure, but that's not their heartbeat right now. Furthermore, it doesn't say: and now, Lord, look upon their threats and get us out of here. We'd like to be shuttled away to some tropical paradise or to the Bible Belt or to some serene place. No, it doesn't say that. Rather, they pray for continued courage and boldness from the Lord, to proclaim the gospel in the face of opposition. That's their prayer.

And they also pray that as that's happening, that God himself would stretch out his hand and perform healings, signs and wonders in the name of Jesus in order to magnify the name of Jesus, in order to get people's attention, in order to draw people into his kingdom. That's their prayer.

The Answer to Prayer (v. 31)

And finally, in verse 31, the answer to prayer. The answer to prayer is unmistakable, right? “[The] place in which they were gathered together was shaken” – God himself, very tangibly demonstrating his presence with his people. “[And] they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Notice that verse 31 ends where verse 1 began. What were they doing in verse 1? Peter and John “were speaking to the people”. They were speaking the word of God to the people. And then there was an interruption. There was opposition and persecution and threats, although even while in the custody of the Jewish Council, even then Peter declared the word of the Lord. And now on the other side of the release and this prayer, this beautiful prayer meeting, they (Peter and John and others) “continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

APPLICATION: PRAYING TOGETHER ON MISSION

Now In terms of the application, I really see this passage as very timely and very instructive for us because it sets before us a very clear picture of what us followers of Jesus are called to be and do. It's very simple. Believers – they are together here in this passage, at the end of the passage – they are together in prayer for the sake of the mission. Together in prayer for the sake of the mission.

And then, of course, then they're going out into the mission field, their own local mission field, in order to declare the Gospel. And wouldn't it be great to see a deepening and a stretching and a renewing among us as one small congregation here in South Paris, that we would be a group of disciples who are often together in prayer for the sake of the mission.

Prayer and mission are closely connected

And by the way, even though they're praying here in response to persecution and threats, they were praying before the persecution and the threats came. Luke is teaching us through the pattern in the book of Acts that prayer and mission are very closely connected:

• In Acts chapter one, those 120 disciples were together in prayer waiting upon the Lord. And then in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes and mission happens as they declare God’s mighty deeds to all of those Jewish exiles gathered before them, and then Peter proclaims the Gospel to them all.

• At the end of Acts chapter 2, those early believers were devoted to prayer, that was part of their life together (v. 42). And what kind of impact were they having? They had favor with all the people, and the Lord was adding to their number (v. 47).

• And then in Acts chapter three, how did Acts chapter three begin? Acts chapter three began with Peter and John going up to the temple to pray. They'd been praying. They're going to go pray more. And boom, a great healing opportunity and evangelistic opportunity opens up before them.

• And now at the end of Acts chapter four, they're praying for the sake of mission and then put back out there into the mission field, backed by prayer, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching the word of God with boldness.

We must learn from this pattern. You see, this passage wasn't just written for us to learn about them. We're called into the same experience.

The Letcho believers who prayed

Decades ago in the Brec village of Letcho, in Southeast Asia, in the Burma/Thailand region. This was a savage tribe. And the gospel came to the people of the village of Letcho, and many of them received the gospel and were transformed. And a church was birthed in this village. And their lives radically changed and began to reflect the grace and the peace of the Lord.

But there was another village a little ways away, and they were eyeing the village of Letcho. They were not at all happy with the fact that the village of Letcho had, that many of them, had turned to the Lord, that they had peace and flourishing.

And so this other village decided, you know what? We're going to attack the village of Letcho. That's what these Brec people did. This was normal operating procedure.

Well, the believers in the village of Letcho heard that they were under threat of attack, and they thought to themselves and spoke to one another, this is a spiritual battle. We will not take up the weapons of the flesh because this is a spiritual battle, and we will take up the weapons of the spirit. And they resolved to pray. They also thought to themselves and conferred with each other: Besides, if we take up physical weapons and kill them, they will die in their sins without having had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. And so they prayed, and they called upon neighboring pastors in other villages to join them in prayer.

And they prayed and they prayed and they prayed. And that enemy village came and kidnapped two young boys from their village. It was quite an ordeal. And they prayed and they prayed and they prayed and they sang, even so that this enemy village could hear them sing. And at the end, the enemy village willingly released and returned the two boys that they had kidnapped. And that village and other villages who were in the same spiritual depravity now had a desire to hear the message of the gospel. You see, they fought in prayer, not just throwing up one little prayer. They prayed earnestly for many days until the victory came. And the victory came.[2]

What the Lord wants to do with us

I just listened to a beautiful testimony about how the Lord is creating a movement of prayer, evangelism and worship on the beaches of the Florida Panhandle. The Lord wants to do the same with us, to have a sense of expectancy that he has called us to be his gospel representatives in this place and at this time. And that we have a responsibility to take the word that we read in here (the Bible) and hear in this place (the sanctuary), to take the word of God out there. And it needs to be undergirded by earnest prayer.

And so, I just encourage you, even individually. How is the Lord stirring in your heart in terms of being together with God's people? How is God stirring in your heart in order to be praying earnestly together with God's people? How is the Lord stirring in your heart to be actively participating in his mission to our local mission field?

Let's pray: 

Father, I thank you for Acts, chapter 4, verses 1-31. It's a powerful passage. I pray that it wouldn't just be words on a page or words that go in one ear and out the other. I pray that in our own time and place, that by your Holy Spirit, that we would embody this call to be your praying people, evangelizing our neighbors in the power of the Holy Spirit, that more and more people might come to understand and believe the good news. Father, do a mighty work among us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

ENDNOTES

[1] Patrick Schreiner, Acts (Christian Standard Commentary). Holman Reference, 2022: p. 174.

[2] I have offered this summary of the account from Rebecca Davis, Return of the White Book: True Stories of God at Work in Southeast Asia (Hidden Heroes 4). Originally published in 2014. Reprinted in 2016 by Christian Focus Publications, Ross-shire, Great Britian. See Chapter 14, “A Battle of the Spirits” (p. 101-108); and Chapter 15, “Singing the Battle” (p. 109-114).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Patrick Schreiner, Acts (Christian Standard Commentary). Holman Reference, 2022.

Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.