For Sunday, September 6, 2026:
Acts 4:4 NLT: “Many of the people who heard Peter and John’s message believed them, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.”
Peter and John had been arrested and jailed for preaching the truth about Jesus. Nonetheless, many people believed them and the number of believers grew to about 5,000 men. Only counting the men was like counting “families,” as most men were married and had at least two children. So this probably represents about 20K people, thereby leaving a significant hole in the Temple’s population.
Previously, the Pharisees and Temple leaders ran everything. All the Jewish people and their tithes automatically went to the Temple. But with these kind of numbers, Jesus and his followers posed a serious affront to both the Temple’s power and its pocketbook.
I believe that Christianity was never supposed to be a new, separate religion. After all, Jesus was raised Jewish. His arrival should have been the next chapter. Instead, the desire for power and the love of money got in the way. Many of those who loved God wouldn’t accept the Son of God!
The life of Jesus is well documented in the four Gospels. If you only consider healings and raising of the dead, it would be hard not to believe that Jesus was heaven-sent. His other miracles serve to reinforce the truth we’ve already learned.
Christianity grows through attraction, so today is always the best day to invite someone to join you for worship. Everyone deserves to know the truth!
Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church
