This past Sunday, Greg Churchley delivered a challenging message from Acts 4:5-31 that confronted us with a fundamental question every believer must answer: When human authority conflicts with God’s authority, where will we stand?
The Confrontation
The scene Greg painted was intimidating. Peter and John had healed a lame beggar and preached the resurrection of Jesus in the temple. Now they stood in the center of a room surrounded by every person of power in Jerusalem—the entire Sanhedrin, the high priest, the scribes, the elders. This wasn’t a casual conversation. This was the equivalent of being called to testify before Congress, except these men held both civil and religious power over Israel.
Their question cut to the heart of the matter: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”
It’s the same question that echoes through all of human history when sinful humanity encounters God’s truth. As Greg pointed out, this is the question behind the serpent’s hiss in Genesis 3: “Has God really said?” It’s the question the Pharisees asked when Jesus cleared the temple. It’s always been about authority.
Three Marks of Faithful Witness
What struck me most about Greg’s exposition was how he unpacked Peter’s response into three essential characteristics that should mark every believer’s gospel witness:
Directness. Peter didn’t hedge. He didn’t try to make the message more palatable or devise some “new and inoffensive way to win friends while sharing Jesus.” He simply named Jesus—Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, whom they crucified and God raised from the dead. No apologies. No qualifications. Just truth.
Boldness. These were uneducated fishermen standing before the most powerful men in their society. The authorities expected them to crumble. Instead, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke with confidence. He wasn’t wringing his hands or shuffling his feet. He stood firm because he knew whose authority backed him.
Exclusivity. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus isn’t a way to heaven. He is the way. Greg didn’t shy away from this potentially offensive truth, and neither should we.
When Authority Is Challenged
The Sanhedrin’s response was classic overreach. After conferring privately—because they literally had nothing to say in reply—they ordered Peter and John to stop speaking in Jesus’ name. Stop preaching. Stop calling people to repentance. Just stop.
Peter’s answer should be emblazoned on every believer’s heart: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than God, you be the judge. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Notice what Greg emphasized here: Peter was resolved. This wasn’t emotional bravado or youthful naivety. Peter had counted the cost and made his choice. He was determined, settled, unwavering. In a word—faithful.
Greg’s application here challenged me personally. He asked us to examine ourselves: Are you resolved? Are you determined that you cannot and will not stop speaking of what you’ve seen and heard and read about Jesus?
The Church’s Response: Praise, Not Panic
When Peter and John returned to their companions and reported everything, the church didn’t panic. They didn’t strategize about damage control or debate whether they should tone down their message. They prayed.
But notice how they prayed. They praised God as:
- Creator of heaven and earth and everything in them
- Omniscient—the One who foretold this very rebellion in Psalm 2
- Omnipotent—the One who purposed and predestined even the crucifixion of Jesus
Their theology shaped their response. Because they knew God as the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, they didn’t ask Him to strike their enemies dead. They asked for boldness to keep preaching.
“Grant that your bond-servants may speak your word with all confidence while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
And God answered. The place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Always Be Ready
Here’s where Greg really pressed the application home, and I think he was exactly right. The temptation is to think, “Okay, I need to be like this when I go out to evangelize.” But Peter and John weren’t on an evangelism mission when all this started. They were going to the temple to pray. They were just living their lives when God opened a door.
We need to be ready all the time. In season and out of season. Always resolved, determined, and unwavering with a direct, bold, and exclusive presentation of Jesus Christ.
The question of authority isn’t just for dramatic confrontations with hostile powers. It’s the daily question we face in conversations with coworkers, in how we raise our children, in the content we consume, in the priorities we set. Will we obey God or men?
Stand Together
Greg closed with a point I deeply appreciated: he was glad Peter had John with him that day. Maybe things would have been different if Peter had been alone. But they were better together.
We’re better together too. We need each other to stand firm, to encourage one another, to spur each other on to greater confidence in God’s authority. The Christian life wasn’t meant to be lived in isolation.
As we face a culture increasingly hostile to biblical truth, as we encounter opposition in our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, and sometimes even our families, may we respond with the same directness, boldness, exclusivity, and resolve that Peter and John demonstrated.
Because when it comes to the gospel, it always comes down to authority. And we serve the King who holds all authority in heaven and on earth.
Listen to the Full Sermon
Want to hear Greg’s complete message on Acts 4:5-31? Listen to the full sermon audio, including his personal stories from military service and deeper exposition of Peter’s confrontation with the Sanhedrin. Stream the sermon on SoundCloud.
This message was preached by Greg Churchley at Howell Bible Church on October 5, 2025, from Acts 4:5-31.
Howell Bible Church 