Acts 4

http://www.esvbible.org/Acts+4/

The Jewish officials, for the most part, still don't believe, so they arrest John and Peter. However, since they spoke when God gave them the opportunity, the number of believers that day rose to 5,000. When Peter and John go on trial, they are asked who gave them the authority to perform this miracle, which people, including Jesus, were asked again and again throughout John. When Peter answers, Luke makes it clear that Peter is not speaking of his own authority, but that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. He, of course, says that Jesus is the one who healed the man. Then, he makes new teachings saying that Jesus iss the cornerstone, and that there is nowhere else to safely build you lives upon. Jesus is the firm foundation. Peter spoke this in such a beautiful way. Once the officials discovered that Peter and John had no education, they were amazed. They realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus and yet they could not discount them because the man they healed was still with them, so they sent John and Peter away for deliberations. God will provide for you if you are working for His good. He gave Peter and John freedom in that the man was with them in front of the Jewish officials. This also prevented the officials to say anything against Jesus because they could not claim that the lame man had not been healed. The Jewish officials became afraid of the power John and Peter could gain with the people in Jerusalem, but they also knew that there was nothing they could do to stop them at that moment. They decided to threaten the apostles to stop the spread of Jesus and His word. When confronted, Peter says that God wants the people to hear what He says and that they will therefore not stop speaking about what they saw and heard during their time with Jesus. The authorities continued to threaten, but there was no point because Peter and John truly believed in Jesus' message. If we truly believe as they did, then there is no threat that should sway our beliefs. Nothing can amount to eternity separated from God.

After the officials free Peter and John, they go back to the other apostles, and all of them pray about what has happened and what is still to come. They acknowledge that through Jesus' entire life, God fulfilled what He promised to do. They pray that He would continue to follow His plan because it is perfect. In His plan, all people come to Him through Jesus, but it is a plan that takes a long time because the Enemy is tricky. God has what the Enemy doesn't: unlimited power. God can prove His majesty through whatever means He cares to because there is no limit to what He can do.

The apostles of the time all embraced the Spiritual Gift of voluntary poverty. They gave up everything they owned for the greater good of spreading the Good News. At the time, there was no way to make money by doing so. The apostles, therefore, shared everything, so that they would want for nothing. Additionally, the believed that God would come through for them, so He always provided just enough.