May 15th, 2013
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

No Other Name

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Speak them to me again today, I pray.

Read Acts 4:1-12

[1] The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. [2] They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. [3] They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. [4] But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. [5] The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. [6] Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. [7] They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” [8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [11] Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ [12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“There is no other way to be reconciled to God than through Christ, for there is no other way of dealing with the guilt of our sin before a holy God” (Wayne Grudem). Tough words for our tolerant society!

Think Further

A sports celebrity once said: “I believe in a bit of everything: God, the supernatural, ghosts, superstitions, UFOs. I like to keep my options open.” He’s typical of many. Choice, it seems, is what really matters. So the single most difficult issue for many Christians is this: how to sustain our commitment to the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the unique, exclusive, authoritative Savior of the world, and how to do this with sensitivity and courage.

Today’s passage addresses this head on, and the apostles refuse to duck the issue. First, notice the frequency with which different speakers refer to “the name” or “Jesus” (2,7,10,12,13,17,18). The starkest statement is in v. 12: “For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” It is a declaration already found in the Gospels (John 6:68; 14:6), and it was this conviction that carried the apostles through wave after wave of hostility. The main motivation of the Sanhedrin is clear. This “name” was too successful; the movement was growing rapidly and they needed to stop it spreading further.

The lessons of the section are, first, that the Gospel was changing lives (8-10), and this is evidence which is always hard to refute, as we shall see tomorrow. Second, the apostles were empowered by the Spirit (8). Third, they had no doubt about the authority and power of their message; they proclaimed the name of Jesus, crucified and risen (10-12). How much we need this combination today! Our mission is founded on our conviction that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and we should never allow today’s pluralism to paralyze us, nor any opposition to deter us, for there truly is no other name.

Apply

Pray for renewed confidence in Jesus’ unique and exclusive claims on your life and on our world.

Closing prayer

Loving Father, I pray for sensitivity and clarity as I share Christ with others. May I not shun the clear teaching of Scripture but share its tough words with love.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store