Read Acts 4:1-12

In 2004 the BBC launched a new television show that would become a global phenomenon with nearly twenty different versions produced around the world. Each episode of Who Do You Think You Are? features the family history of a famous person, exploring everything from disappeared relatives to distant royal connections to ancestors’ migrations. Participants often say, “I hope this experience will help me understand myself and my family.”

This month in Today in the Word we are going to explore similar questions: Who are we? What is our true identity? What do we know about our family? Our goal is not just to know ourselves better but also to understand what it means to locate our identity in Christ. And in order to find the answers, we have to know where to begin.

In our text today, Peter and John had just healed a crippled beggar, which presented an opportunity for them to preach the message about healing and salvation found only in Jesus (see Acts 3:16). Their proclamation of the good news of the resurrection of Jesus caused many to come to faith in Christ, but it infuriated the religious leaders in the temple. Just when they thought they were rid of Jesus, here were His followers declaring that He was alive— and they were performing miracles of healing in His name!

Peter leaves no doubt what is at stake in this encounter. The religious leaders wanted to preserve their power; Peter and John preached the power of Jesus to save (vv. 7, 10). The religious leaders thought they were protecting temple worship; Peter declared that Jesus was actually the cornerstone (v. 11; Ps. 118:22). The religious leaders tried to please God by going above and beyond the Law; Peter preached that salvation is found only in the name of Jesus (v. 12).

APPLY THE WORD

To know who we are, we must begin with Jesus. Some reject Him, and define their identity apart from Christ. Those who accept His salvation are in Christ, and their lives are transformed. On which side are you? If you’ve never trusted Jesus to forgive your sins and make you right with God, today receive His salvation and new life in Christ.

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