Acts 4:31- “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
Let’s start with some backstory…
Jesus had already lived, died, and risen again. Some of His closest friends—Peter and John—were telling everyone what they’d seen and heard. They even performed some astonishing miracles in Christ’s name, like healing a beggar who’d been crippled from birth.
The religious leaders had threatened the disciples to stop preaching about Jesus, but the disciples continued to share the Gospel. The disciples prayed to God to be bold in their witness after being threatened by religious leaders.
Thousands of people believed Peter and John’s testimonies about Jesus, but many of the religious leaders did not. In fact, in their eyes, such messages and miracles were dangerous and could ultimately take away their power.
After doing some jail time because of what they’d been teaching, as well as defending their message in front of the religious council, Peter and John went back to the other believers, praying bold prayers and trusting in God.
In the Old Covenant, access to God was limited and mediated by priests. But under Grace, through Christ, every believer has direct access to the Father (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer in this verse is spirit-breathed and communal, a response of faith, not effort.
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31 ESV
The physical shaking was a sign of divine approval and power. Unlike Sinai, where God’s presence brought fear and distance (Exodus 19), here it brought encouragement and power—a hallmark of the Grace dispensation. The shaking was confirmation, not condemnation. It symbolized that God was actively backing their mission. NOTE: Under Grace, God shakes not to terrify, but to empower and affirm.
Before Pentecost, many of these disciples (especially Peter) were fearful. But now, filled with the Spirit, they speak with confidence and courage, even in the face of opposition. Thus, “They spoke the word of God with boldness” – Grace produces fearless witnesses
Peter and John were in the habit of:
1. Gathering together with other believers
2. Praying together with other believers
3. Speaking boldly about the Word of God
As they did the natural gathering, praying, and speaking, the Holy Spirit filled them with the supernatural power of God.
As Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” We keep in step with the Spirit by walking with Him, listening to Him, and following His guidance.
Like Peter and John, who faced tons of opposition for their faith, we can keep trusting in and walking with God. We can keep gathering together with like-minded believers. We can keep praying bold prayers that can’t be accomplished on our own. We can keep speaking boldly and continually about the hope we have in Jesus.
Acts 4:31 describes a powerful event after the apostles had prayed. The place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. This event empowered them to speak God’s word with boldness. Amen
