NOTES for Act 4:1-37
The Apostles were not frightened by the Sanhedrin's threats and prayed that God would give them courage to proclaim the Good News. Many of them would later die as martyrs and become examples for many thousands of Christian martyrs. The courage for which they ask has nothing to do with a readiness to commit a reckless act. For the Apostles, God's will is far more real and substantial than all the threats made by Christ's opponents. Christian courage is therefore directly connected with faith—with the fullness of life in the risen Lord Jesus. The stronger this faith, the more evident it is to a person that no threats can compare with the blessedness and happiness Christ gives. Conversely, the fear of losing life, property, work, or friendship, from which all of us suffer to some degree, calls the reality of our faith into question...