Moving Forward — Series
Filling a City with Your Doctrine
Pastor Brent Snook · April 26, 2026 · AM Service
Text: Acts 4-5
“Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine.” — Acts 5:28
I. THE PROGRESS OF A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
“A pure church is a powerful church.” After the discipline of Ananias and Sapphira, an ungrieved Holy Spirit was doing His work unhindered and unhampered — and the results were remarkable.
A. Believers Were Increasing — Acts 5:14
There are progress reports scattered throughout Acts — it is a book filled with a success story.
• Acts 2:41 / 3,000 souls saved in a single day
• Acts 2:47 / believers added daily
• Acts 4:4 / 5,000 men, plus families
• Acts 5:28 / Jerusalem filled with the doctrine
• Acts 6:7 / multitudes
B. Bystanders Were Interested — Acts 5:15–16
Huge crowds gathered from all around Jerusalem and the surrounding communities. The signs and miracles did two things:
1. Confirmed the truth of the Apostles’ teaching
2. Demonstrated that the Apostles had the power of the Messiah
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation… God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost.” — Hebrews 2:3–4
II. THE PERSECUTION OF A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
When the enemy cannot conquer the church, he tries to corrupt it. When he cannot corrupt it, he will combat it.
A. The Indignation of the Religious Leaders — Acts 5:17–18
B. The Intervention of the Ruling Lord — Acts 5:19–20
How fitting — the Sadducees, who denied the supernatural, were forced to face it head-on. The angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night and brought them out.
1. He Rescued Them from Prison — v. 19
God was teaching His disciples that He could deliver His servants from the world’s oppression any time, anywhere. No suffering, tragedy, heartache, or hard situation is beyond His presence. Each of the apostles would one day face their own persecution:
• Matthew — martyred by the sword
• Mark — dragged through the streets of Alexandria
• Luke — hung on an olive tree in Greece
• John — boiled in a pot of oil
• Peter — crucified upside down in Rome
• James — beheaded in Jerusalem
• James the Less — thrown from a pinnacle and beaten to death
• Philip — hung
• Bartholomew — scourged and beaten until death
• Andrew — bound to a cross, preaching to his persecutors until he died
• Thomas — run through with a spear
• Jude — killed by an executioner’s arrow
• Matthias — stoned and then beheaded
• Barnabas — stoned
• Paul — beheaded in Rome
2. He Reaffirmed Them of Their Purpose — v. 20
“Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” The apostles were not freed so they could flee — but so they could preach. We too have been freed from the prison of sin — not to flee, but to share the message of life.
A Thom Rainer survey of unchurched, unsaved people across all 50 states found: 96% said they would be somewhat likely to attend church if invited. There are 160 million unchurched people in America — 153 million would likely start attending if someone simply asked. Yet only 2% of church members ever invited an unchurched person to church.
III. THE PROCLAMATION OF A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
A. Opposition to the Call to Proclaim — Acts 5:21–28
We are in a spiritual war every day. The opposition doesn’t always come through prison bars — it may come through apathy, discouragement, or subtle temptations that keep us silent for Jesus.
B. Obedience to the Call to Proclaim — Acts 5:28–29
The Sanhedrin was no longer up against unlearned Galilean fishermen — it was up against the Holy Spirit. There was a higher court in Jerusalem than the Sanhedrin: the Supreme Court of Heaven.
“We ought to obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:29
— Go and Fill Your City with the Message of Jesus —
There are hungry, hurting, longing people out there. They need to know about eternal life. We have a message of life — let’s take it to them.