Acts 4:1 - 4 - Persecution of the church began

As the people were challenged by Peter's testimony of the resurrection of Christ and listening, the Apostles were quickly accosted by a group comprising, the priests (probably made up of Sadducees), the temple guard and the Sadducees themselves. .

Here, Luke mentions the Sadducees in particular. In the book of Acts we will see that they were the group that would come against the church.  They were troubled by Peter's teaching of the resurrection in particular.

The Sadducees comprised of  wealthy aristocrates during Jesus' day. They were more political in orientation. Hence, the they would align themselves with the Romans for political advantage. Furthermore, they were afraid of the subversive implications of the Apostle's teachings.

Theologically, the Sadducees believe in the Messianic age and were looking for the Messiah. Doctrinally they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, a subject with was central to the Apostles' preaching and teaching. They knew that to say that Christ had risen would strengthen the position of the Pharisees, their key rival.

Hence, they were quick to come with the priests and temple guard to arrest Peter and John. Since it was already evening when they  arrested them, they then had the two Apostles thrown into jail until the next day.

Luke was quick to point out that a great number of them who heard the message believed. And those that responded totalled five thousand people. The growth was phenomenal.

Numbers do count to God. Therefore, we see in the book of Acts the mention of figures that believed in Jesus. Why? Becasue number represents people who had believed and trusted in Christ.

One other feature which we will constantly see in the preaching of Christ would be persecution. So if you encounter difficult people who want to make it hard for you to share Christ, know that this is to be expected. Be of good cheer, you're in good company with the Apostles. Just go ahead and share Christ. That's our calling to the Great Commission! Like the Apostles, let's be faithful in the task.