Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Has your life ever been threatened? Have you ever been in a situation where you knew that if you did a particular thing; or went to a certain place; or even said some specific words you might be arrested, tortured or even killed?
There are many places in our world, even today, where people live in that type of DAILY fear, did you know that? Maybe YOU are in such a place right now? That was the situation the disciples Peter and John were facing about 2000 years ago in Jerusalem. Let’s rejoin their story and see what we can learn from them.
I left you yesterday watching Peter and John face a tribunal of angry religious leaders. This group of leaders were called the Sanhedrin and they had been the ones who sentenced Jesus to death and rallied the people to demand His crucifixion. (Matt. 26:57-66; 27: John 19:1-7)
Now they were angry at Peter and John for the ruckus in Jerusalem which followed the miraculous healing of a crippled man. (Acts 3) They had arrested Peter and John and held them overnight in the jail without trial or bail. As we saw yesterday the Sanhedrin members interrogated Peter and John and were stunned by their courageous, bold response declaring “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
That radical statement stands as a line of demarcation for anyone seeking God. God Himself has declared a sin forgiven relationship with God is ONLY through Jesus Christ, God the Son. No exceptions. (John 14:6)
Peter and John were escorted OUT of the courtroom while the Sanhedrin debated. (Acts 4:13-17) After a lengthy and feisty debate, Peter and John were called back in to hear the decision these angry religious leaders have reached.
The record says: “They commanded Peter and John NOT to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to God? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.“ (Acts 4:18-20)
Oh my! Do you sometimes find yourself in a situation where the declining morals or values of the society in which you live are totally contrary to God’s standard for living a God honoring life or even God’s declared truth? Do you find ‘what is right’ in the eyes of many people in your city or on social media about certain things, is very different from ‘what is right’ in God’s eyes? So how have you handled living in that collision of values? Do you have the courage and confidence to stand for and on what is God’s truth?
Peter and John knew what this group of angry religious leaders had done to Jesus and yet they refused to bow to tyrants. They were willing to receive the same beating Jesus had received, maybe even the same horrible crucifixion! Pause. Do you understand that?
You’ll remember Jesus had given His disciples this commission: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Jesus had told them that only a few days before.
But Peter and John also remembered Jesus had given them a warning about two months ago, the night they shared the Passover meal together, just before Jesus was arrested. Jesus had said: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first… I have chosen you out of the world and that is why the world hates you… If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also...Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well… They will put you out of the Synagogue; in fact the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God!” (John 15:15-16:4)
In the days since Jesus’ crucifixion, I have no doubt these disciples had spent many hours discussing that warning of Jesus and what they had seen these religious leaders do to Jesus. But things had changed for these simple fishermen from Galilee in these past few days. They had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit come upon them and by now more than 5000 people in Jerusalem had responded to their message and trusted Jesus as their Savior and Messiah, and been baptized! (Acts 4:4)
This was no longer 12 Galilean men and some women who had walked with Jesus. This was now a Holy Spirit empowered movement, a ‘Jesus movement’, which was changing Jerusalem! Are you part of such a movement?
Back in the Sanhedrin courtroom the record says: “After further threats they let Peter and John go. They could not decide how to punish these men because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over 40 years old.” (Acts 4:21,22)
That, my friends, is happening in many places of our world today. Did you know that? While it is true thousands of Christians are suffering persecution, torture and even execution, the evidence of the power of God cannot be denied, and often Christians are released by their terrorists who are stupified by something only explainable as a miracle of God!
Peter and John left that courtroom that day and immediately went to find their fellow disciples and friends of Jesus. After hearing the report of Peter and John the entire group raised their hands, hearts and voices to God in great praise!
A spontaneous praise & prayer service began and as they praised God they also requested something from God: “Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:23-30)
What? You mean they did not flee Jerusalem and run back to safety in Galilee? They actually stayed in Jerusalem and even asked God for more Holy Spirit power enabling them to do more miraculous things, even though they knew that would be in total disregard of the stern warning they had received from the Sanhedrin?? Yes!
These Jesus followers were determined to keep the momentum going. Jesus had promised HE would build His church and with more than 5000 Jesus followers just in the past few days, this was no time to stop or run in fear!
God responded! Watch this: “After they prayed the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly!“ (Acts 4:31) Have you ever experienced something like that my friends? A powerful God response to your cry for God’s help? A house shaking; a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, giving you great boldness to speak God’s truth?
Oh my, let’s pause right here and give serious consideration to what God was doing with these courageous followers of Jesus, in the face of great opposition and threats! Do you see evidence God is working like this in your city? What about in your life?
The “lessons learned” study and teaching notes will help you dig more deeply into God’s truth and the worship song will draw your heart to Jesus, and I’ll be waiting here for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 4:18-31.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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