THURSDAY 22 April 2021 “Fresh Perspective”

Click To Download and Print Document or PDF

Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

It’s good to celebrate when things turn out right, when good wins over evil, especially when it brings glory to God for all to see, do you agree? We don’t hear much news like that these days from anywhere in our world, so let me invite you to join me in one of those experiences as we continue following the events in Jerusalem in the weeks after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension back to heaven. We’re in Acts 4 today.

Yesterday we watched as Peter and John were arrested for boldly speaking the truth about Jesus and explaining the healing of a crippled man. They were brought before the Sanhedrin. This was a group of 72 of the most influential, scholarly Jewish teachers and leaders. It included both Pharisees and Sadducees, the two biggest and most influential groups of orthodox Jewish leaders in that day. These were the same men who had rejected Jesus and called for His crucifixion. The Sanhedrin had unquestioned authority over all matters pertaining to life and worship within the Jewish world at that time. We can safely imagine they had discussed on several occasions what should be done with these followers of Jesus who were now leading a fast growing spiritual movement in Jerusalem. Amazingly, in only a few weeks, this movement had grown to more than 5000 followers of Jesus! It was becoming a significant, influential force and the Sanhedrin could not stand by idle allowing this to continue.

But the Sanhedrin faced a problem! While they had tried to silence Jesus by death, many people claimed He was alive, resurrected and had appeared many times to many different people over a period of 40 days! (Acts 1:1-3) Some claimed Jesus had ascended from the Mount of Olives, in full view of many people, up into the sky! They say two angels had appeared and claimed resurrected Jesus had returned to God’s heaven from which He had come! For 10 days those few friends and followers of Jesus had met together trying to discern what God wanted them to do next. They were timid, fearful, cautious for they knew they were being watched carefully both by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem and by members of the Sanhedrin who were everywhere in Jerusalem as the festival of Pentecost approached. And then the Holy Spirit came in power upon those followers of Jesus and they spoke in many different languages they had never learned but languages known by thousands of pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost from all over the Roman Empire. They heard the Gospel of Jesus proclaimed by these Galilean followers of Jesus in their own languages! It was miraculous. And now, a crippled man has been healed and Peter claimed it was by faith in Jesus!

I think it’s safe to say Jerusalem was an uproar! However, contrary to the ‘uproar’ we have seen when groups of people react violently to events with which they disagree in almost every part of the world, in those days in Jerusalem there were no riots, no looting, no political demands. Rather there was a spiritual movement bringing hope and life change to many people but unauthorized by either politicians or religious leaders, and both unpredictable and uncontrollable!

One of the great lessons of history is we humans cannot control God no matter how hard we try! Do you agree? But for centuries politicians, religious zealots, anarchists, dictators, military forces, atheists and others have tried to stop spiritual movements of God in almost every country of our world. The result has often been bloodshed, but Jesus will not be restrained or outlawed! The human soul desperately longs for the hope and help found only in Jesus and once people begin to experience Jesus and a spiritual movement results…almost nothing can stop it!

The Sanhedrin demanded that Peter and John stop speaking about Jesus! Peter and John responded: “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight for us to obey you rather than God. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19) Friends, I doubt any of us can imagine the courage, the boldness required for these two simple Galilean fishermen to stand up to the most educated, powerful men in all of Israel! The very men who had called for Jesus’ death! I’ve often thought about what I would have done or said in that moment… what about you?

Luke writes: “After further threats they (Sanhedrin) let Peter and John go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God… Upon their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that had happened.” (Acts 4:21-23) I presume ‘their own people’ means especially those who were gathered together as the closest friends and followers of Jesus when the Holy Spirit had come upon them at Pentecost. (Acts 1:14) That would include the other disciples, Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene and many others. Can you imagine that reunion? They knew Peter and John had been arrested and kept overnight in the jail and had been brought before the Sanhedrin. I’m sure they feared for Peter and John’s lives!

Look around the crowd as Peter and John are giving their report of what happened to them. What do you see? Luke writes: “When the people heard Peter and John, they raised their voices together in prayer to God!” Acts 4:24-30 is that powerful prayer they prayed. I also assume there was likely shouts of praise and thanksgiving, maybe song and likely some tears of amazement that God had prevented the Sanhedrin from harming Peter and John. But listen to their prayer my friends, it is not a prayer of thanks for protection and then a plan to run. Luke reports they prayed like this: “Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29,30) What do you hear, my friends? I hear a desperate cry for more! More great, life changing work of God. More of the power of Jesus. More healing of broken lives. More hope that only Jesus can bring to any city at any time!

May I ask… what are the people in your city, your church most needing in these first months of 2021 and where are they looking for answers? What are people expecting from your government, your business leaders, your politicians, your military, your scientists and health care leaders, your entertainers and famous athletes? And compare that to what people where you live are asking God for these days!

Look at how Jesus responded to their prayer that day in Jerusalem… “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) Does that confuse you my friends? Are these not the same people who had been anointed by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day? Yes, we presume so. And so what is this fresh filling of the Holy Spirit? Have you found that your participation in a glorious worship service or powerful prayer service or even very special private time with Jesus, while almost beyond description in how it spiritually fills you to overflowing, seems to dissipate in the everyday grind of life as you go about the busyness of your days? Why does that happen?

We live in a world immersed in evil, and a sinful human race most of whom want little to do with God, am I right? 1 John 5:19 says it this way: “The whole world is under the control of the evil one.” Almost everything we hear, see or experience each day, in the normal course of life, no matter where you live in the world, is devoid of God. As a result, our minds and hearts are continually deluged with things which can draw us away from God. It’s a profound spiritual battle. The renewed focus of our minds and heart upon Jesus and the spiritual things of God requires both a work of the Holy Spirit and our intentionality! This is why David wrote “Teach me Your way O LORD and I will walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name.” (Psalm 86:11) For almost everyone, living life everyday is battling with a divided heart, being pulled in so many different directions.

These friends and followers of Jesus responded to Peter and John’s report with thanksgiving, praise and urgent prayer. They knew opposition would only increase against them. Those who wanted Jesus dead, would also be passionate about eliminating Jesus’ name, Jesus’ influence and even Jesus followers from Jerusalem and all of Israel, as quickly and permanently as possible. Do you notice they did not pray for God to eliminate the Sanhedrin or Roman soldiers. Rather they prayed that God would do that which would make Jesus famous and bring great glory to God as Jesus kept saving people and bringing spiritual change to Jerusalem!

Their fresh anointing by the Holy Spirit was in preparation for what Jesus knew was ahead for them, and we’ll look at that tomorrow. For today, may I ask, how long has it been since you’ve experienced a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit in your soul? I invite you to worship with this profound worship song, and read Ephesians 1 slowly, reflectively, maybe even out loud, and then spend some time talking with Jesus, inviting HIM to do a fresh Holy Spirit work in your spirit, today!

Today’s Scriptures is Acts 4:23-31 and Ephesians 1.

Choose below to read or listen.

Acts 4:23-31

Ephesians 1

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).

Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.