I realize that many Christians in the west don't have any personal experience with harassment or persecution for their faith. In fact many of us may not even know anyone personally who has paid a significant price for following Jesus. So when we read the story of the early church in Acts, it does not resonate with where we live.
However we need to make the effort, as with all biblical stories to identify with the characters. To have the stories come alive for us we need to ask questions such as: "What was it like to go through that situation?"; "How much was their faith tested or how much did they hesitate?"; "If that was me, what would I do?" Some biblical stories may seem irrelevant to us but terribly relevant to other followers of Jesus.
The Jewish leaders in Acts 3 - 8 were first disturbed by the healing of the man who was crippled for 40 years. After a healing encounter with Jesus through the Apostle Peter, the excited man kept walking and jumping for joy and drew a large crowd to whom Peter preached. You know what happened next. The healing miracles continued apparently through all of the apostles and the church experienced explosive growth. People began coming from the surrounding towns to experience these amazing miracles.
This was "disturbing of the peace" greatly disturbed the religious leaders. So all of the apostles were all arrested and imprisoned. They were freed from prison miraculously but then arrested again.
As I read the account in Acts 5 today, I four phrases among many stood out in this exciting, encouraging story. Here are three of them.
"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,”; "Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus"; "they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah."
How impressive is the the apparently unhesitant manner in which the apostles continued to do what God had called them to do. Told in no uncertain terms by the most powerful Jewish leaders "stop talking about Jesus"; whipped painfully to underline and emphasize this command; Yet they could not be stopped.
The leaders were too blind to see that their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was powerfully at work. Sadly they were too deaf to hear with understanding the warning from one of their own. They could not, they would not see the hand of God in spite of this wise advice.
"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
We look back and recognize that the apostles are rightly "heroes of the faith", willing to suffer anything as they faithfully lived for Christ. Right now, in places you may never heard of, there are others who are similarly becoming "heroes of the faith." Pray for them.
However we need to make the effort, as with all biblical stories to identify with the characters. To have the stories come alive for us we need to ask questions such as: "What was it like to go through that situation?"; "How much was their faith tested or how much did they hesitate?"; "If that was me, what would I do?" Some biblical stories may seem irrelevant to us but terribly relevant to other followers of Jesus.
The Jewish leaders in Acts 3 - 8 were first disturbed by the healing of the man who was crippled for 40 years. After a healing encounter with Jesus through the Apostle Peter, the excited man kept walking and jumping for joy and drew a large crowd to whom Peter preached. You know what happened next. The healing miracles continued apparently through all of the apostles and the church experienced explosive growth. People began coming from the surrounding towns to experience these amazing miracles.
This was "disturbing of the peace" greatly disturbed the religious leaders. So all of the apostles were all arrested and imprisoned. They were freed from prison miraculously but then arrested again.
As I read the account in Acts 5 today, I four phrases among many stood out in this exciting, encouraging story. Here are three of them.
"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,”; "Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus"; "they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah."
How impressive is the the apparently unhesitant manner in which the apostles continued to do what God had called them to do. Told in no uncertain terms by the most powerful Jewish leaders "stop talking about Jesus"; whipped painfully to underline and emphasize this command; Yet they could not be stopped.
The leaders were too blind to see that their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was powerfully at work. Sadly they were too deaf to hear with understanding the warning from one of their own. They could not, they would not see the hand of God in spite of this wise advice.
"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
We look back and recognize that the apostles are rightly "heroes of the faith", willing to suffer anything as they faithfully lived for Christ. Right now, in places you may never heard of, there are others who are similarly becoming "heroes of the faith." Pray for them.
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