Acts 4

Posted on May 10, 2017 in Bible (NT) in a Year |

Wednesday

How can people be so blind to what is happening right in front of the them?

Peter and John are thrown into prison because apparently the religious leaders don’t like someone teaching the people the truth about God. Remember Annas, the High Priest and Caiaphas? These are the same guys who arranged to Jesus crucified. I wonder if they are getting a little scared? Here are two of Jesus’ followers– telling people Jesus rose from the dead and claiming to heal a man in Jesus’ name. Obviously there are some changes that have come over them. They speak boldly and with great wisdom. Even the High Priests recognize this.  They can’t very well do anything drastic (besides it didn’t seem to work with Jesus). Too many people witnessed this miracle. So what do you do? It’s almost laughable what they come up with. Ah… Peter and John… don’t do it again – or we will “throw the book” at you.

I’m thinking (and maybe you are too) that between following man’s law or following Jesus, I’ll choose Jesus.

The reality of this statement is that it is coming soon a time when we will have to choose whether we are thrown in jail because we refuse to stop preaching and sharing the word of God, or we follow man’s law and save ourselves from possible death. It is a choice that many Christians have had to make over the last two thousand years. I pray that it doesn’t happen here in the United States, but I fear that it will. The enemies of Jesus are growing stronger every day, because faithful Christians are more afraid of what their neighbors or friends will think of them if they boldly proclaim their faith in Jesus. They are letting the opposition win time and again in the courts. They are letting little by little our rights to pray and say what we believe taken away from us. In the name of civil liberty, our rights as Christian are being compromised daily. When does it stop? Where does it stop?

I don’t know if it is possible to regain our foothold and make our nation a nation under God, but I do know that I will not compromise my beliefs. God’s laws trump man’s. Their prayer needs to be our prayer:

“O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth and of the sea and everything in them you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor King David, your servant, saying, ‘Why do the heathen rage against the Lord, and the foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty God? The kings of the earth unite to fight against him and against the anointed Son of God!’  That is what is happening here in this city today! For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the Romans—as well as the people of Israel—are united against Jesus, your anointed Son, your holy servant.  They won’t stop at anything that you in your wise power will let them do.  And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to your servants great boldness in their preaching, and send your healing power, and may miracles and wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (vss 24-30 MSG)

This must be our prayer. We need to experience an awakening in our country and across the world.

Seeking Boldness

Pastor Kathy