I love reading this story even after reading it most likely a 100 times. It brings an incredible encouragement that no matter the situation before us, we do have a choice to continue in our faith in Christ or to shrink back and just allow the chips to fall how they may.
We see Peter and John even though in human perspective it wasn't looking good for them, but they had such a confidence in Christ that they continued to press in proclaiming the Truth of God.
I noticed that they were not confident necessarily in themselves but they had this confidence in Christ that was contagious. Through this jail time the rulers and elders recognized that they were unschooled and ordinary men. Scripture tells us that many who heard their message believed, growing now to 5,000.
Now that does something to me, these men did not walk where they walked because of their intelligence but because of their experience with Christ. That experience with Christ has not only changed their personal lives but they then couldn't help but share that truth and love with everyone.
I read this quote that maybe puts this into proper perspective today:
A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much.
So the truth be told that we can go through this life unwilling to chance, to take a risk, to lay it all out for Christ and still die STILL. Or we can risk it all, chance everything, and lay it all out, living as we see lived throughout the book of Acts.
Allow me to ask: As you lay there STILL in a coffin when you pass from this life to the next and everyone shows up at the funeral home and tells lies about how good you were, what will be the true story of that STILL man?
Philippians 3:7-11
Let us live for Christ alone!
Awesome! Thanks. It really makes me think. It gives me something to strive for. A tangible goal.
ReplyDeleteLay STILL, oh to be called faithful.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteA day in the life of a Christ follower during this time: wake up, pray, work, pray, heal a crippled, praise, lead others to Christ, get arrested, witness, get released, pray, be filled with the Holy Spirit and do life with others. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteIn reading this chapter I see John and Peter go through a day filled with ups and downs. Several constant variables in the life of these men were: prayer, worship, sharing their faith and loving others. These are staples of the Christian life and were clearly evident in these two leaders. It set them apart and made “ordinary” look otherworldly.
I also love their prayer and am challenged by its selflessness. They could have been praying for a lot of things, but after what had just transpired they were even more adamant about honoring God and making Jesus famous. All of these events brought this young church closer. Doing God's work and fulfilling His desire became more important than status, money, position, safety, and possessions. The church was paying a price to get there, but once they experienced this kind of life, there was no going back!
"Jesus promised His disciples three things: that they would be entirely fearless, absurdly happy, and that they would get into trouble."
- W Russell Maltby
The living environment and persecution that John and Peter went through is no different than what christians go through in present day and by that I do not mean in a literal sense.
ReplyDeleteAn illustration would be, While advances in techinology have done wonders to improve the way we live and do buisness, it has also been a way that people have taken time away from the word and God, hence the lack of faith and boldness for christ as we live more and more isolated.
This kind of courage and blind faith is not the doing of man alone but the doing of the one and only Christ and the only way to have people not tell lies when I lay still is to stay in the word and learn not to live on my own power and strength but to trust and walk in his word.
The power of God is undeniable. In this chapter, Peter and John are arrested because they were teaching in the name of Jesus. That disturbed the Saducees because they had been the ones who instigated the crucifixion, but now the people were turning back to Him because of what they were hearing through these two men.
ReplyDeleteWhen the rulers/elders questioned them as to what authority they had, they were bold in their convictions. Peter and John called them out as being the ones who had Jesus crucified and proclaimed their God as greater because of Jesus' resurrection.
Then, in verse 12, we find the everlasting truth. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." That is their defining statement. They knew that they must follow Jesus and be like him if they are to be saved.
And the rulers had no comeback because the proof was standing right in front of them in the form of the crippled beggar who had just been healed.
The power of God is undeniable. Anyone who truly proclaims Jesus as their savior and follows his example will be saved. It doesn't matter what the rest of the world says.
After their encounter, the two went back to the rest of the group and told them what happened and began to do what? They began to praise God and to pray once again. They also knew that their strength was not from themselves, but only in their relationship with God.
JV
The part that stuck out to me is how the priests could not refute what had happened. They also refused to believe. It's strangely fascinating behavior. It reminds me that when God does something it is undeniable that He is truly God. I also love the fact that they recognize they are going to be in these situations more in the future. Their prayer is a realization that when they encounter these situations again they will Need Gods help. I think there is so much to learn from that. We tend to bask in the glory of a victory and forget that its merely to prepare us for what's next to come.
ReplyDelete