Before we get into the good stuff… I just want to preface this article by saying my hope and prayer for you as the reader is that at the end, you will feel encouraged and empowered by God’s Word to keep following His call for you, despite the opposition you might be facing.
We’re going to be reading from Acts 5. Now I strongly encourage you to read this entire chapter on your own! You might discover something for yourself I might not say! Regardless, if you can’t at the moment or forget later, because we’re all human, I feel like I’m going to cover the majority. So, don’t worry!
Verses 1-11 tell the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit. This is a great story, but that’s not my focus for today! What we will be digging into today will come from the rest of the chapter, verses 12-42! I’d like for us to break this down by sections!
To give a little context, Peter and the apostles have been traveling around Jerusalem preaching God’s word, telling of Jesus, calling people to repentance, and performing miracles.
So, let’s pick up in verse 12. The word tells us that “Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles.” (Acts 5:12 CSB) Then a few verses later we see that believers are tremendously increasing. They are increasing so much that people are lining up in the streets hoping to be healed by Peter or at least his shadow. If you read verses 17-21 you will find the High Priest and the Sadducees do NOT like this at all. In return they decide to throw all of the apostles in jail.
Next, the craziest thing happens! An angel of the Lord comes in the night to set the apostles free, just to have them the next morning doing exactly what they were arrested for. Now I don’t know about you, but anytime I pass by a police car I always pay more attention to the speed I’m driving to prevent getting a ticket. But the apostles did the exact opposite! They knew they had nothing to fear because the Angel had commanded them to do so. They were obedient to the Lord despite earthy affliction they might face!
The Sanhedrin looked at them like they were crazy! I imagine the High Priest looking at them with his hands on his hips saying, “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name…” (Acts 5:28 CSB)
Here comes the climax, my favorite part of this entire chapter! “Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than people.’” (Acts 5:29 CSB) THAT IS SO AWESOME! Peter has said some iffy things, but he really hit the nail on the head with this one. The apostles had seen first-hand what the Jewish leaders had done to Jesus. That alone would have scared me enough to stay home if I were in their shoes. It even says in verse 33 that the Jewish leaders were enraged and wanted to kill them. Peter must’ve known this would stir up anger, but he persevered! And I encourage you to do the same! If we are living daily for Christ and claiming His name in our life, we should be facing some sort of persecution. As Christians we shouldn’t be staying in our box where we are comfortable and avoiding persecution altogether.
Persecution looks slightly different for everyone, but the principle is the same. You are experiencing pushback from others because you believe in Christ. The apostles knew this and were flogged because they continued to teach. After they were released, they were told AGAIN not to speak the name of Jesus. But this didn’t stop the disciples! I love this next part…
“Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name.” (Acts 5:41 CSB) Then Luke tells us they CONTINUED to teach in verse 42!
When was the last time you rejoiced because someone treated you shamefully on behalf of Christ? I’m asking this to myself, and it’s hard to find an answer. I hope this is a wake-up-call for you just as much as it is me! But if you are being persecuted, at work, home, or maybe because of a sticker on the back of your car… count it as JOY. (James 1:2-4) Use this story as encouragement to keep persevering in your calling and in your everyday life. If you are facing opposition for the name of Christ, trust that the Lord will guide and direct your steps. He might rescue you from your own jail cell just as he did for the apostles. He will not abandon you!
Lastly, do NOT be afraid to obey God rather than people!!! The call on our life as Christians is to spread the gospel and make disciples. So, if you are experiencing that discouraging pushback, press forward, obey, and trust God!