January 22, 2008 Acts 5:27

01/22/2008

Acts 5:27 - 31 (HCSB)

²⁷When they had brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, ²⁸“Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man’s blood on us!”

²⁹But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging Him on a tree. ³¹God exalted this man to His right hand as ruler and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

It is rare that we are called into a courtroom to explain our beliefs before a council that has the power to imprison us if they disagree with our view. Our country, in fact, was founded on the basis that each person may hold his own beliefs without fear of retribution.

Yet, I fear that even though there may not be an official court or council that will hold us to account for our beliefs, our culture has become such that if we believe strongly in Jesus and what He taught, that we are held in contempt by society. It is called “tolerance.” If we believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, then we are found guilty of intolerance. If we believe that God has an absolute moral code, then we are found guilty of intolerance. If we try to tell others about our faith, we are found guilty of intolerance.

A day may yet come when standing up for your faith will cause you to be seen with such contempt that you may think twice about speaking openly about it.

The apostles were in just such a situation. They were speaking openly about Jesus in the Temple porticoes and the religious leaders were furious about it. At least once, they had been thrown in jail for speaking openly about Jesus in the Temple. And in fact, the apostles would face much more opposition in their futures for this same thing. Yet they stood in the face of their accusers and proclaimed the goodness and grace of God through Jesus.

Would you be so bold knowing that you would be beaten or even killed for your answer? Do you tell others about your faith? If you cannot share your faith knowing that the worst that will happen is that you may be personally rejected, how could you possibly stand and proclaim your faith knowing it could result in your death?

Practice your faith today by sharing the good news of Jesus with anyone who will listen.

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]