The Apostles and Their Obedience

When I read things like Acts 5:17-42 in my Bible, a lot of things go through my mind.
For example:

  • The way our freedom to pray or preach in certain times or places is not allowed in the “land of the free and the home of the brave”.
  • The way we hesitate to speak about the absolute truth of the Word of God to coworkers due to risking job security because of the potential for making people uncomfortable about sin.
  • The way we wait for people, even dear friends, to ask us about the Bible or Jesus based on the idea that the way we live will invoke overwhelming curiosity in every person around us instead of just telling them what they need to know.

How does this kind of faith compare to the apostles faith?

Acts 5:17-42
[17] But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy [18] they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. [19] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, [20] “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” [21] And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. [22] But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, [23] “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” [24] Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. [25] And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” [26] Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
[27] And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, [28] saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” [29] But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. [30] The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. [31] God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. [32] And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
[33] When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. [34] But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. [35] And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. [36] For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. [37] After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. [38] So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; [39] but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, [40] and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. [41] Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. [42] And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
( Acts 5:17-42 ESV )

Some thoughts after reading these verses:

  • The apostles didn’t hide when there was real risk to their lives – compare that to risking a paycheck.
  • They didn’t stay quiet waiting for others to ask or for fear that they would be displaced and unable to tell individuals later… eventually… someday. They spoke truth. They were put in prison.
  • God wanted them to do more so He made a way for them to continue in spite of their imprisonment. There was nothing they could do without God in this situation. If God’s work is not done, miracles are His specialty! No amount of persecution can stop God’s sovereign will from being completed in full.
  • The apostles did nothing to avoid persecution when their mission was obedience to God which was to preach the truth of Jesus.
  • They called sin what it was. They didn’t just tell a “gospel light” with all the niceties and no message of sin and condemnation.
  • They were bold and courageous and did not fear men. They stood in front of those that had the power to end their lives on this earth, and they told them about their sin, the only savior, repentance, and forgiveness without hesitation.
  • There was no wondering about persecution for their obedience to God. They were put in prison, beaten, and nearly killed for their obedience to God.
  • They were beaten and told to stop talking about Jesus and then immediately went and told people about Jesus every day knowing they would very likely suffer the same thing again.
  • Their perspective on suffering for the name of Jesus was to respond with rejoicing. Put in prison – rejoice! Beaten by the ruling authorities – rejoice! Nearly killed – rejoice! These Christians see things VERY differently when following God in obedience to Him.
  • After everything, they did not cease teaching and preaching about Jesus EVERY DAY even though the authorities told them not to and threatened their lives!

I’m humbled by these verses. There have been times when I’ve made a small step and then when asked to stop, I did. I’m ashamed that I didn’t have the strength of faith at that time. I have hesitated in telling people I care about the truth because I didn’t want to offend or because I didn’t want to risk them disliking me. It is easy to be tempted to not tell the truth of sin and it’s consequences to the people that we are around for fear of negative repercussions to ourselves. There have been people that I’ve wanted to talk to but patiently waited for them to make the first move and ask because I was afraid to make them uncomfortable around me. I know that I’m not the only one that has felt this way and has experienced these situations.

I think the reason is primarily because our faith settles on our own abilities instead of trusting in the infinite power of God. We lose perspective of eternity and think about our well-being in this world.

I pray that in times like these, I’ll remember my weakness and need to completely depend on God to work His will instead of relying on my own abilities in any future situations like these. I’ve been saved from the punishment I deserved for my rebellion against God. I need to tell people about their need to be saved, what they need to be saved from, and how that salvation is available to them through Jesus alone. I pray that my faith will grow into a faith like the apostles had in these verses.

Luther’s Encouragement and Advice for Struggling Believers

I just read this post at the Desiring God blog and wanted to share with my friends.

When we find ourselves in a spiritual battle, this is great encouragement and good advice to remember:

Jerome Weller was a theology student under Martin Luther’s direct influence, living in his home and tutoring his children for nearly a decade. In July 1530, Luther wrote a letter of advice to Weller who was in the midst of a depression.

. . . Excellent Jerome, You ought to rejoice in this temptation of the devil because it is a certain sign that God is propitious and merciful to you. You say that the temptation is heavier than you can bear, and that you fear that it will so break and beat you down as to drive you to despair and blasphemy. I know this wile of the devil. If he cannot break a person with his first attack, he tries by persevering to wear him out and weaken him until the person falls and confesses himself beaten.

Whenever this temptation comes to you, avoid entering upon a disputation with the devil and do not allow yourself to dwell on those deadly thoughts, for to do so is nothing short of yielding to the devil and letting him have his way. Try as hard as you can to despise those thoughts which are induced by the devil. In this sort of temptation and struggle, contempt is the best and easiest method of winning over the devil. Laugh your adversary to scorn and ask who it is with whom you are talking. By all means flee solitude, for the devil watches and lies in wait for you most of all when you are alone. This devil is conquered by mocking and despising him, not by resisting and arguing with him. . .

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.”

Yours,
Martin Luther

Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel, trans. and ed., Theodore G. Tappert, 1960, (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2003), 85ff., paragraphing mine.

In review, Luther mentions five pieces of advice:

  1. Rejoice because temptation testifies of God’s mercy to you.
  2. Do not dwell on the deadly thoughts of the Devil.
  3. Laugh your adversary to scorn.
  4. Be around other believers.
  5. Proclaim the good news of Jesus for you and your salvation.

Verses On What Might Help Or Hinder Prayers

Some verses on what might help/hinder prayers:

Psalm 66:18 – If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.

1 Peter 3:7 – Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

James 1:5-8 – If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 4:3-4 – You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 John 5:14 – And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Psalm 96

Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

( Psalm 96 ESV )

Thinking About Hell

I think it is very difficult for us, as Christians, to realize the consistant and perpetual joy in salvation through Christ Jesus if the thought of the hell that we’ve been saved from is avoided.

When effort is made to better understand and comprehend the depths of the eternal, concious separation from all of the blessings of God, as well as trying to comprehend the grace that was provided for us as followers of Jesus, then humility, joy, and gratitude are overwhelming.

With this realization, repentance and sharing this joy with others by evangelism becomes the most natural reflex of love and not something that brings fear and discomfort.

It’s good to think about hell sometimes. It’s good to know what we are being saved from.

Amazing Time-Lapse Photography

I stumbled across these videos a few weeks ago and really like them. I’d recommend that you use the “full screen” option in the video player to get a better view. Enjoy!

 

How to Subscribe to a Blog

Since I’m starting a new blog, I thought I start with explaining how to subscribe.

If you see the “RSS” links on my blog site, simply click the link and copy the url into your blog reading application. I have used both Microsoft Outlook and Google Reader to stay updated on the blogs that I follow.

If you’d like to start subscribing to blogs, then here is a quick video I found for using Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader/) to do just that.

If you have any troubles, let me know and I’ll try to help you out.