Daily Bread 2010 - Acts 5
Daily Bread 2010 – Acts 5
21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.
25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
As we see the apostles carrying out their ministry, what they are doing and the response to them looks remarkably similar to what Jesus did and how he was received. After being freed miraculously by an angel from jail, they are found out in the temple as the angel had commanded them to do.
When the high priests and his associates came back they sent for them in the jail, but they were not there. They discovered them out teaching in the temple courts. The high priest (the highest ranking Jewish elder) reminded them that they were given strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name.
In Acts 4:29 we hear Peter’s famous reply, “We must obey God rather than men!” Jesus had told Peter and the others that they would suffer for His name and come to a similar fate and now it was coming true. Peter and the others had a choice, would they obey God, or man?
Usually we are called to obey civil and governing authorities and even those placed in authority in our churches. But there are times when obeying these authorities would be to disobey God. In these situations, we must obey our highest authority, God! This was the same decision Dietrich Bonhoeffer made when he resisted Adolf Hitler and paid for that decision with his life in jail. The story of how God used him there is a remarkable one much like what we read in the book of Acts.
You’ll notice this wasn’t a feeling Peter was acting on, but the angel had told him to do this. Rarely will we receive a direct revelation from God or from one of his angels, but it does happen. The usual way God’s reveals His will is through the bible and in the power of Christian community. As we are thoroughly familiar with the God’s word and accountable within a Christian fellowship, and living in the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit; the right thing to do in most every case will be very clear.
But there are times when we will not be sure whether to obey God or men. These decisions will take a lot of discernment and prayer and the wisdom of others we respect in their Christian faith in discerning what is the right thing to do in these cases.
This does not give us license to rashly say, “Well I will not obey this or that law, because I obey God first.” Most of our laws are consistent with God’s revealed law, as summarized in the Ten Commandments. Ie. Do not kill, Do not steal. Although there are instances even today where certain issues that are being legislated in our society which many Christians feel are in direct opposition to God’s revealed will (Ie. abortion, homosexuality)
As Christians we need to pray and continue to be a leavening force in our society, so that our culture doesn’t move into a completely secularist viewpoint. Many feel we are well on the way to this condition already, and the time is now for Christians to be more vocal to legislate for Christian worldview, which our country was founded upon. I can’t say I disagree with them.
God grant us the wisdom to understand where we must obey you rather than men. Help us to be the leaven and the light that sits on a hill so the world may know the truth that will set them free in Jesus’ name, Amen.
21At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.
25Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." 26At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
As we see the apostles carrying out their ministry, what they are doing and the response to them looks remarkably similar to what Jesus did and how he was received. After being freed miraculously by an angel from jail, they are found out in the temple as the angel had commanded them to do.
When the high priests and his associates came back they sent for them in the jail, but they were not there. They discovered them out teaching in the temple courts. The high priest (the highest ranking Jewish elder) reminded them that they were given strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name.
In Acts 4:29 we hear Peter’s famous reply, “We must obey God rather than men!” Jesus had told Peter and the others that they would suffer for His name and come to a similar fate and now it was coming true. Peter and the others had a choice, would they obey God, or man?
Usually we are called to obey civil and governing authorities and even those placed in authority in our churches. But there are times when obeying these authorities would be to disobey God. In these situations, we must obey our highest authority, God! This was the same decision Dietrich Bonhoeffer made when he resisted Adolf Hitler and paid for that decision with his life in jail. The story of how God used him there is a remarkable one much like what we read in the book of Acts.
You’ll notice this wasn’t a feeling Peter was acting on, but the angel had told him to do this. Rarely will we receive a direct revelation from God or from one of his angels, but it does happen. The usual way God’s reveals His will is through the bible and in the power of Christian community. As we are thoroughly familiar with the God’s word and accountable within a Christian fellowship, and living in the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit; the right thing to do in most every case will be very clear.
But there are times when we will not be sure whether to obey God or men. These decisions will take a lot of discernment and prayer and the wisdom of others we respect in their Christian faith in discerning what is the right thing to do in these cases.
This does not give us license to rashly say, “Well I will not obey this or that law, because I obey God first.” Most of our laws are consistent with God’s revealed law, as summarized in the Ten Commandments. Ie. Do not kill, Do not steal. Although there are instances even today where certain issues that are being legislated in our society which many Christians feel are in direct opposition to God’s revealed will (Ie. abortion, homosexuality)
As Christians we need to pray and continue to be a leavening force in our society, so that our culture doesn’t move into a completely secularist viewpoint. Many feel we are well on the way to this condition already, and the time is now for Christians to be more vocal to legislate for Christian worldview, which our country was founded upon. I can’t say I disagree with them.
God grant us the wisdom to understand where we must obey you rather than men. Help us to be the leaven and the light that sits on a hill so the world may know the truth that will set them free in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment