The Big One—Jailhouse Revival (Part 2)

Discipleship for the Darkest Times 

3 Types of Evangelism in a Crisis

We began looking at this episode from Acts 16 last week. The passage spoke of Paul and Silas being arrested, stripped, badly beaten, thrown in the dungeon, and locked in stocks. It was a very bad day, to say the least. As we noted last week—in the context of Mother’s Day—often the things our children face are not what we might have planned. Some disappointments and circumstances might be trivial, while others may be tragic.

• Sometimes they don’t get enough playing time on their sports teams or they never get a speaking line in the play.
• Sometimes they are passed over for a well-deserved promotion.
• Sometimes they are picked on, or bullied, and that always bothers a parent.
• Perhaps they may be treated unfairly by a teacher, or a boss. Been there, and bought the T-shirt.
• Sometimes there are accidents, disasters, and other tragedies.

It seems like their world was rocked…but as we read last week, after a killer day we see them praying and singing hymns in the dark and smelly dungeon. They weren’t complaining or thinking of themselves. In the midst of their pain and discomfort, they prayed and sang of their belief and gratitude to God and people listened. Is it possible that their best evangelism occurred at those points of greatest weakness?

If we are yielded to the grace of Jesus, no disaster can destroy our testimony.

However, “You can’t prepare for a crisis in a crisis.” –Ron Mehl

Since we live in the Pacific Northwest, along the Cascadia Subduction zone, disaster preparedness experts tell us that “the big one,” an earthquake in the Magnitude 8-9 range is not a matter of “if”, but “when.” Our neighbors to the south face talk of the “big one” regarding a disastrous quake along the San Andreas fault. What is the largest earthquake you have experienced? I experienced many earthquakes in California including one that tossed me out of bed!

The first large quake my family experienced in Oregon was in March 1993, at 5:34 a.m. called the “Spring Break Quake” (Mag. 5.6) and was quite loud like a freight train coming through the house, and was accompanied by sharp shaking.

The second quake, in February 2001 (Mag. 6.8) the “Nisqually Quake” caused buildings in Portland to sway for 20 to 30 seconds. In Beaverton and Hillsboro, it was a slow rolling motion that tended to make you feel a little motion sick. Apart from the potential for death and destruction, what about an earthquake is most unnerving? For me, it is discovering that what we thought to be solid and unmoving is quite fluid (liquefaction) and unstable! This experience is not limited to physical earthquakes but can be just as emotionally unnerving when our support system is rocked or lets us down.

However, as we saw in the story of Paul and Silas in prison, 

A crisis allows us an opportunity to practice…

1. Overflow Evangelism (Matt. 12:33-35; Luke 6:43-45) …sharing our faith with others is most fruitful when it comes from a consistent overflow of God’s love and hope in our lives. They may be in crisis as well and in need of God’s love through us! Here are a few passages that touch on this idea.

• Matt 12:33-35 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. (also Luke 6:43-45) 
• Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
• John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

Will we be ready or not, when the moments of crisis come? What will overflow from our lives?

• Not Ready…

Some in the Bible were not ready when a crisis came. Peter was not ready when he was “squeezed” on the night Jesus was arrested. What came out of his life at that time? Fear, denial, anger, and profanity as he rejected even knowing Jesus…and then bitter tears as he realized what he had done (Matt. 26:69-75). Jesus had warned him to pray so that when temptation came he would not follow it to the place of sin and failure—but he slept instead (See Matt. 26:40-43).

• Ready…

The young Daniel (Daniel 1) was taken from his home as a captive, forced to learn a new culture and language and serve a foreign government but he would not disobey God. He wouldn’t eat the king’s habit-forming meat and wine but proposed a test. The diplomatic pursuit of his convictions was noticed. “And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” (1:7) Later, as a leader, Daniel’s habit was to pray three times a day… so when a crisis came he was spiritually ready for it  (See Daniel 6). He didn’t fail like Peter, but survived a night in a den of hungry lions! Daniel’s faithfulness deeply influenced the king, as did God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel from the hungry lions! So much so that the king issued a decree for his entire empire…

       Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages 

                             that dwell in all the earth: 

                                       “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, 

                                      that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear 

                     before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,

                               enduring forever;

           his kingdom shall never be destroyed,

    and his dominion shall be to the end.

    He delivers and rescues;

    he works signs and wonders

          in heaven and on earth,

    he who has saved Daniel

                       from the power of the lions.” (Daniel 6:25-27)

What is the overflow of our lives? Is it love, joy, peace, trust, and gratitude even in seasons of intense lament and loss? May our evangelism be sourced in such an overflow in our lives.

A second type of evangelism that surfaces in a crisis is that which is squeezed out of us in the crush of overwhelming circumstances. I call this “Olive Press Evangelism.”

2. Olive Press Evangelism

Olive oil comes from crushing pressure on the olives. Ancient processing methods used a large rolling stone to crush the olives. Then the crushed olive paste was placed in baskets and further pressed with large stone weights, and later levers were employed to increase the pressure. The oil from the first pressing is the lightest (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and is used for food. The last pressing under the most weight produced a darker oil that was generally used for lamps. Could what comes out of us at the most stressful times of our life become a light to others? Yes. God can take our greatest pain and use it for good if we are fully surrendered to his heart. So, again, when we get squeezed, what comes out? Quite simply, what comes out is what we have inside—either evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit or our own sinfully selfish attitudes (what the Bible calls our “flesh”) See also Galatians 5:16-24.

• Abraham—Trusting God’s Promise… When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, he believed that God would raise him from the dead. See also Genesis 22:8; Hebrews 11:17-19.
• Three Hebrew Children—Faithful Resolve…When Daniel’s three friends were threatened with being thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal they believed God could deliver them but even if he didn’t they would not bow. See also Daniel 3:16-18.
• Jesus—Loving Care for Others… I shared last week how when Jesus was on the cross and saw his mother and stopped dying for a moment and took care of her needs (John 19:25-27). Also, in response to those who hurled insults and mocked him, Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

It is from the example of olive press evangelism of Jesus on the cross, as well as from his earlier teachings that we can see the third type of evangelism that followers of Christ often have the opportunity to practice in a crisis—enemy evangelism.

3. Enemy Evangelism

Read Acts 16:27-31 and notice how Paul and Silas functioned in their crisis...

When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open,

                   he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,

                                           supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 

But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 

   And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear

                   he fell down before Paul and Silas. 

          Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,

                                                                          you and your household.”

Our mission is not just to share the message of God’s love and forgiveness with people we like, but with those who have set themselves against us. John S. Leonard in his book, Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day (New Growth Press. 2013)  suggests that “Fully biblical evangelism is, in fact, enemy evangelism— loving, blessing, and praying for our enemies. We don’t need Jesus in order to love our friends— most of the time! We don’t have to rely on his grace to be kind to those we care about.”[1]

He continues to emphasize the need for divine empowerment in such an unnatural ministry.  “Enemy evangelism is dependent on Christ and the Holy Spirit. Friendship evangelism puts the focus on us, limiting the power of the gospel to our ability to be friendly.”[2]

So what should we do differently in our efforts at evangelism? Leonard suggests that,

Instead of making friends, hoping that one day they will be interested in the gospel, we should find people who are interested in the gospel and befriend them. Christians will ask me, “What should I do if none of my friends are interested in the gospel?” The answer I give them is, “Keep your friends; their interest in the gospel could change any day. Just make room in your life for some new friends who are interested in the gospel.”

       Better to practice evangelism that is friendly than “friendship evangelism.” We know no strangers because everyone we meet is owed common courtesy and friendship.[3]

Jesus made it clear that it was no big deal to be loving to those who love you—kind to those who are kind, friendly to those who are friendly—but what about your enemy?

                  You have heard that it was said, 

                  ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

       so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

   For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,

                  and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

         For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

                            Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 

        And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?

                            Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 

                  You therefore must be perfect, 

                               as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Paul and Silas not only were friendly in their evangelism, but they practiced “enemy evangelism.” Like the God they served, they had no joy in the death of their enemy but cried out to save him from a ritual suicide. That kind of love changes people.

In politically charged times like this, we need to be reminded that, as people of God, we are not to celebrate the fall of our enemies (See Proverbs 24:17-18; Psalm 35:15; Prov. 17:5; Eze. 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).

So how can we turn our crises into opportunities to trust Christ more, grow stronger in grace, and maintain our authentic witness? How can we stand firm when everything and everyone around us is being shaken? Maybe we can learn from a simple earthquake drill.

Three Basic Spiritual Lessons from an Earthquake Drill

What is it that we are taught to do if we are caught in an actual earthquake? PSAs and school drills encourage us to resist the natural impulse to run and instead, we are to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On."

What do we do when the structure of our life collapses? Or when our support system seems to start falling apart? When we realize that we are on shaky ground due to our own sin and weakness or the sin of others against us?

“Drop”—Fall to our knees in confession and prayer (Phil. 4:6-7; 1 John 1:9) In regards to our need in a crisis, we are instructed to refuse to run in anxiety but to drop in prayer. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, which was birthed in persecution,

Do not be anxious about anything, 

                           but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

                  let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We don’t have to be strong and in control of our circumstances. We do need to be quick confessors whether of our own sins or of our need for the presence of God. In regard to our sins, confession allows God to clean the sponge of our souls,

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

“Cover”—Put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) In an earthquake one of the greatest dangers is that of being struck on the head by falling debris. So, in a spiritual crisis, we need to cover up with the protection God supplies. Paul calls it “spiritual armor” in his letter to the church at Ephesus,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 

                 Put on the whole armor of God,

                 that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

    For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

                                  but against the rulers,

                                        against the authorities,

                                        against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,

                                       against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,

         that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,

       and having done all, to stand firm. 

                                                       Stand therefore, 

              having fastened on the belt of truth, and 

              having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

    and, as shoes for your feet,

              having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 

     In all circumstances take up the shield of faith,

                 with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

                and take the helmet of salvation,

                        and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

                 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,

                                                     making supplication for all the saints, 

Hold On”—Don’t let go of the promises and presence of Christ Jesus. The Psalmist writes of how when we hold fast to the Lord, the Lord becomes our deliverer and protector, the One who answers us when we call.

 “Because he holds fast to me in love,

                                   I will deliver him;
                                   I will protect him,

  because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
                                   I will be with him in trouble;
                                   I will rescue him and honor him.
             With long life I will satisfy  him
                                      and show him my salvation.” (Psa. 91:14-16)

I love how Peter, on the Day of Pentecost quoted Psalm 16:8-11, describing how God is present with us in the resurrected Christ Jesus so that we might not be shaken,

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, 

because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 

For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell in hope. (Acts 2:24-26)

The kingdom citizenship we are receiving in Christ cannot be shaken and will remain after all that can be shaken has been removed (Hebrews 12:26-29). 

Other verses to consider: Rev. 3:10-12; Hosea 12:6; Psalm 63:8; 119:31; Rom. 12:9; Josh. 22:5; Heb. 12:1-3; Jer. 17:7-8.

---

[1] John S. Leonard, Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day (New Growth Press. 2013) (Kindle Locations 917-919).

[2]  Leonard, 2013 (Kindle Locations 924-925).

[3]  Leonard, 2013 (Kindle Locations 939-944).

Seeing What God is Doing (Acts 5:17-42)

As we continue our study in The Acts of the Apostles, or what should be known as 
The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ through the Apostles, we see revival made the 
religious leaders uncomfortable.

1. Religious Jealousy Was Aroused by Revival (v.16-18; John 16:1-4)

   Then the high priest and all his associates, 

                                 who were members of the party of the Sadducees, 

                                         were filled with jealousy. 

   They arrested the apostles

                    and put them in the public jail. 

As more and more people believed in the resurrection of Jesus the Sadducees, the ruling class in Jerusalem, became more aggressive in trying to stamp out this new sect of the Nazarene. We should realize that “revival” is no guarantee of government approval; in fact, revival and rapid church growth are often threatening to those in power. Why is that? Is it because grace-bathed, Spirit-filled, Christians are dangerous? No, for they become more loving, caring, and serving towards others. When they truly follow Jesus in the power of the Spirit they are changed from the inside out and stop lying, stealing, and cheating. They work harder at whatever their job is because it is seen as worship unto the Lord. You don’t need a policeman on the corner when you have one in the heart. When Christians don’t do this, it is an indication that they are influenced more by their culture and their own desires than by a love for God and for humanity.

So why were the religious leaders jealous? Well, what arouses jealousy in general?

We tend to arose jealousy in others when we have a different center of attention, a different recipient of our affection, and have shuffled our alliances (ultimate loyalty) from the status quo. Those who faithfully follow Jesus are generally more law-abiding citizens than others. However, their first loyalty is not to those in power, but to the Lord and showing his love to “the least of these.”

We also know that such opposition should not have been a surprise since Jesus had told them about it ahead of time (John 16:1-4)

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

This happened first at the hands of the Jews who charged them with blasphemy, then the Romans who charged them with atheism (because they only believed in one God) and so on down through history with governments (e.g., communist USSR, China, Vietnam, Cuba, etc.) hating Christians because of a greater loyalty than to the state. Today, it is primarily at the hands of Muslim extremists who think they are serving God to kill the followers of Jesus, even though Jesus (Isa) is one of their prophets.

This is the smoking gun that they don’t know God…when violence is done against God’s people wherever they may be found.

Also, you can never say that Jesus wasn’t upfront and thorough in telling them about the difficulties they would face. Difficulties we cannot stand up against if we are trusting in our own strength (as we see from Peter on the night Jesus was arrested).

Why don’t we see these kinds of miracles today?

I am sure that we could list quite a few reasons, but I chose to consider five examples from church history and will draw at least one potential reason from each one.

A) Irenaeus (ca. 125-202) was one of the leaders of the early church that we refer to as “Apostolic Fathers.” He made a rather off-handed comment regarding not only of the presence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church of his day, but their purpose. This is a strong argument for miracles of healing continuing to be experienced beyond the lives of the Apostles. They were seen as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus. He said,

“Those who are truly his disciples receive grace from him and put this grace into action for the benefit of other men, as each has received the gifts from him. Some drive out devils...some have foreknowledge of the future...others heal the sick through the laying on hands...and even the dead have been raised up before now and have remained with us for many years. Why, there is no numbering of the gifts which all over the world the Church has received. from the Lord; and put into action day by day, in the name of Christ Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, for the benefit of the nations, without deceit and without payment. For as the Church has received freely from the Lord, so it freely serves mankind.^[1]

So what does this suggest? Perhaps we don’t see signs and wonders as often because the church doesn’t use its gifts for the benefit of others as it should.

B) Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) & the Pope

While I have seen this anecdote told of St. Francis of Assisi, it would seem to be better attested as having involved Thomas Aquinas. It is said that Thomas Aquinas once visited his friend the pope and was shown all of the treasures of the Roman Church. The pope said to Thomas,

“Well, Thomas, no longer can the church say, ‘Silver and Gold have I none.” 

Thomas replied, “Yes, Holy Father, but neither can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk’?” 

Perhaps this story suggests that the Church became an empire rather than a spiritual community.

C) David Hume (1711-1776) and the Enlightenment.

Hume raised a new philosophical opposition to miracles based on probability and the laws of nature. This position was related to a movement towards Naturalism— a term referring to a philosophy that denies the existence and activity of the supernatural or the metaphysical. All that appears to indicate the presence of the supernatural can be explained in terms of natural phenomena or misperception of witnesses. While his arguments are faulty, the Western church tends to look with skepticism at the supernatural.

D) Miracle Workers and Televangelists (20^th Century)

Ironically, through the fruitful ministries of various people with gifts of healing over the last century there came a degree of sensationalism. Amy Semple McPherson and others were often hounded by aggressive agnostic reporters. Do we tend to relegate healing to the religious sideshow? Or do we invent reasons why we are off the hook? Are we so naturalistic that we fail to believe in the supernatural?

I love the story of the late John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard churches, who when first saved in another denomination asked his pastor, “When do we get to do the stuff? You know, the stuff! The stuff Jesus did!” One reason we don’t see more miracles is that the church (and our culture) has both relegated signs and wonders to the sideshow of sensationalism and yet, ironically, we are desensitized to the super natural voice of the Spirit in our lives.

E) Advances in Personal Wealth and Medical Care (ongoing).

The last 100 years has seen an amazing progress in medical care. Life-saving surgeries that are commonplace today were not even dreamed of even 50-60 years ago. We live in a country that has experienced tremendous prosperity over the same period of time. While there are still areas affected by poverty it is not the desperate poverty on many third-world nations. While these advances are a blessing to those they benefit, they can produce a deceptive spirit of self-sufficiency which when coupled with the scientific-smugness that has accompanied it we are much like ancient Nazareth. Nazareth is remembered for its unbelief—they didn’t ask Jesus to heal their sick or deliver their oppressed. And when we ask we are like those described in James 2:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Let me say that we do have tremendous healing in this country, but it comes through a variety of means. It comes through prayer, through doctors, through proper nutrition and exercise, and through medical breakthroughs. Yet we too often fail to recognize the wonder of it all.

There is an old story, of a man facing a rising flood. When the Weather Service gave the flood warning, advising evacuation he said “No, God will deliver me!”

When the water was up to his mailbox, he said “No” to the National Guard truck from the driveway…  later he said “No” to the swift water rescue boat from his porch, later as the water continued to rise he said “No” to the helicopter from the roof. After that he drowned. The story goes that when in heaven he stood before the Lord, and asked, “Why didn’t you save me…I trusted in you!” To which Jesus said, “Son, I sent you a warning, then I sent the truck, the rescue boat, and the helicopter. What more were you looking for?”

I don’t share this story to debunk miraculous deliverance but rather to warn against presumption; the presumption that demands God answer our prayer according to our specifications. The man in the story should have taken the warning and helped others. Instead of demanding that God rescue him in a certain way, he should have used the circumstances as an opportunity to be the answer to other people’s prayers. It is only a funny story, but if we aren’t careful we can end up being the punchline. Having said that it is good to remember that the power of God is often more convincing elsewhere. Timothy Warner writes,

In many parts of the world…people are much more power-conscious than they are truth-conscious. We may preach a very logical and convincing message by Western standards, but our hearers remain unimpressed. Let them see Christian power displayed in relation to the spirit world in which they live with great fear, however, and they will “hear” the message more clearly than our words alone could ever make it. (Perspectives 3^rd Ed., 580)

In light of these influences I would suggest that the Western church is neither desperate nor boldly trusting God to actually do something, and when he does do something we often don’t have the sense to see it and give thanks!

That was a very lengthy aside, answering a question we were unable to get to a few weeks ago. But what about the apostles back in Acts 5? Last time we checked-in with their story they were locked in the public jail by the Sadducee religious leaders. But it was not for long.

2. They Were Released For a Purpose (v.19-21)

    But during the night an angel of the Lord

                                            opened the doors of the jail and

                                                     brought them out. 

                              “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said,

                                       “and tell the people all about this new life.”

          At daybreak they entered the temple courts,

                         as they had been told,

                     and began to teach the people.

There are three things I would like to mention about this section. First, it was an angel of the Lord who opened the door of the jail (v.19). What marvelous bit of divine irony it is that the apostles were imprisoned by the Sadducees for doing the supernatural and were miraculously released from prison by an angel which according to the Sadducees do not exist. Who says that God does not have a sense of humor? In addition, the angel in this case does not proclaim that Jesus was alive but tells them to do so…in the temple no less. That is like sending the apostles to preach on the Sadducees’ front lawn. It is a strategy sure to land them back in jail. By the way, in case we are tempted to develop some kind of angelic door-opening theology, notice that while the angle opened the door of the jail for them to escape, they still had to wait until daybreak for the doors of the temple to be opened (v.21).

Second, the purpose of the Lord is sure (Isa 14:24), where in the context of the coming destruction of Assyria,

    The Lord of hosts has sworn:
    “As I have planned, so shall it be,
    and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…”

His word will be fulfilled; it will come to pass, with or without us.

Third, the Apostles were recalled to active service… a three-part commission was given by the angel. They were to “Go” (out of the jail), “Stand in the temple” (see Eph. 6:13-14), and “Tell the people all about this new life.” They were to continue to be ambassadors for reconciliation in the world.

3. Repeating the Process (21-25)

  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. 

                            But on arriving at the jail,

                                         the officers did not find them there. 

                                    So they went back and reported, 

                                      “We found the jail securely locked,

                                                 with the guards standing at the doors;

 but when we opened them,

                 we found no one inside.” 

                                On hearing this report,

                      the captain of the temple guard and

                      the chief priests were at a loss,

                                                  wondering what this might lead to.

   Then someone came and said, “Look!

                              The men you put in jail

                    are standing in the temple courts

                                           teaching the people.” 

We all saw this ending coming, back when the angel sent them back to witness in the temple, the religious leaders’ home court. It reminds me in a way of the original Weebles, the old children's toy that was like a weighted punching bag that just kept standing back up. The tag line was, "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!" They were noticed, reported and the source of great wonder to the guards.

4. Remaining Faithful Under Pressure (26-33)

   At 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.

                         The apostles were brought in

                                                          and made to appear

                        before the Sanhedrin to be questioned

                                                 by the high priest.

   “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.”

Peter and the other apostles replied:

“We must obey God rather than human beings! 

                  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—

                                                                           whom you killed

                                                                                by hanging him on a cross. 

                         God exalted him to his own right hand 

                                                as Prince and Savior 

                                                    that he might bring Israel to repentance

                                                                                and forgive their sins. 

   We are witnesses of these things,

                                  and so is the Holy Spirit, 

               whom God has given to those who obey him.”

    When they heard this,

              they were furious and

                      wanted to put them to death. 

They were arrested again, but this time more discretely, so as to not start a riot. When questioned by the High Priest, Peter spoke up as representative for the apostles and stipulates to the charges being brought against them, namely that they were preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ as though it were actually possible and true, and blaming Jesus’ death on the religious leaders.

Peter didn’t disagree with the High Priest’s charges but admitted them while saying just why they did what they did. He made several good points that I will list…

• We must obey God rather than human beings (v.29)
• The Jesus you killed is now alive (v.30)
• That Jesus is Prince and Savior—the Messiah (v.31)
• The Holy Spirit is also a witness (v.32) living in those who obey God.

Now, let me ask the question, “What were Peter’s words in v.29?” What was the implication of this? Is it not that “We obey, you don’t.” So this truthful conclusion didn’t clear them. Instead it cut the Sadducees to the heart not in conviction but in anger and they began actively discussing how to have them killed.

What will happen? Will they be delivered or executed? Will the angel show up again? Will the people march on the palace? Tune in next week at this same Acts-time, same Acts-channel!

Cliffhanger aside, God’s plan for us is not destroyed or cast down by any attack from the outside. “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear” (Isa 59:1), we just need to make sure we have confessed our need for him to be our savior.

Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you are doing in the world today,

and the courageous love needed to jump in together and participate with you in your mission! 

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[1] Henry Bettenson, ed. The Early Christian Fathers, [New York: Oxford University Press, 1956], 93.