lately i hear a lot of people, including myself, talk about how hard life is. i complain a ton about how challenged my faith is, how stressed i feel, and how little i feel like God is helping. about a week ago, though, i was reading Acts, and a certain passage jumped out at me:
17 -20Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action, arrested the apostles and put them in the town jail. But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. He said, "Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life."
Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching. 21 -23Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the High Council, Israel's senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. When the police got there, they couldn't find them anywhere in the jail. They went back and reported, "We found the jail locked tight as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn't find a soul."
24The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were puzzled. "What's going on here anyway?"
25 -26Just then someone showed up and said, "Did you know that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?" The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them.
27 -28Bringing them back, they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said, "Didn't we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus' name? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying your best to blame us for the death of this man."
29 -32Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail."
33 -37When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot. But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, then said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were scattered to the four winds.
38 -39"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!"
40 -42That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus' name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.
there were a lot of great themes in the passage, but a couple totally blew my mind. the first is that the apostles were tortured. when we think of our prisons, we don't get really appealing thoughts do we? ancient prisons were even worse. prisoners were often starved, they were put in rough, rusty shackles, in places with no air conditioning or bathroom. there was no way to pass the time. but when they were told to obey, they did so WITHOUT COMPLAINT! how amazing is that? they had just been through a scaring, degrading experience unlike anything we have in the west today, and when they're let go, they immediately begin proclaiming the Name of Christ PUBLICLY! they are then beaten severely (worse than any punishment we allow in our society) they praise God, and CONTINUE TO PREACH the Name of Jesus! a lot of us are like the apostles. we are insulted, beaten down (mentally or physically), and just don't feel like going on. but we can look to the apostles as examples. they were utterly abused and humiliated, and yet they pressed on.
the second is that they were completely obedient. they didn't just do what they knew they should, though, they also did so IMMEDIATELY. they heard the Lord, and as soon as they were able, followed His command. i know so much of the time i wait until i feel ready to obey the Lord. that, at it's heart, can hardly be called obedience at all. the Lord gives us challenges and tells us to obey Him when He knows it's best, both for us, and for others. if we in any way try to manipulate His plan, we'll only hurt ourselves.
take abraham for instance. he and sarah were supposed to wait for God to make sarah pregnant, yet they attempted to speed the process by having abraham sleep with sarah's servant, hagar. in the end, there was enormous pain, and hagar and ishmael, her son, were forced into exile. and God still accomplished His plan, but there was an enormous amount of pain and agony in the process that never needed to be there. all because abraham and his wife thought God had it wrong. they weren't concerned with obedience, but with self-gratification.
another aspect of their obedience was that it was done against man's judgement. an average sane human being will avoid embarassment and physical pain. how many people do you know who ask to be beaten? yet that is precisely what they did. they knew that Jesus was the Truth, and no amount of peer pressure could convince them otherwise. so much of the time, we give into peer pressure. we all do it in one way or another. whether it's that one beer, that one dare, that one person that everyone rejects, we all do (or don't do) things we should/shouldn't because we worry about what others will think of us. but peter brings up one HUGE point: who's opinion of you matters more, man's, or God's?
God is the Truth, and if the Truth thinks something of you, it's not just an opinion, but a FACT. if flawed man thinks something about you, there's a good chance it's skewed. in the end, all you really have to decide is whether you want to appear good, smart, intelligent, or cool to man, or be something powerful, life-changing, and amazing through God.
the last and most convicting thing (for me) the apostles do is they REJOICE in their suffering. the Bible says they were honored to be punished for the Name. how many people do you know who get happier after they've been beaten up and threatened with violence or death? yet that's what the apostles, our examples, do.
so often we feel so exhausted or beat down or persecuted for the Name of Christ, but what we really should feel is excited, rejuvenated, and in love with Him. when we are truly doing the Lord's work and are persecuted, we have to realize that we bring Truth to a lost world; a world that is completely and utterly terrified of complete and utter love and truth. they fear the change the Holy Spirit inspires, they fear their own sin, and they fear God's judgment. so they lash out against what they see as the agitators.
the next time you are persecuted for being a Christian, resist the temptation to feel abused or hurt or discouraged. if you know that what you are doing is right, and that you're living for Christ, then you are simply "worthy to be persecuted for the Name". there are times in life when the Holy Spirit allows for us to be persecuted, like in the case of Job. it is to bring others and us closer to the Lord. in the words of c.s. lewis, "God whispers when we are doing fine, but he screams to us in our suffering." what lewis was getting at is not that God loves to see us suffer; on the contrary, he feels all of the pain we endure, and more, and relentlessly fights for victory on our behalf. but when we are ripped away from all human security, and when we are left in a state of human helplessness, then we are most in need of Him. we learn to lean on Him for all things. then, in our weakness, God is strong (paul talks about this in 2 corinthians 12:1-10). He gets the chance to prove that He is who He claims to be. He makes Himself even more worthy of all the praise we owe Him. AND God allows us to be persecuted so that others can bear witness to His change in us. if we never back down when persecution, false accusation, or peer pressure from others is forced on us, what does that say? if we do not back down, but instead move forward, and not in bitterness or anger, but in God's pure and perfect Love, what does that say? it declares in the most visible way that God is real, His son is Jesus and He is alive, and the power of His Holy Spirit is tangible, fulfilling, loving, and life-changing.
a song that really stands out about this subject is Jesus bring the rain by casting crowns (you can find it immediately if you go on youtube). it was a real encouragement to me when i struggled with this before. to all my brothers and sisters in Christ struggling, i'm right there with you, and i'm praying for all of you. keep the faith, hold on to His love. He loves you so much!
God bless!
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