DAY #188: Acts 5:26-6:7

In the middle of their deliberations, the Pharisees received a report that the escaped prisoners were right back where they were first arrested, doing the very thing for which they had been arrested! So the officers arrested them again, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would kill them. They did not want a riot to break out. The same concern had been expressed with respect to arresting Jesus.

The Jewish leaders wanted the apostles to stop teaching in Christ’s name and to stop accusing them of culpability in Christ’s death.

When Peter, the Galilean fisherman turned preacher, spoke to this group of religious leaders, he identified their common heritage with the phrase the God of our ancestors. These words tied the miracles these leaders had been hearing about to the Old Testament miracles, with which they were thoroughly familiar. The God who had parted the Red Sea and had led the Israelites to the Promised Land had also raised Jesus from the dead.

Peter repeated his accusation, you killed him by crucifying him. Jesus, whose name the high priest would not even speak, had been killed by the Jewish leaders, but he had been raised from the dead by God himself.

Standing before the council, the apostles explained that they had been witnesses of these things. They had seen the risen Christ, and they had seen the exalted Christ as he had been taken into heaven.

The high council listened to the apostles’ words and became so furious that they decided to kill them. As noted before, the Pharisees were careful about outward purity, but many had hearts full of impure motives.

Gamaliel offered them sound advice. With the leader gone (Jesus), this new movement would be overthrown if the apostles were acting merely on their own. If, however, this movement truly was of God, then even these religious leaders would be unwise to fight against it, because not only would they not be able to stop them (the apostles), but they would end up fighting against God.

The council accepted Gamaliel’s sound advice and decided not to put the apostles to death. But they were not going to let the apostles off easily. The council had them flogged. In a flogging, leather thongs made into whips were beaten against the bared upper body of the bound prisoner. The prisoner would be made to kneel, then the triple-strap whip would be beaten across both chest and back, with two beatings on the back for every one on the chest.

These apostles had endured tremendous pain, yet they left the council, rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus—the name that the high priest would not even say, the name in which they had been forbidden to speak. Notice the attitude of the early church toward difficulty: they were imprisoned, threatened, beaten. Their response was to rejoice—not because they had all these bad things happen but because they had been “counted worthy” of disgrace from their association with Christ.

Instead of making the apostles fearful, the suffering they had endured at the hands of the Jewish leaders only made them more courageous. Every day, in the Temple and in their homes, they continued to teach and preach. These apostles wanted everyone to know that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies—he was the promised Messiah! The threat of prison, beatings, and even death would not deter this group of witnesses from their appointed task. The heat was on, but it was only spreading the fire!

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

I am in awe of the attitude that the apostles had regarding suffering. Instead of questioning, instead of worrying, instead of doubting, they rejoiced that they had been counted worthy to suffer like Christ. Simply amazing. What great faith.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 (NIV)

Lord, build that kind of mature faith in to the people of COV. Would to God that as opportunities come our way to"suffer", we would trust the one who loves us and as a plan for us.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Lord, these times we live in are a great opportunity to be a witness for You. Help us to stand for You and speak for You and live for You. Make us more like Christ. Use the WWJD sermon series to develop Christ-lie character in all of our lives.