I was reading Acts 4 yesterday. Or perhaps I should say it was reading me. It’s one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, so I read it a lot. But it always challenges me to the core.
Here’s the situation. Peter and John were boldly preaching the Word of God. And God was moving. People were repenting and getting saved. Some were getting healed, including a man crippled from birth. It was awesome. Lives were being changed, and the Church was growing.
Not everyone was happy, however. A group of people including the priests and the Sadducees were most definitely not happy. They were “greatly disturbed” (Acts 4:2). They interrupted Peter and John while they were speaking to a crowd of people, and carted them off to jail. The next morning, the apostles were brought before a politically powerful assembly called the Sanhedrin, a group of people determined to put a stop to what Peter and John were doing.
Pretty intimidating stuff. These guys had the power to send Peter and John right back to that prison – for good. They had the power to inflict a rather vicious beating, if they felt like it. Peter and John remembered what had happened to Jesus just a few weeks ago. Now these powers-that-be were throwing angry questions at them. If Peter and John had any doubt as to the assembly’s disposition towards them, that night in jail made it abundantly clear.
So how did Peter and John respond? Did they backpedal? Try to “preserve unity”. Try to save their own behinds? No, they preached. Boldly. They stood for the truth that God had commanded them to proclaim.
I love the Sanhedrin’s reaction in verse 13: ”When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 NIV) That is so cool. There should be something different about a Christian. Being with Jesus changes us. It makes us… stand out. People notice. That’s when we get to smile and say, “It’s Jesus!”
The guys in the Sanhedrin were heard-headed, however. They said “Absolutely no more of this Jesus stuff – or else! Now get out!” (my paraphrase). So they let them go, but not without some serious threats.
If I’m Peter and John, this is where I would be tempted to go home, call an emergency team meeting, and start planning a significantly different strategy. Oh sure, we’d call it “progress” and put pretty language on it – “adapting to the culture” or something like that. We’d justify it. Someone would find a Scripture that we could take out of context to support our new plan. But the bottom line would be this: ”Gentleman, we are about to get significantly less bold. May I share with you again what that night in prison was like, or the looks on those Sadducees’ faces?!? They mean business. So we are going to have to keep this Jesus stuff on the down-low from now on.”
Only Peter and John didn’t do anything of the sort.
They called a team meeting all right, but here’s what they prayed. “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
Great boldness?!? Boldness is what got them in trouble in the first place! They want more? Really?
God liked the prayer so much the building shook and they all got blasted by the Holy Spirit all over again… “and spoke the word of God boldly” (v.31)
I want to live with that kind of courage. I have received the same commission to preach the Gospel that Peter and John did. (And so have you.) God’s commission must be the driving force in my life. Not the reaction of other people.
If we are living like Jesus, John Wimber used to say, “You’ll either make ‘em glad or mad!” He’s exactly right. Jesus had this effect on people. Most people loved Him. But some hated him.
If we live with the love, passion, and holiness of Jesus – people are going to notice. Many will be positively influenced. They are your opportunity. But some will persecute you. Don’t blame me. Jesus told you first.
Acts 4 is a reality check for me. Am I causing a stir everywhere I go because Jesus is shining through? If not, it’s a good bet that at some point, when faced with that backlash that Jesus warned us about, I chose something other than courage.
God, enable your servants to live with great boldness and courage.
