“Lord Jesus, I come before you this morning with humble heart, waiting to hear from you what you have for me this morning. I pray you will order up my day for me today. Have your way, Lord, in my life. You are the potter and I am the clay. As the old hymn says, ‘Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.’ In Jesus’ name I pray these things, amen. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” I read Acts 4:1-31:
Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin~ These priests, the captain, and the Sadducees were some of the religious leaders and rulers of the people of Jesus’ day and of the time of Jesus’ first disciples. So, it wasn’t the worldly forces of the unbelievers (proclaimed) who were coming against Jesus’ disciples. These were the “religious” who were against them speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus, healing people and proclaiming the resurrection of the dead. These religious leaders were the ones who professed to know God Almighty and to be his offspring. Yet, they were Jesus’ fiercest opponents, and of those who crucified him, and they were the disciples’ adversaries, as well.
1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
We, too, will face opposition when we boldly speak in the name of Jesus Christ the truths of His Word. And, from my experience, much of that resistance will come from within the realm of the religious within the institutional church, including from those in spiritual positions of authority over us in the Lord. They may not physically place us in a literal jail, but they can keep us from speaking in the name of Jesus within a certain realm of control and influence, and they can hinder our ability to exercise our spiritual gifts within the Body in that same realm of control and authority, so in a sense they do have the capability of placing us in a kind of prison if we allow them to do so.
…Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
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.
~ Peter did not give in to their intimidation. He knew the power of the name of Jesus Christ to save and to transform lives. He knew the importance of speaking boldly in the name of Jesus. He was convinced of the Holy Spirit as to what God had commissioned him to do, even in the face of great opposition and even though that challenge came from those in positions of religious authority and rule over him. Yet, Peter did not speak from the flesh. This was no longer the old Peter who often responded quickly, without thinking, impulsively and emotionally. No, this Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he spoke to the leaders.
We, too, will face this kind of opposition, and from religious leaders, as well, if we are truly speaking the truths of God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit and with great boldness. Yet, when we face resistance, we need to make sure that we are not responding to the adversity in our old nature, too. We need to make certain that we prayerfully consider our words before the Lord and that we allow the Holy Spirit of God to speak through us the words he wants us to speak or to remain silent when he says not to speak, too.
The result of Peter and John speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit, which gave them the courage to speak the word of God with great boldness, was that the religious leaders “took note that these men had been with Jesus.” I am pretty well certain that the religious leaders did not express to the disciples that they saw the power of God in their lives as they had noted to themselves that these were ordinary men and unschooled and yet they spoke with great courage. I am not even sure that the leaders recognized this as the power of God resting on these disciples, yet they saw that the men had been with Jesus. When we speak in the power of the Holy Spirit and not in our own flesh, it should be evident, as well, that we have been with Jesus.
…Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
~ The Bible teaches us that we are to submit to and to obey those in authority over us. Yet, there are clear Biblical exceptions to this rule. Daniel was commanded not to pray to his God, and yet he, with window wide open for all to see, prayed to his God just as he had always done each day, and he was thrown into a den of lions for not obeying the authority over him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also were commanded to bow to an idol and yet they would not bow so they were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow. Jesus would also not bow to those in religious authority over him when he was often challenged by the religious leaders of his day, and his disciples followed suit.
When man’s rules and authority try to supersede God’s authority and commands, then it is permissible to not obey man and to instead obey God. So, if a religious authority tries to get us to disobey God or tries to get us to be something or someone we are not in order to adapt to the pattern of man instead of to conform to the pattern of God for our lives, then it is permissible to not listen to them and to obey God rather than man. Yet, we must be careful to make certain that we are indeed following God and not our own flesh, and that we are responding in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit over our lives so that there will be no mistake but that we, too, have been with Jesus.
…The Believers’ Prayer
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
~ The disciples bathed what they did in prayer. They brought before the Lord their opponents, who were Jesus’ antagonists, as well. And, there was something in what they prayed that stood out to me here. They recognized that what their opposition did was what God’s power and will had decided beforehand should happen. This is very important!! We need to know and to recognize that nothing comes into our lives outside the will of God. God is completely and absolutely sovereign over all things. Nothing takes him by surprise. He allows into our lives the very things that we face each and every day –all of life’s challenges – and he allows them for a purpose.
I believe and am convinced that opposition is often used of God in our lives to strengthen us and to make us even more determined in purpose and heart to do the will of God. God allows the people and circumstances in our lives to mold us and make us after His will, and he does this while we are yielded and still before him in prayer and in commitment of our lives and circumstances and the people in our lives over to him. So, we should not allow our foes to shake us, to make us afraid, to make us feel as though there is no hope or as though we must yield to man’s will for our lives over God’s will, thinking that man somehow has more control over our circumstances than God does.
Instead, we must commit our will into the hands of the potter and allow him to use these times of great conflict or resistance in our lives - and to our testimony for Jesus - to strengthen us in our faith, to give us courage to speak boldly in the name of Jesus, and to be convinced in our hearts of the necessity of speaking and teaching in Jesus’ name and of telling people of their need of Jesus Christ in their lives, for “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Favorite Song of All / Phillips, Craig & Dean
He loves to hear the wind sing
as it whistles through the pines and mountain leaves
And He love to hear the raindrops
as they splash to the ground in a magic melody
He smiles in sweet approval
as the waves crash through the rocks in harmony
And creation joins in unity
to sing to Him majestic symphonies
And He loves to hear the angels
as they sing, "Holy, holy is the Lamb"
Heaven's choirs in harmony
lift up praises to the Great I Am
But He lifts His hands for silence
when the weakest saved by grace begins to sing
And a million angels listen
as a newborn soul sings, "I've been redeemed!"
It's not just melodies and harmonies
That catches His attention
It's not just clever lines and phrases
That causes Him to stop and listen
But when anyone set free,
Washed and bought by Calvary begins to sing
That's His favorite song of all
Is the song of the redeemed
When lost sinners now made clean
Lift their voices loud and strong
When those purchased by His blood
Lift to Him a song of love
There's nothin' more He'd rather hear
Nor so pleasin' to His ear
As His favorite song of all
Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb
Halleluiah, halleluiah
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