Slices
Prepare
‘Give me eyes that see the full reality, Father – not just the surface facts but all that can be accomplished with your power, love and presence. Help me believe that with you nothing is impossible. Amen.’
Bible passage
The apostles persecuted
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people all about this new life.’
21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
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. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 ‘We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
25 Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’ 26 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.
27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 ‘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.’
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead – whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’
Explore
There’s something quite comic about this episode in Acts. The authorities are playing an early version of the arcade game ‘Whac-A-Mole’, bashing away at the apostles only to find they have popped up again nearby. Did you notice that the angel left the cell locked after letting the men out (v 23)? The escape went from being hard to understand to being completely baffling. And more baffling still, rather than getting somewhere safe, the apostles were a short distance away repeating the behaviour that had got them locked up.
The story of the early church is a story of a beautiful partnership between God and his people. With obedient and courageous apostles equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the gospel cannot be contained. The message is irrepressible.
The same is true today. If we do our part, the whole host of heaven is behind us. We too have the Holy Spirit, ‘whom God has given to those who obey him’ (v 32). How mind-blowing. How terrifying.
Respond
We can easily become discouraged by negative responses when we talk about Jesus. Imagine yourself in a cell, the bars made of whatever inhibits you from sharing the gospel. Then picture an angel releasing you. Where will you go and whom will you talk to?
Deeper Bible study
Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’1
The growing power of the apostolic leadership and the increasing size of the church were matters of grave concern to the high priests. For many years they had enjoyed the authority and wealth of the Temple and had walked a fine line of compromise between the Roman authorities and their own fanatical groups. Now this balance seems to be at risk. It has not been long since the authorities finally got rid of Jesus, a move considered expedient for the preservation of the nation and their own positions.2 Now the disciples of that same Jesus are not only proclaiming him as the Messiah but accompanying it with signs of spiritual power, leading to thousands deserting their traditional loyalty to the priests and joining this dangerous sect.
What kind of men were they? First, the apostles were men of courage. The command to go straight back and preach in the Temple sounds to a prudent mind almost incredible. To obey that command was an act of audacity, yet they went. Second, they were men of principle: in all circumstances obedience to God must come first. They never asked, ‘Is this course of action safe?’ They asked, ‘Is this what God wants me to do?’ Third, they had a clear idea of their function. They knew they were witnesses for Christ.3
The apostles’ response to the high priest’s challenge came in the form of a mini-sermon, because their concern was not to defend themselves but to uplift Jesus. What is your reaction when you are opposed? In many parts of the world Christians are forbidden to preach. Can you stand firm in the Holy Spirit?
Pray that you may stand firm against any opposition to the gospel. Pray for those persecuted for sharing their faith.
1 Acts 4:19,20 2 John 11:49,50 3 William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, The Daily Study Bible, 1976, p48
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezra 7,8; Luke 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Impact 2020, a schools mission week across Portsmouth with Guvna B and Sadie Robertson, ending with a gig at Portsmouth Guildhall, was scheduled for this week. Pray that new ways will be found to reach many young people.
