Jump Start # 660

Acts 4:18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “ Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

I love the passion and courage of Peter in these verses. Arrested. Released. Arrested. Released. This seems to be a pattern in these early chapters of Acts. The officials thought a night in prison and a threat would make the apostles cower in fear. They were so wrong. Their actions seemed to stoke the fire within the hearts of his brave disciples.

There are three lessons to be learned here.

First, people change, don’t give up on them. Just a few months before all of this, we find Peter in the courtyard as Jesus is being interrogated by the Jewish hierarchy. Three times he denies knowing Jesus. What is so incredible about that is it wasn’t Roman soldiers who made Peter crack. It wasn’t intense death threats that scared him. A servant girl challenged him and he crumbled. A servant girl. Now, in Acts, he has been in prison and city officials are demanding that he be quiet. Peter refuses. He stands up to their threats. Peter has changed. The resurrected Christ did it. He grew from a timid disciple to a bold apostle. People will do that. Often, we remember the Peter who denied. We forever peg him as a coward. We won’t accept that he may have changed. I have known men who have walked away from the Lord, later in life serve as elders. They changed. People did not give up on them. Most of us have changed as we journeyed with Christ. We tend to get tougher, more confident, less caring what the godless write or say.

Second, the world is opposed to Christ. Jesus warned about this. They hated Jesus and they will hate his disciples. Peter was threatened. Peter was only preaching Jesus. Peter was offering what these people needed—salvation through the precious blood of the Savior. They would have nothing to do with that. They wanted to stamp the message out and quit the voice of those who stood with Christ. Those threats linger today. The innocent disciple will face threats. It may come from work. It may come from family members. Mostly, it comes from a world that wants to bathe in sin and become drunken with immorality. Don’t turn on the light, they love darkness. Don’t tell of consequences, they don’t care. The disciple in a dark world is a reminder to people who don’t want to be reminded. The disciple shames guilty people. The disciple stands for something that the godless world wants to go away and that is God.

Thirdly, we cannot stop speaking. That should be our motto. We sing, “I love to tell the story,” and so we should. Now there are ways to do this. This is not a cause to be rude, mean spirited, causing trouble, getting in fights or things like that. You don’t find Jesus or the apostles in bars, brothels, or in the mud with sinners. They were in market places, synagogues, the Temple, the streets. They found audiences that would listen. When told not to speak, they continued to speak. They put God before a city ordinance. The media has sold out to the voice of the godless. The media gives the impression that nearly everyone embraces wrong. The media would have us to think that God is on the way out. The media is so wrong. Events like yesterday’s turn out nationwide at Chick-fil-a’s illustrate how wrong the media is. Many stand with God. May that event spark us to continue to stand with God.

When someone says something that is not right, kindly correct them. When someone makes bold and unscriptural claims about God or His word, speak out. Don’t be afraid to stand alone. Don’t be afraid to say, “That’s not what the Bible says.” The voice of Peter could not be silenced. It’s time to awaken our voices and let the world know that we stand with God, in all things. The courage of one may rally others who believe but are afraid. The courage of one may convince those who are riding the fence. The courage of one spreads to others. The courageous soldier inspires the rest of the troops in battle. The courageous “win one for the Gipper,” inspired a team to win a game. The courage of an apostle inspires us to not be afraid, nor ashamed. Don’t be afraid to bow your head in public and pray before you eat. So others see you. Maybe they wished they had the faith to do that as well. Don’t be afraid to carry your Bible in places where people will see it—on airplanes, at work, in doctor’s offices. Don’t be afraid to admit to others that “Yes, I am a Christian.” Or, “Yes, I go to church services every week.”

We cannot stop speaking…we will only stop when the Lord stops us. Tax us, imprison us, mock us, make fun of us, threat us, boycott us, ridicule us, we will not stop speaking. Jesus is Lord. More than that, Jesus is my Lord!

Say that…share that…speak that…and finally, live that. Our voices may tire, but we must keep speaking. Our voices may be drowned out by opposition, yet we must still speak. We will only stop when the Lord stops us. That was Peter…and that must be us.

Roger