“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” This is it. You have seen and heard and experienced the touch of God in your life. What is God asking of you with the message you hold?
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
Acts 4:12-22 NLT
The council deliberated among themselves about what to do with the leaders of the Jesus followers. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place because they could not deny that they had healed the man at the temple. They had laid eyes on the healed man and everyone in Jerusalem knew about it. News of miracles travels fast.
Their goal was not to investigate the claims of the Christians, or to find the truth of the healing of the man. They simply wanted the spread of this Christian propaganda to stop. So they decided to resort to threats. They would command Peter and John to never speak of Jesus’ name again…
Perhaps they could have done more, as the council had an extraordinary amount of power in that land and at that time. But there was the reality of the crowd. They realized that there could be a riot if they held Peter and John or punished them further.
The response of the disciples was resolute. It didn’t matter that they were warned or threatened with punishment, imprisonment, or even death. “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” This is it. Peter and John had seen everything. They had now heard everything from Jesus himself. And they had a message to share with the world.
What does this mean to you, and what have you seen and heard? If you are a follower of Jesus, you have seen and heard and experienced the touch of God in your life. What do you think God wants you to do with what you have seen and heard and experienced?
Furthermore, do you know what God is commanding of you with that message? Peter and John compared the command of the council to the command of God. Who would they obey? God, of course. So what is God asking of you with the message you hold? Will you obey him or will you obey the forces threatening you for speaking his name?
I remember Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden,” (Matthew 5:14). Those who have seen and heard and experienced Jesus are the light to display Jesus to others. They – we – cannot and will not stop sharing his amazing good news!
Amen.
Marc Kinna
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