By: Dale Weckbacher
Acts 4:29-30
And now,
Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak
your word with all boldness, 30 while you
stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through
the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
(ESV)
Fear can be a paralyzing emotion making
us afraid to move forward and instead retreat to our safe place. Fear can also serve us by preventing us from
taking an unnecessary risk. For example,
while I like flying, I fear jumping out of an airplane because I know the laws
of gravity would take over and I would crash to the earth and die. However, if I take the precaution to use a
parachute and receive training on how to use it, or jump in tandem with someone
who does, I have a good chance of survival.
Not to worry because I believe the wisest choice, is to stay on the
plane until it safely lands at its destination.
One of the long-term effects of
Covid19 is that many have succumbed to a debilitating fear of going out from
their homes and remain sheltered in their safe place. While it may be uncomfortable to wear a mask
or social distance for those that like to socialize with other people, these
guidelines are the parachute that allows us to jump out of the shelter of our
homes, and safely conduct our business and be with others. Therefore, I will wear my mask even though it
is uncomfortable and practice social distancing, viewing it as my parachute
keeping me and others safe. While I
could stay in my safe place just like I choose to remain on the plane, I must
leave my safe place to conduct business and interact with others to support my
mental and spiritual health. Therefore,
unlike my decision to stay in the plane, I will leave the safe place of my
home, put on my parachute of a mask, and practice social distancing to conduct
necessary business and interact safely with others.
After their release from arrest,
Peter and John went to their friends and gave them a full report of what
occurred. This would have included the
edict given not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts
4:18). Peter and John’s response was
that to obey this edict would have required him to ignore all that they had
seen and heard during their time with Jesus on earth (Acts
4:19-20). During that time they had
seen the miracles Jesus performed like healing the sick, opening the eyes of
the blind, and even the raising of the dead (John
11:38-44; Mark 1:32-34; 8:22-26).
Peter and John saw Jesus die and saw him after his resurrection from the
dead (Luke
24:36-43). More importantly, Peter
and John are filled with the Holy Spirit with a mandate from Jesus to share the
message of Jesus' death burial and resurrection with others (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Peter and
John are not about to remain quiet and join with their friends in praying for
boldness to continue speaking about Jesus (Acts
4:23-31).
The question each person reading
this must ask themselves is how we would handle someone in authority, whether
they are from the Church or government telling us to be quiet and stop speaking
about Jesus in public. Would we
obediently comply to avoid arrest or public ridicule or would we, like the
believers in the Book of Acts, pray for boldness and allow ourselves to be
filled with the Holy Spirit so we could continue to boldly share the
Gospel. Granted, we have not physically
seen Jesus perform miracles or seen him resurrected from the dead like Peter
and John, but we do have the accounts in scripture. In addition, those reading this who have
accepted Jesus as their savior have experienced a life transformation that has
resulted in God’s peace and joy in their lives.
A world in chaos seeks peace and joy that is only found in a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. However,
if believers remain silent, a chaotic world will never know the source of peace
in their lives.
The Church must pray for boldness
in sharing the message of the Gospel and not remain silent. Even if the government or Church leaders tell
them to remain silent or tone it down, believers must be bold in declaring the
Gospel. The Church must also not allow
the wearing of a mask or the practice of social distancing stop the spread of
the Gospel but wear the mask while sharing the Gospel with others as a
demonstration of their concern for the safety of others while sharing the love
of Christ.
In this chaotic world, people
need the joy and peace that can only come from a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. Jesus died for all sinners
in this world and wants to have a personal relationship with everyone but waits
for us to come to Him. If you are
reading this and have not reached out to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
sin so you can experience the joy and peace of a relationship with Him, I
encourage you to do so now by praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
May all reading this who know
Jesus as their Savior, including those that just prayed, be bold in sharing the
peace and joy they have in their relationship with Jesus as their Savior with
others who are living in despair in a chaotic world.
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