Continued Persecution and Miraculous Intervention

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Acts 5:17-42

 

Acts 5:42

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

(NKJV)

 

Persecution was a common occurrence in the Church in the Book of Acts, with God making miraculous intervention, as seen in this text. The Church today faces persecution when it takes a stand for biblical truth in a woke culture. The question each Church must ask is, will it compromise or back off on declaring biblical truth to avoid persecution or take a stand like the Church in the Book of Acts?

 

The apostles are arrested with the Sadducees placing them in the common prison, but at night an angel visits them and opens the prison doors, commanding them to stand in the temple and speak to the people (Acts 5:17-20). In obedience, the apostles enter the temple early in the morning and taught while the high priest and those with him called the council together, asking that the apostles be brought to them (Acts 5:21). Those given the task of bringing the apostles do not find them in the prison and report back that while the prison doors were shut and guarded, the apostles were not there (Acts 5:22-23). This caused the high priest, the captain of the temple, and chief priests to wonder what the outcome would be (Acts 5:24).

 

Someone then comes to them and reports that the apostles are in the temple teaching the people (Acts 5:25). The captain went with the officers and, without violence, out of fear of being stoned by the people, brought the apostles to the council (Acts 5:26-27). The high priest reminds the apostles that he strictly commanded them not to teach in the name of Jesus and that they were filling Jerusalem with their doctrine and intending to put Jesus’ blood on their hands (Acts 5:28). Peter asks the council if they should obey God rather than men, letting them know they are witnesses of Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension to be with God the Father (Acts 5:29-32).

 

This infuriated them, and they plotted to kill the apostles (Acts 5:33). However, Gamaliel, one highly respected as a teacher of the law, commands them to put the apostles outside (Acts 5:34). He tells the council to consider whether these men should be killed, and cites two instances of men starting movements that came to nothing (Acts 5:35-37). Gamaliel advises the council to leave the apostles alone, telling them that if the movement is not of God, it will also come to nothing, but if it is of God, they will be fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39).

 

The council agrees with Gamaliel and calls the apostles back, beat them, and command them again not to preach in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40). The apostles depart, rejoicing that they are counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41). The apostles did not stop but continued to teach about Jesus daily in the temple (Acts 5:42).

 

In obedience to the Great Commission (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20), many believers are being added to the Church, representing a threat to the religious establishment. This is the same threat felt by these religious leaders when Jesus was around and amassing a following. The possibility of the council executing the apostles for their belief was very real since that is exactly what they did to Jesus. Most of these apostles would be executed for their faith but now was not the time. As the book of Acts unfolds, we will later see that these apostles turned their world upside down (Acts 17:6). What an example for the church to follow.

 

The current woke movement is threatened by the truth of the word of God preached in the churches, daring to declare biblical truth.

 

• Abortion on demand – In Psalm 139:13-14, the psalmist reminds us that we were formed by our creator in our mother’s womb, and that we are wonderfully made. If one stands on this biblical truth, support of abortion on demand for the convenience of the mother is to kill a person who is a creation of God. This person will be born and have an opportunity to accept God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), becoming a disciple of Christ.
• Homosexuality and gay marriage – God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sin of homosexuality (Genesis 19:1-29). The Apostle Paul condemned the practice in Romans 1:18-32, indicating homosexuality remains a sin even in the New Covenant. A Church professing to stand on Biblical truth cannot compromise by ignoring what the Bible says about this sin.
• Gender reassignment – In Genesis 1:27, the Bible clearly states that God created people as male and female. This is also how we were formed in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14). To later decide I should be the other gender is to tell God He has made a mistake in how He formed me. If God can make mistakes, he is no different than any of us. The Church must stand on the biblical truth that God created us as male or female and has a plan for us to serve him from that gender.
• Critical race theory – When God created Adam and Eve, we are told He created them as male and female, but there is no mention of what race they were (Genesis 1:27). In addition, John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world and that whoever believes John 3:16 in Him shall have everlasting life, with no mention of race. This is because race is not important to God, who loves all humanity, sending His son to die for the sins of all. Critical race theory gives preference to certain races who are deemed to be oppressed when the truth is all races are oppressed with sin (Romans 3:23). All races need Jesus to save them from their sins, and why Jesus died for us all (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

The church of the Book of Acts stuck to its mission of making disciples and stayed true to biblical truth. The question we must ask is, will the Church today do the same, or compromise on truth to be socially acceptable and politically correct? In light of the woke culture in which we live, I pray the Church will follow the model provided in the Book of Acts.

 

I now want to invite anyone reading this who has not prayed for the forgiveness of the sin in their lives (Romans 3:23), and who has not made Jesus the Lord of their lives, to pray with me now.

 

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.

 

If you just prayed, let someone know of your profession of faith or comment on this post. I also urge you to find a church of truth, teaching from the Bible that is empowered by the Holy Spirit, so you can grow in your faith. May God convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post.