No Stopping It

Acts 4:13-31

The book of Acts is clear; the good news of the gospel cannot be contained, and our reading for today is yet another example of this reality. After healing a man in the temple Peter and John were brought before the Jewish leaders who questioned the Apostles’ motives. After sending Peter and John out of the council the leaders conferred. According to Acts, “They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warm them to speak no more to anyone in this name’” (Acts 4:16-17).

The leaders might as well have tried to extinguish a fire with grease. There would be no slowing the work of the church. Indeed, by the end of this passage Peter, John, and the other believers are asking for the strength they will need to continue the work they have been given. And, “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” (v. 31). It was Pentecost all over again!

When I read the book of Acts I cease to fear for the future of the church. There have been conflicts and schisms and controversies for centuries on end. Powers have risen in every age with the aim of silencing the gospel and in each case they have failed. For this reason I find it imperative that people of faith stop trying to save that which cannot be lost. God will preserve the church; our job is to serve God with faithful obedience wherever we may be, doing the work to which God has called us, suffering when necessary, but rejoicing at all times. Yes, there will be difficult issues to confront. Yes, there will be times of transition and upheaval. Yes, we will find ourselves faced with new circumstances that require new forms of expression and which are not to our liking. But God has made it abundantly clear that no power on earth nor in heaven can silence the gospel message of hope and salvation. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of our fears about the future and to trust you wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We Need An Advocate

Acts 4:1-12

John 16:1-15

When I was in about the sixth grade my mother and I attended the trial of a man charged with armed robbery. We had been told by a friend that this particular case would be interesting because the defendant had chosen to represent himself in the proceedings. The man was eventually found guilty, supporting the adage that anyone who acts as his or her own lawyer has a fool for a client.

Our reading from Acts this morning describes the events that take place when Peter and John are brought before the elders and priests of Israel. The disciples are there to explain what they have been saying and doing in the temple. The writer of Acts tells us that Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and began to address the gathered leaders (Acts 4:8). It might have appeared that Peter was representing the disciples himself, but in fact he was being guided by God’s Spirit in what he said. Jesus alludes to such in our reading from John’s gospel today. “…It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). The early church did receive the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, and it was by this presence that Peter was emboldened and enabled to speak. In other words, Peter had the best council in the room.

We, too, should allow for God to work in and through us. When we are faced with a challenge to our faith, or questioned about what we believe, or overwhelmed by doubt and fear the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is with us providing us guidance and council. We need not depend on ourselves or on what we can prove because we, too, will have the best council possible.

Prayer: Lord, may your Holy Spirit guide us throughout our lives that we may live as your people without fear or hesitation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.