Preparing For Persecution XVIII

 The presence, power, and authority of God are disruptive to the religions and religiosity of men. The reason it’s disruptive is twofold: first, it opens the people’s eyes to the reality that there is more than empty ceremonies and dry homilies to be had when serving God, and second, it reveals the impotence of the figureheads who’ve grown comfortable and slothful in their feigned worship. It’s the difference between seeing a picture of a roaring fire and sitting by one as the logs pop and crackle in the hearth and the heat warms your face.

Those who are simply religious and not in a relationship with Jesus see everyone else as their competition rather than their brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s all about market share and their piece of the pie. It’s not about serving God but themselves and retaining the power base they’ve amassed. When they deem someone a threat to the status quo, they will do their utmost to silence or otherwise do away with them altogether. No self-awareness was present, and there was no introspection as to how Peter and John had healed the lame man or whether their words had credence. All the ruling religious class knew was that they had to be silenced.

Peter and John weren’t out to make a name for themselves. They weren’t out to start some sort of cottage industry or elevate their individual status, but through it all, they pointed to Jesus and credited Him for all that had been done. There’s a valuable lesson in this, one we should take to heart, because any man who points to himself, elevates himself, honors himself, or deems himself the author of wisdom, power, or miracles is a fool and one who has not humbled himself in the sight of the Lord.

Peter and John had not set out to do anything more than go to the temple together at the hour of prayer. This is likely what they did week in and week out because their desire was to worship God, not engineer a revival of their own making. God provides the opportunities. We don’t have to manufacture them. What is incumbent upon us is to be ready to be used when God sees fit to do so, in whatever capacity He might deem.

It’s doubtful that either Peter or John woke up thinking that this would be the day that changed everything. They were going up to the temple to pray. That was all they’d intended on doing. Yet, God facilitated the encounter with the lame man and, thereby, the opportunity for them to preach, resulting in about five thousand men who believed. It doesn’t matter how many posters, fliers, advance teams, or radio spots they would have availed themselves of; they could never have matched the success of what occurred that day on their own.

In our day and age, we try very hard to manufacture revival rather than focus on growing our faith and obedience, and the results are less than ideal. A flash in the pan is just that. It dies down just as quickly as it flares up because there is nothing to sustain it. Peter and John were just going about their daily lives, and in an instant, the ordinary became extraordinary.

Another worthwhile lesson is that if God presents us with an opportunity to share the gospel, to preach Christ and Him crucified and risen, we should avail ourselves of it even if we know full well there will be consequences to doing so. A soul is worth more than my job, my comfort, my reputation, or my freedom. That is the mindset we must possess as true followers of Christ that we might never squander an opportunity or miss a chance to step out in faith and further the kingdom of God.

We are on a lifelong mission to preach the gospel to all men. It’s not exclusive to those with a degree or those with a title but everyone who is a follower of Christ. When we are mission-focused, we will recognize when God brings someone into our path and when He creates an opportunity to share our faith.

Although the early church was prepared for persecution because of the words Jesus spoke to them, the suddenness with which it descended likely came as a surprise. One day, they were beloved by the people; the next, they were being hounded and hunted, vilified and demonized. Life turns on a dime. It can happen that quickly, and if you’re not expecting it and prepared for it, it will catch you by surprise.

Deer in headlights is not a good look for the children of God. Knowing what we know of what the Bible says regarding how the world will view us, what the last days will look like, and that we would be hated by all nations for His name’s sake, we should never be in a position where we didn’t anticipate something or didn’t see it coming from a mile away.

Peter and John had already committed to their course. There was no hesitation or indecision when it came to declaring the risen Christ, nor was there any temerity in their answer to the high priest and his ilk when threatened not to speak the name of Jesus.

In the simple words of simple men, Peter and John made it clear that their choice was binary. Either they would obey men or God, and they’d chosen to obey God no matter what the men might say in order to dissuade them from this purpose. They didn’t try to obfuscate or explain their reasoning behind it. They didn’t try to lessen the blow of telling the high priest that his threats had fallen on deaf ears. They weren’t being rude or disrespectful, just direct.

When the enemy comes to threaten you or attempts to keep you from preaching Jesus, be direct in your declaration that no matter what he might throw your way, your allegiance is to Christ and Him alone. You don’t need to explain yourself to the devil. You don’t need to try and ingratiate yourself to him by trying to see his side of the argument. What he wants is either your denial of Christ or your destruction. Why play nice with someone like that?

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.