God's Word for Me Today
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Focus: Our Mission With The World
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Your Holy Spirit is a witness of the great salvation You give us through Jesus! Fill me this day, with the Holy Spirit that I, too, may be a faithful witness to my friends, and to all I meet today. By Your Holy Spirit, prepare each person I meet this day, to receive Your Good News with joy! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Acts 5:17-32
17The high priest and his friends, who were Sadducees, reacted with violent jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the jail. 19But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20“Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” 21So the apostles entered the Temple about daybreak and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council, along with all the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought for trial. 22But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23“The jail was locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25Then someone arrived with the news that the men they had jailed were out in the Temple, teaching the people.
26The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested them, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would kill them if they treated the apostles roughly. 27Then they brought the apostles in before the council. 28“Didn’t we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?” the high priest demanded. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about Jesus, and you intend to blame us for his death!”
29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human authority. 30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by crucifying him. 31Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this to give the people of Israel an opportunity to turn from their sins and turn to God so their sins would be forgiven. 32We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”
Questions for Reflection
What feelings would you have, if you had to give testimony in a courtroom concerning something you had seen that involved a widely publicized case?
How do you decide whom to obey when competing authorities in your life ask you to do conflicting tasks?
When have you been so sure you were right about something that you were willing to stand up against your friends or family?
Questions for Exploration
After the apostles were arrested for being witnesses for Jesus, what did the angel of the Lord do for them, and what did he tell them to do next? (5:17-21)
What was the result of the apostles obedience to the angel of the Lord? (5:25-28)
Why did Peter and the apostles say that God raised Jesus from the dead? (5:29-32)
Questions for Understanding
Why do you suppose such amazing miracles accompanied the apostles as they carried out Jesus PLAN, when we don’t see such miracles in our lives today?
Why did the Temple guards exercise care when they arrested the apostles? What is the result in our lives when those who don’t follow Jesus see us living in obedience?
According to Peter, to whom do we owe ultimate allegiance? What may this mean in our daily lives if we offer this allegiance?
Questions for Application
What practical lessons do we learn from the boldness of the apostles to serve as witnesses to Jesus, even though they faced imprisonment and torture?
What do we gain in living for Jesus every day, when we are sure that God raised Him from the dead?
Courage is one of the prerequisites for sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world. Pray for God to give you the courage to stand up for Him today!
Obeying God Rather than People!
One of the most freeing discoveries in life is the day we discover that we live to obey God rather than people. While we are called to obey many people in our lives—our parents, our teachers, our bosses, our leaders in the church, political leaders--Peter reminds us that whenever any of these folks’ commands comes into conflict with our obedience to God, we must obey God. Peter and the other apostles were willing to be imprisoned and ultimately to die, rather than obey the command of a human being over the command of Jesus!
John Maxwell points out that the same reality was true of the Apostle Paul. Paul was extremely effective in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world. Why? Maxwell contends that it is because Paul didn’t have to “survive.” His ultimate goal was to be faithful to be with Jesus and one day to spend eternity with Him! Therefore, when someone threatened to imprison Paul, he would say, “Great! That will give me the opportunity to tell the prisoners and guards about Jesus!” When they said, “We’re going to beat you if you don’t stop talking about Jesus,” Paul replied, “What an honor, to suffer for my Lord!” When they said, “If you don’t stop talking about Jesus we will kill you!” Paul said, “Would you please? Then I can be with Him forever!” Life becomes much more easier for the follower of Jesus when faithfulness replaces survival as the goal of our lives!
While I have always believed that Jesus will provide for every need of our lives, and will honor our obedience, over the past seven months in particular, I have seen in so many practical ways that it is always better to obey God, than people. It isn’t always easier—but it’s always better!
To view the studies for other days, visit the God's Word for Me Today calendar.