This chapter of Acts addressed two things: Purging from
within (the results of Ananias’ and Sapphiras’ lies); and Purging attempts from
without (the Sanhedrin persecutes the apostles again). I saw two things in the
second part that made me take notice.
The first thing was found in verse 32: “And we are witnesses
of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey
Him.” In the study notes, it mentioned that we all have the capacity for the
Holy Spirit to work through us in miraculous ways. Why don’t we see the kinds
of miracles the apostles witnessed and performed? I think the answer is in how
much we are obeying (or not obeying) Christ’s commands and words. Are we as
nearly devoted to sharing about Christ’s resurrection to a world that doesn’t
know Him as the early Church was? Are we sharing communally with our fellow
believers as the early Church was? Are we willing to rejoice in the midst of
persecution as the early Church was? I don’t see that today in our churches (or
in myself). I think my obedience and belief are tempered by the supposed
sophistication of modern ideas and philosophies. So my commitment and behavior
are not what I would call “filled with the Holy Spirit.” I think there are elements
of unbelief in my heart that are thwarting the Holy Spirit from giving me the
same power that the early Church had. And therefore I don’t see the same
results the apostles saw.
This brings me to the second thing that stood out to me in
this passage. In verse 41 it tells us the response of the apostles to the
persecution they had just gone through. “So they went on their way from the
presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to
suffer shame for His name.” When I encounter suffering or persecution (in no
way as severe as the apostles suffered), do I rejoice in the midst of it? Do I
rejoice after it? For that matter do I rejoice at all? If I had the same power
of the Holy Spirit working through me as the apostles had, would I rejoice
then? Possibly but I won’t know unless I give myself completely to His cause.
I don’t see persecution as a blessing or something to
rejoice about. One of the writers of the reference notes I was looking at for
this verse pointed out why this may be so. Basically, when we don’t focus on
the reward in the world to come (i.e. heaven), we don’t see anything to rejoice
about. The suffering seems pointless and purposeless and just part of the grind
of life. However, when the suffering comes and we view it as part of God’s plan
for our lives, and recognize that we are suffering the same as Jesus did, we
can rejoice because we will receive the same reward Jesus received: eternal
life. And, not just any eternal life, but a life filled with joy, glory, blessings,
painlessness, without struggles, and basking in the glory of the Lord. When I
focus on the reward to come, I am better able to accept the suffering in my
life. I need to take it one step further and rejoice in it.
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