Scripture to Read: Acts 4:1–4
God has saved us from the penalty and power of sin through our Lord Jesus Christ, not just so we can be with Him in heaven for eternity but also to fulfill His work here on earth. In Acts 3:17–26, God has used Peter and John to share with the crowd what God led Moses and the prophets to say and write about Christ. But when Christ and His resurrection are proclaimed, opposition will arise. Jesus promised in John 15:18–25, and many other Scriptures, that this world would hate all of His followers. In Acts 4:1–4, we see the hatred that the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees had for Peter and John. The reason the Sadducees hated Peter and John so much is that the Sadducees did NOT believe in angels, demons, heaven, or hell, and they denied a resurrection from the grave after death (Matthew 22:23). Peter and John had proclaimed that Christ had been raised from the dead, so the Sadducees wanted them stopped. Now, remember Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” No matter how we are persecuted for proclaiming Christ, it is the spiritual forces of darkness that use people to carry out their evil deeds. The good news is that though Peter and John were imprisoned, we read in Acts 4:4, “many of those who had heard the message believed.” Now, that’s worth going to prison.
Challenge & Application
• What would you be willing to go to prison for to serve our Lord well?
• How are you experiencing persecution because of your unwillingness to compromise on God’s Truth?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!