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Suffering For The Gospel - Acts 5:40-41
Suffering For The Gospel - Acts 5:40-41
Having been warned by Gamaliel concerning how they were going to deal with the Apostles, the Jewish council called “the apostles in, flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. It isn’t a surprise that they were treated this way by those who had recently crucified Jesus! What most of us find surprising is the reaction of the apostles to such persecution.
They Rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (vs. 41). They had witnessed when Jesus was rejected, persecuted, and crucified. Now, they get to walk in His footsteps! Jesus had told them: “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!” (Matt. 10:25). He had already told them “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matt. 10:22). Jesus had explained to them that “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Jesus also had promised them: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matt. 5:11).
Having been prepared ahead of time for this, they now rejoiced! Later, disciples are encouraged to keep the same attitude: “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:2-3).
Then: “every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42). Threats or no threats, suffering or no suffering, they were commissioned by Jesus to preach the gospel, so they did! It doesn’t take lots of advertising, programs, expense to spread the gospel, but it does take preaching and teaching! In teaching a class on personal work, I encouraged each one to resolve to convert one person that year. One of the members who was always active in such efforts of teaching, stated that he had a different goal: he wanted to make sure he always had a class or study going with someone. He was willing to leave the increase up to God, and he would busy himself sowing the seed. His was a better (and more scriptural) goal.
What are you doing with your knowledge of the gospel? Have you told anyone about Jesus this week?
Hugh DeLong
