Skip to main content

Opposition




17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. Acts 5.

As we go through Acts, One thing we see over and over again is that culture changing faith almost always brings with it opposition.  When we begin to catch a glimpse of God and his vision for us, and when we have the Spirit of God living in us it will change us.  Once we have been changed, some people will be drawn to us because they are looking and wanting something different than what they see in the world.  Others, however, will be threatened by the changes they see and that brings opposition.  What I love is the boldness that the first followers had in the midst of opposition.  Boldness to speak the truth to the people at Pentecost; boldness to tell the High Priest and the Sadducees, “We must obey God rather than men.” Boldness to keep living out their faith even in the midst of hostility and persecution. The apostles do not seem at all surprised that they are encountering opposition and it should not surprise us either. In fact they went out saying, “Uh huh, Oh yea! We suffered for Christ” ~ S. Elaine translation~   Jesus said that it would happen and we see the evidence of it all through Acts.  While none of enjoy opposition, we can look at this and be encouraged because if they could be bold and endure opposition and remain strong, in the center of opposition and threats, then so can we.  After all, we serve the same God they serve and we have the same Spirit dwelling in us as they had. Guess what, in 2,000 years he has not changed.  Truth is if we want to change a culture, then we have to be willing to face disapproval and remain strong. So when we start to live for God and some people oppose us we should take heart.  In spite of everything, this is nothing new that we should be taken by surprise
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Live Fearlessly

                                   As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the    road.  Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride.  As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping.  I could have and should have but I didn't. Why?  I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid.  It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into  overdrive.  Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting.  Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy.  As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid.  Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know.   As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid.  I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I
Post a Comment
Read more

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story.  We were new parents.  When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes.   One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house.  The next thing I heard was a thud.  I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened.  There was my son with a table on top of him.  He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over.   We put him in the car and dashed for the ER.  It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches.  Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike.  She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road.   I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but
Post a Comment
Read more

The God of Order

  Yesterday, my children and I went walking on a bike trail.    The weather was perfect.   Sunny, warm but not hot.   As we were walking, we started to talk about creation.   Creation itself always amazes me.     Can you imagine watching creation unfold at the word of the Almighty?   It would be   the most glorious and lovely thing to see.      As we were talking, I asked,  “What do you think would have happed if  God had created people first?”     They stopped  gave me a questioning look then my daughter said, “I suppose that we would have starved because there was no food.”     And we all had a laugh creating  other scenarios for what might  have happened if creation had happened in any other way.      Yet, the   fact is that creation itself demonstrates that God is a God of order.   Each day of creation built on   what had been done the day before.    It also reminds me that God wants our lives to be as orderly as possible. God planned creation before one word was spoken
Post a Comment
Read more